CDOQ

Subscribe to the podcast  here . Peloton filed its S1 earlier this week. Arne and I discuss the complexity of the Peloton business which is a combination of technology (hardware and software), media (production and distribution), and fitness (managing instructors and retail sales). We also talk about their interesting business model and the challenges Peloton might face in continuing its growth.  We could not get to the second section of the podcast due to technical difficulties. So, enjoy our shortest episode till date.  Useful links  1.  Peloton S1     2.  Genesis of a fitness device  See the notes from the previous podcast here . 

In the startup world, things rarely go as planned and in the corporate world things change that require the business to change. All organizations, startups and corporations, have to respond when something threatens their existence. Generally, the response is a change in direction of the organization i.e. doing something significantly different than the status quo. It has become common to call this change in direction as pivot.  Why pivot? There are four main reasons an organization needs to change direction:  1. Disproved Hypothesis: This reason is more applicable to startups and the corporations launching new products. Founders create a startup with an idea in mind and they believe that there is a market for that idea. When you start building the product, you figure out that that the idea can not be converted to a scalable product or the product development might go alright and you find out that there is no market for the product. What do you...

Subscribe to the podcast  here . Although one of the charms of our podcast is that Arne and I have different perspectives on almost everything, today both of us share the view that WeWork (officially, The We Company) is overvalued and its governance practices are questionable. Last week, WeWork filed its S1 with the SEC for its Initial Public Offering (IPO). In this podcast episode, we analyze WeWork's business model, valuation, and business practices.  We also discuss why companies pivot, how to do it, and what are the challenges related to pivoting.  Please join us for a friends of Valley Nordic gathering in Oslo on September 4th evening. Details and RSVP  here .  Useful Links 1. The We Company S1  2. Buffett and Munger on investing and other things See the notes from the previous episode  here . 

Subscribe to the podcast  here . As a follow up to the last episode which was about how to think about moving your startup to Silicon Valley (SV), this episode is about how to raise capital in SV if you are a Nordic or a non SV startup. Arne and I discuss:  1. Why an international startup should think about raising money in SV? 2. What rounds ( Seed , Series A , Series B , and so on ) are easier to raise in SV?  3. How do SV venture capitalists decide to fund international startups?  4. How to prepare for raising capital in SV? 5. What are the challenges after you have raised capital in SV? Useful links: 1. Silicon Valley Evil or Redeemable?  2.  How does Silicon Valley work? 3. Lessons from first attempt at entrepreneurship See the notes from the previous episode  here . 

We live in an output maximizing world. What if the world was input minimizing?

You may be data-driven, I use my mind where data is only one input. 

Podcasts have been around for a while but only recently have become popular as an advertising medium. Since I work in marketing, I am always curious about new advertising mediums. And, of course, I  am curious about the new medium as well so I launched a podcast - Valley Nordic . The podcast covers business, technology, and culture from Silicon Valley and Nordic perspectives.  Advertising on podcasts works similar to advertising (ad) on streaming videos i.e there are three places you can advertise:  1. Pre-roll: ad is played before the podcast begins.   2. Mid-roll: ad is played with an interruption to the podcast.  3. Post-roll: ad is played at the end of the podcast.  All three have multiple slots in a podcast i.e. there could be more than one pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ads. Also, an advertiser can "takeover" the podcast i.e. all three slot types belong to a particular advertiser for a specific period of time. ...

Subscribe to the podcast  here . This episode was recorded in response to audience feedback from Norway. Many startups outside the San Francisco Bay Area are attracted by Silicon Valley and wonder if they should move (or open an office) here. Arne and I discuss the following:  1. Why a startup should move to Silicon Valley? When it makes sense and when it does not.  2. Who from the startup should move? 3. When is the right time to move? 4. How to move i.e. what resources are available to help and the process? 5. What are the challenges after a startup has moved? Useful links: 1. How does Silicon Valley work? 2.  Decision making for startups 3.  Silicon Valley vs. Hollywood See the notes from the previous episode  here . 

If you pay attention, experience teaches that things can go wrong in new ways and some things can still work with old ways. 

In this episode, Arne and I discuss The Real Real [Nasdaq: REAL]. Its business model, IPO, and challenges. How the valuation of an ecommerce startup differs from a subscription based B2B SaaS (Software as a Service) company.  In our hot or not section, we discuss Edge Computing. We had a debate on what it is. Why is it important and how it works with AI, 5G, and IoT.  Useful links: The Real Real S1  Edge Computing  Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here .