This episode explores one of the most underrated and overlooked superpowers for founders and entrepreneurs - the ability to listen deeply to your customers. It's easy to drift into building products and services based on our own assumptions and hunches. The founders and industry leaders joining us have battle-tested strategies for doing the opposite - obsessing over authentic customer voices to uncover game-changing insights. You'll learn from Sean Byrnes why a perpetual "learner's mindset" and adaptability are crucial, especially in rapidly evolving tech landscapes. He'll share how your startup's survival may hinge on truly listening to customers. Janel Galucci takes it a step further with a case study on how she used the voice of the customer to radically reshape her entire marketing strategy and messaging. Matthew Leibowitz hammers home why a CEO's willingness (or unwillingness) to empathize with customers can make or break an entire venture. He'll share the framework he uses to merge customer listening with industry foresight. Whether you're an upstart in a garage or a grizzled veteran, this is a master class in stealing an unfair competitive advantage by giving customers the attention they need. World-class founders make it a habit - click play and learn the secrets. Show Notes: 0:59 Embracing a Learner's Mindset as a Founder in Tech 2:32 Avoid the "Solution Looking for a Problem" Trap 3:59 Using Customer Feedback to Shape Marketing Strategies 4:35 The Power of Authentic Customer Listening 6:35 The CEO's Role in Merging Customer & Industry Insights 8:11 Active Listening: From Interviews to Company Culture Guests in this episode: Sean Byrnes (linkedin.com/in/sbyrnes/) Janel Galucci (linkedin.com/in/janelgallucci) Aaron Endré (linkedin.com/in/aaronendre/) Josh Posamentier (linkedin.com/in/posamentier/) Matthew Leibowitz (linkedin.com/in/matthewleibowitz/) Host: Alex Shartsis (⁠linkedin.com/in/shartsis⁠) Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (⁠fixxmusic.com⁠) Theme music - Matthew “Shark” Shartsis @thegreatwhiteshark The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups. If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on: Website: ⁠silverwood.ai⁠ Linkedin: ⁠linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

Matthew Leibowitz is the Co-Founder and Managing General Partner at Plaza Ventures, a growth-stage bespoke venture capital firm that focuses on structuring deals tailored to individual circumstances and strong relationships with companies. He has been a VC his entire professional career spanning 17 years and has seen the ecosystem evolve and completely change over the past 2 decades. Join Host Alex Shartsis in this episode as Matthew shares with us his observations of what core values set apart the best CEO’s and founders from the mediocre, what are best practices for aligning the board with management teams and other lessons from his long experience as a VC. Show Notes: 2:54 Unconventional Venture Capital Entry & Pattern Recognition 8:13 Bespoke Fund Structure & Strong Company Relationships 9:34 Providing Liquidity & Lifecyle Investment 16:38 Speed in Deal Execution & Recent 10-Day Transaction 17:53 CEO Best Practices: Overcommunication & Transparency 24:15 Integrity, Honesty, and Growth Mindset 26:17 Customer-Centric Approaches for Business Success 43:52 Prioritizing Customer Empathy for Business Success 47:06 Aligning Investor-Management Interests through Milestone Communication Guest: Matthew Leibowitz (linkedin.com/in/matthewleibowitz) Host: Alex Shartsis (linkedin.com/in/shartsis) Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com) The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups. If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on: Website: silverwood.ai Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisorsCompanies Plaza Ventures has invested in: Kitchen Hub Portless Vivecrop Super Symend Avidbots Hydrostor Kerv Placeholder Site 20/20 Clear Key Iguazio Landr Dejero Hubba CareGuide Drop PostBeyond SweetIQ Q4 Miovision MMBNetworks FindSpace

Aaron Endré is the founder of Endré Communications, that helps groundbreaking tech companies achieve their growth and impact goals with integrated marketing and PR strategies. Over the past 15 years, he has worked with some of the most innovative and disruptive companies in Silicon Valley — from pre-seed to publicly-traded — helping 3 of them achieve unicorn status; 12 secure profitable exits; and raise over $3 billion in VC funding to date. Join Host Alex Shartsis in this episode as Aaron takes us into the world of startup PR, sharing the know-how and importance of building effective PR strategies that align with company vision, messaging and timing with market entry. Show Notes: 0:00 - Introduction of Aaron Endré 4:15 - Structural Advantages for American Startups 7:12 - Understanding Startup PR 18:56 - Evolving PR Strategies for Growing Companies 28:20 - Importance of Messaging for Early-Stage Startups 33:15 - Measuring PR ROI and Impact on Business Metrics 41:24 - Preparation for Journalist Interviews 51:59 - Integrating Marketing Strategies in Customer Contracts Guest: Aaron Endré (linkedin.com/in/aaronendre) Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis) Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com) The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups. If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on: Website: silverwood.aiLinkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

Janel Gallucci, is the founder of Gallucci Ventures. She is a sales powerhouse whose career spans from the bustling streets of New York City to the heart of Silicon Valley's tech landscape. Rising through the ranks from SDR to sales director, Janel's relentless hustle led her to spearhead a startup office to profitability within its first quarter in San Francisco. Her tenure at Hearst and LinkedIn solidified her reputation as a formidable force in tech sales, ultimately propelling her into the realm of startup consultancy, where she shares invaluable insights from these Industry giants. Join Host Alex Shartsis and Janel Gallucci in this episode as they discuss the need for entrepreneurs to recognize their position to attract talent and build effective sales strategies, focusing on sustained growth, proper onboarding, and creating a vibrant talent bench. 00:00 Episode Preview 00:53 Introducing Janel Gallucci 02:05 Janel’s Journey: From New York Hustle to Sales Leadership 05:14 The Art of the Hustle in Sales Success 08:47 Mastering Sales Metrics and Goals as a Founder 10:47 Early Stage Sales Strategy: Identifying Your ICP 14:19 Leveraging Customer Feedback for Sales Strategy 20:13 Building Your First Sales Team: Strategies and Insights 23:38 Understanding Sales Compensation: OTE, Quotas, and More 31:43 Unlocking Sales Success: Strategies and Missteps 32:11 Incentivizing Sales Teams: Beyond the Basics 32:50 The Art of Sales Compensation: Finding the Right Balance 34:07 Building a Strong Sales Team: From Hiring to Retention 37:08 Navigating Sales Challenges: A Founder’s Guide 42:42 Sales Tactics and Hiring Insights: A Deep Dive 43:08 Leveraging Experience: The Power of Hiring in Pairs 57:22 Final Thoughts and Advice for Founders Guest: Janel Galucci(linkedin.com/in/janelgallucci) Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis) Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com) The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups. If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on: Website: silverwood.ai Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

