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We are doing something new and different in this episode. Instead of the episode being a conversation between an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist, we have a conversation between a product/business person i.e Chander, your regular host, and a software developer/technologist i.e. David Krieger, Principal Software Engineer at  Pivotal . You will still get two different perspectives. We cover how software development has changed in the last two decades, relationship between product managers and engineers, and how a software developer thinks about coding.  Arne sends his regards!  Useful links:  1.  Book: The Mythical Man-Month 2.  Why the tech products are mediocre?   Subscribe to the podcast  here . See the notes from the previous podcast  here . 

Softbank has changed the late stage venture industry. After the recent delay of the WeWork IPO, Softbank's strategy of injecting a lot of capital in startups at high valuations is being questioned. In this episode, we discuss the structure of Softbank Vision Fund and how Softbank is influencing startup founders and smaller venture capitalists.  Useful Links: 1. Softbank vision fund  2. Softbank  3. Masayoshi Son Subscribe to the podcast  here . See the notes from the previous podcast  here . 

We get deeper into startup operations, specifically how to develop and market products. How do you prioritize things in pre product launch and post product launch stages of the startup? What are the boundaries between product and marketing? Furthermore, we discuss frameworks that can be applied to product development and marketing.  This episode also touches upon the current state of WeWork IPO and Apple's product announcements this week. Correction: It was mentioned in the episode that the the new Apple A13 chip has trillions of transistors. We meant to say billions (8.5B) of transistors. Sorry.  Useful links: 1. Five stages of the sales process 2. How do people adopt new products? 3. Why do we buy things? 4. Capitalism and advertising  Subscribe to the podcast  here . See the notes from the previous podcast  here . 

In our latest episode, Arne and I talk about the streaming video market. The history, the current state, and how we think the market will evolve. Streaming video is a very diverse and deep area so we could not include everything we wanted to discuss like the current value chain of cable tv channels. However, you will get a good idea about the current state of streaming.  Correction:  Netflix did lose customers in the US in 2Q19 but had net adds globally. See details at  https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/18/netflix-loses-16-billion-in-market-value-following-earnings-miss.html Useful Links  1. Hollywood vs. Silicon Valley  2. Netflix culture  3. Apple movie rental service  Subscribe to the podcast  here . See the notes from the previous podcast  here . 

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 . 

Can you live without plastics in today's society?

In this episode Arne and I discuss Medallia [NYSE: MDLA] IPO which went public last week. Their business model and how it compares with other SaaS IPOs.  We discuss 5G and implications and in our hot or not section.  Useful links: 1. Medallia S1 2. Direct Listing IPO 3. Applications and Bandwidth  Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here . 

Although pursuing self-interest is required for survival, any meaning in life comes from pursuing anything but self-interest. 

We love anticipation more than reality. There is TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) but no TGIS (Thank God it's Saturday).

In this episode Arne and I discuss Internet of Things (IoT) market. What is the current state of the market, barriers to adoption, product development, new opportunities for entrepreneurs  in this market, and interconnectedness with Cloud, AI, Semiconductors.  We briefly discuss common hiring mistakes at Startups.  Useful links: 1. Genesis of a wearable device  2. The experience myth Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here . 

In this episode, Arne and I discuss how technology-led and business-led startups evolve differently. Business-led startups target one market and develop technologies to solve problems in that market. And, technology-led startups can target many markets with the technology under development. In general, how to think about technology commercialization. In our hot or not section, we cover drones.  Arne podcasting from the car Useful links:  1. Innovation and its challenges  2. DJI (Consumer Robotics company)  3. The founding of Audience  Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here . 

Objectivity is highly subjective. 

In this episode, Arne and I go deeper into the business of venture investing. How do venture firms raise money, how do the venture capitalists make money, how do they make investment decisions? We also talk about how the venture investing business has changed over the last three decades and what are the differences between Nordic and Silicon Valley approach to venture investing.  Useful links: Norwegian  VC in Silicon Valley  How does Silicon Valley work?  Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here . 

For over a year, walking around in Palo Alto, CA, I have noticed that there has been a change in how traffic lights work.  Generally, the signals for motor vehicles and pedestrians work in sync i.e. when light turns green, the walk sign comes on at the same time. Sometime ago, the "walk" sign for the pedestrians started coming up before the light turned green. . Traffic light in Palo Alto I wonder why the city would do that. Knowing Palo Alto, it must have something to do with pedestrian safety or priority. While driving, I noticed that when the traffic light changes for the pedestrians to walk and the light for the cars remains red, my first reaction is to take the foot off the break. It takes a few microseconds to realize the light is still red. This might be dangerous for the drivers.  Does the brain notice changes in the environment first before realizing what the change is? Or, is it just social conditioning that the brain is used to seeing a ...

In this episode, Arne and I talk about the new Facebook cryptocurrency, Libra. Answer an audience question on what are barriers to entry for WeWork, Zoom, Airbnb, Uber, and Lyft. We end with discussing SLACK - direct IPO, business model, valuation, future prospects.  Useful links: Facebook Libra  Slack S1  SDR Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here . 

In this episode, Arne and I talk about decision making under uncertainty and ambiguity. How it requires a different way of thinking which is different than the linear thinking we grow up with. Startups and innovation are prime examples of working with uncertainty. Our conversation discusses an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist perspectives on seven heuristics that I have learned on decision making under high risk. The podcast is based on a Forbes article I wrote.  Useful links:  1. Forbes article on decision making for startups  2. Forbes article on how silicon valley works 3. New England Complex Systems Institute   Subscribe to the podcast  here . And, see the notes from the previous episode  here .