Building Enduring Value and Hitting Incremental Gains with Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel | E1983

Sarah Tavel, a partner at Benchmark, joins Jason to discuss the complexities of being a CEO and the importance of disciplined fund size and efficiency. They delve into Benchmark's investment strategy and its commitment to founders, exploring how to compete in an evolving venture landscape. The conversation covers crucial topics such as valuations, governance, and the power of incremental improvements. They also discuss the impact of vanity metrics, the importance of non-consensus bets, and the ongoing debate between in-person and remote work. The episode concludes with insights into the SaaS market and the transformative potential of AI investments.

Speakers

AI Chat

Sarah Tavel

Guest • 51%

Bianca Veltri

Host • 1%

Jason Calacanis

Host • 48%

Partners

Chapters

0:00	Introduction and the ruthlessness of being a CEO
0:56	Sponsors: Squarespace, LinkedIn Jobs, OpenPhone
1:38	Sarah Tavel, Benchmark Partner, on disciplined fund size and efficiency
5:06	Benchmark's commitment to founders and investment strategy
9:12	Strategies for competing in a changing venture landscape
10:00	Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
15:50	Valuations, ownership, and building deep relationships with founders
18:30	LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist
19:39	The critical role of governance and accountability in startups
28:36	OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠
30:16	The power of incremental improvements and executive limitations
34:32	Vanity metrics vs. building enduring value in startups
43:12	The consequences of choosing status over results in startup success
46:22	Building trust in leadership and the pressures of maintaining success
49:03	The importance of non-consensus bets and independent thinking
55:20	The relationship between hype, investment decisions, and startup promotion
58:19	In-person work vs. remote work: Impact on startup productivity
1:02:58	SaaS market challenges: Pricing, AI impact, and future models
1:07:33	Exciting AI investments and the transformative potential of new technologies
1:13:01	AI advancements, new use cases, and the competitive landscape
1:17:16	How incumbents and consumers are benefiting from AI advancements
1:19:15	Embracing AI in daily tasks and business operations
1:20:17	Outro and future episode preview

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