a16z Live

a16z Partner Seema Amble talks with MongoDB and Viam co-founder Eliot Horowitz about building sustainable open source software tools. From challenging Oracle to building the de facto cloud-based database management tool, Horowitz outlines MongoDB’s early go-to-market strategies, approach to community building, and enterprise sales motion. This episode provides detailed tips on creating solutions for the developer community, building trust amongst enterprises, and successfully scaling a business supported by the open source community.  01:18-03:42 Why open source is a strategic business decision 3:42:6:03 Product development strategy + making developers’ lives easier6:03-08:24 MongoDB strategy of building community through meetups08:24-10:49 The five-second rule for developer products10:49-13:09 How MongoDB used meetups to fuel growth13:09-15:35 The importance of getting people excited about your product15:35-19:29 MongoDB’s enterprise sales strategy  19:28-20:26 MongoDB’s recruiting strategy 20:26-25:12 Open source customers vs. users, adoption patterns 25:12-27:35 The evolution of enterprise deals and building trust through demos27:35-32:23 Product communication strategies and tactics 32:23-39:37 Managing customers and building long-term relationships39:37-40:16 Outro

a16z Partner Seema Amble connects with Zapier co-founder Wade Foster about the company’s founding and GTM success utilizing a product-led growth (PLG) strategy. Chock-full of actionable insights, this episode explores Zapier’s product strategy, customer experience, and how the team built a sustainable growth engine that enabled them to reach profitability within three years. Foster also provides valuable guidance on brand strategy and how creating an unconventional “weird” brand helped Zapier differentiate from competitors.1:15-2:05      Zapier's origin story2:05-3:13      Initial product idea3:13-5:06      Finding product-market fit and YC5:06-7:43      How Zapier found their early customers7:43-10:15    Strategic approach to identifying services to integrate10:15-13:28  Identifying customer needs and optimizing onboarding13:28-16:10  Developing a scalable customer acquisition strategy16:10-19:07  Guidance on building a successful self-serve product 19:07:23:52  Early pricing experiments and brand evolution23:53-27:04  Early hiring strategy 27:04-29:59  Reflecting on Zapier’s brand identity and product strategy29:59-31:19  Advice for founders regarding customer acquisition and GTM31:19-31:59  OutroPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should not be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

In this episode, a16z Partner Seema Amble chats with Tomer London, co-founder of Gusto, about establishing product-market fit and product discovery. London shares how Gusto, now valued at ~$10 billion with 300,000+ customers, identified early customers who could provide valuable feedback that helped the team optimize the self-service product experience. The conversation explores Gusto's approach to product development, as well as managing and incorporating customer feedback while maintaining a clear product vision.1:18-3:14   Gusto’s founding story 3:14- 4:56  Solidifying a GTM sales strategy 4:56-10:03 Identifying early customers and perfecting the sales pitch10:03-12:45 Working with customers to optimize the product UX12:45-14:31 Engendering trust and finding success with accountants 14:31-16:41 The role accountants planned in Gusto’s success16:41-19:34 Creating a feedback funnel and balancing product vision19:34-22:38 Self-service strategy and measuring success22:38- 23:45 Refining the UX at scale 23:45-25:45 Identifying real-world use cases to inform product strategy25:45-29:52 GTM learnings and advice29:52-30:05 OutroPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should not be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

High-performance compute is the bedrock of generative AI, and if there’s anyone who knows about high-performance chips, it’s AMD CEO Lisa Su. In this wide-ranging conversation with a16z Operating Partner Bob Swan—himself formerly CEO of Intel—Lisa lays out her vision for the evolution of compute within the AI ecosystem, touching not only on raw power and the continuation of Moore’s Law, but also how AMD will support “the right compute for each form factor” for a wider ranges of real-world gen AI use cases. Lisa also shares her perspective on the state of chip manufacturing, how AMD matches their R&D cycles to fast-moving industries, and how partnerships build strong ecosystems. Read more, including a full transcript, here: https://a16z.com/how-to-build-ai-ecos... Time stamps:[00:01:37] Lisa's career in compute[00:04:48] Compute in the genAI era[00:09:39] High performance or multimodal?[00:10:47] Making the genAI ecosystem open[00:14:16] The chip supply chain[00:17:53] Resiliency and the CHIPS Act[00:20:54] How AMD balances long development cycles with short term innovation[00:24:48] Learnings from the hyperscaler market[00:26:54] What being fabless means for AMD[00:31:24] Lisa's advice for startup foundersFind more content from our AI Revolution series on www.a16z.com/AIRevolution. Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.