Many startup founders tend to not plan around series B and C since they're too focused on closing earlier stages of investment, missing the forest for the trees in the bargain. In this episode, Hammad Aslam of Susa Ventures outlines the transformative journey of startups from seed stage to Series A and the crucial reasons behind considering Series B and C stages early on. Founders have plenty to gain from tuning into this episode as Hammad offers some very practical advice on : Founder involvement in deal closures The role of a VP of finance in driving efficiency The significance of aligning product strategies with target markets.

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of clean tech with Kristian Hanelt of Ultra Capital, exploring the ever-evolving landscape of renewable energy, funding cycles, and market dynamics. Tune in to the episode to discover: Kristian's journey from the coal mines to clean energy. Insights into navigating the funding market for clean tech startups The importance of execution-focused investment strategies Managing team dynamics and board interactions Understanding investor dynamics and fund structures Kristian Hanelt has also been on the Board of the below companies: On.Energy Envirospark Energy Solutions Aspen Power Solridge

What's new in the startup legal landscape? Turns out, something never seen before! In this episode of the Seed to Sequoia Podcast we speak to Ronnie Roy of DME Law. What's that new change? It's much more merger-of-equals activity than ever before. This rare type of deal has become very popular with startups. Learn about this unique type of deal, whether it might be right for your company, and how to pull it off. We also discuss the importance of clear commercial and legal terms in deals, other market trends in the startup space, and the risks and considerations when considering a merger or acquisition. Ronnie also touches upon topics of fundraising, insider participation, negotiating power and more.

In this week's Coaching Snack we revisit insights from successful founder Sean Burns and the importance of customer focus, finding a visually compelling problem, and listening to feedback.

Sean Byrnes is a Partner at Near Horizon (nearhorizon.vc). He started his first company, Flurry, in 2005, which became one of the largest analytics and ad platforms in the world. He later sold it to Yahoo in 2014. Sean has been a founder, investor and advisor over the years and has a wealth of lessons to share. Join host Alex Shartsis In this episode as Sean shares with us the essentials of successful company building, emphasizing the significance of pivoting, meticulous customer research, and the pursuit of problems that resonate with customers. Show Notes: 0:00 - Importance of Pivoting 1:22 - Sean's Background: Founder, Investor, Coach 6:35 - Finding Needed Problems for Successful Products 14:47 - Real Business with Revenue Over Fundraising 17:10 - Necessity of Founder-Led Sales, Avoiding Early Hiring 20:48 - Making Founder's Selling Replicable 22:46 - Challenges in Bringing in First Salespeople 25:06 - Importance of Getting Help in Hiring Salespeople 45:46 - Early Stage Sales Hires: Variable Compensation 48:02 - Commitment Over Lower Quota 52:33 - Prioritizing Customer Success Before Sales 54:31 - Customer Success: Not Just a Cost Center 56:19 - Product Leading to Revenue Growth 1:05:40 - Managing Board's Expectations 1:09:03 - Trial and Error in Go-To-Market Strategy 1:12:29 - Building a Cohesive Team Guest: Sean Byrnes(linkedin.com/in/sbyrnes/) Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis) Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com) The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups. If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on: Website: silverwood.ai Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors More about Sean Byrnes: Aside from Flurry, Sean has also been the CEO of Outlier AI, a Board Member of Great NonProfits and the Author of the Newsletter - The Breaking Point. Here are some questions founders can have answered through this episode: What is the importance of presales over traditional sales techniques in the early stages? How do you determine if there is a burning demand for a product before it even exists? What is the importance of finding a problem that people viscerally need solved for a successful product? What is the advantage of enterprise solutions over consumer products in terms of research and market validation? How does Sean challenge the notion of a founder having a mystical vision for their product, and what does he advocate instead? What is the difference between product-led growth and relationship-led growth in terms of customer satisfaction? In what ways does customer success contributes to reducing the cost of acquiring new customers? What was the specific pricing tactic implemented by Sean at Outlier? What was the most significant lesson he learned from implementing it?

This week's coaching snack recaps lessons from the intricate world of building a climate tech startup. We explore essential practices for success, from harnessing the power of customer feedback to navigating the fundraising landscape with integrity. Key takeaways: Harnessing the Customer Voice: Discover how prioritizing customer conversations, beyond sales pitches, fuels product development and builds trust. Building Trust with Investors: Learn how to establish transparency and deliver on promises, even when facing challenging forecasts. Scaling Wisely: Understand the risks of premature scaling, including wasted resources and potential reputational damage. Founders and Sales: Explore the human-centric approach to building a high-performing sales team. The Power of Board Members: Gain insights into identifying the right board members for your startup's unique journey. Actionable Founder Advice: Hear three practical tips every founder should adopt, including regular investor updates, upfront communication, and prioritizing genuine customer conversations. Join us as we unpack these valuable insights and empower you to build a thriving, sustainable startup!