Podcast
Grit
Hosted by Kleiner Perkins · EN
Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Airwallex's Jack Zhang on Fintech, Failure, and Growth
1w ago01:11:52Tap to summarizeIn 2020, Airwallex lost nearly half its revenue overnight. Today it's worth $11 billion.Jack Zhang reflects on the decisions that kept the company alive, raising capital during uncertainty, and leading through its toughest chapter.This episode is a candid look at why Jack chose to keep building, even when a $1.2 billion acquisition was on the table.Guest: Jack Zhang, founder and CEO, AirwallexConnect with Jack ZhangXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow Grit on: LinkedInXLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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Why 80% of the Fortune 100 Chose Qualtrics | Ryan Smith
3w ago01:12:40Tap to summarizeAI may change software overnight, but company building still takes time.Ryan Smith explains why, despite the pace of AI, “the race is going to be way longer than anyone thinks.”He reflects on Qualtrics surviving multiple market cycles and ultimately being acquired by SAP for $8 billion days before going public.Guest: Ryan Smith, co-founder QualtricsConnect with Ryan SmithXLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow Grit: LinkedInXLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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What It Takes to Build Software for 171,000+ Restaurants | Aman Narang
Jun 101:17:04Tap to summarizeGreat software companies often come from understanding pain points at a very deep level.On Grit, Aman Narang shares how Toast built trust with 171,000+ restaurant operators by helping restaurants manage everything from payments and online orders to staff scheduling and daily operations.He also reflects on lessons around product-market fit and scaling a company before it’s fully ready.Guest: Aman Narang, co-founder and CEO, ToastConnect with Aman NarangLinkedInConnect with ToastLinkedInInstagramXConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedInFollow on XLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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What It Takes to Build a Generational Company | Anduril’s Trae Stephens
May 1800:56:17Tap to summarizeFounder quality becomes more important as startups become easier to build.Trae Stephens, co-founder of Anduril and partner at Founders Fund, has spent years backing founders with strong conviction, including most recently at Roadrunner.He shares why too much capital too early can hurt startups, and why the best companies are built by teams with complementary strengths.Guest: Trae Stephens, co-founder, Anduril and Partner, Founders FundConnect with Trae StephensXLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow Grit on LinkedInFollow Grit on XLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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How AIG Is Reinventing Insurance With AI | Peter Zaffino
May 400:56:16Tap to summarizeWhat does it take to run a company where the business is risk itself?In conversation with Joubin Mirzadegan, Peter Zaffino shares what the role demands at AIG, including high stakes decisions, constant responsibility, and sacrifice. This episode looks at his journey as CEO ahead of his transition to Executive Chairman this June.Leading at a global scale across 200+ countries.Guest: Peter ZaffinoConnect with Peter ZaffinoLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedInFollow on XLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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From Airbnb to Linear: How Karri Saarinen Redefined Product Design
Apr 2001:17:18Tap to summarizeIn a market that hadn’t changed in decades, Linear didn’t win by being faster. They won by being more thoughtful.Karri Saarinen helped shape design at Airbnb and Coinbase before building Linear around small teams and high standards.On Grit, he shares how Linear is building for a new era of software development.Guest: Karri Saarinen, co-founder and CEO of LinearConnect with Karri SaarinenXLinkedInConnect with Josh Coyne:XLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedInFollow on XLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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How Kevin Mandia Built the Most Trusted Name in Cybersecurity
Apr 601:02:29Tap to summarizeWhat does security look like when attackers use AI better than you do?Armadin recently raised $200M to build for the “attacker of the future,” where attacks are autonomous and harder to contain.On the Kleiner Perkins Grit podcast, Kevin Mandia joins Joubin Mirzadegan to share how he’s thinking about this shift, why cybersecurity has always been a calling, and why customer trust is what ultimately compounds into market leadership.Guest: Kevin Mandia, Founder and CEO, ArmadinConnect with Kevin MandiaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-mandia-0a07173/Connect with Josh Coyne:XLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedInFollow on XLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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The Silicon Valley Insider In The Pentagon | DoW Emil Michael
Mar 2300:40:43Tap to summarizeEmil Michael went from scaling Uber across 600 cities to rewiring the world's largest military.In the midst of the Pentagon-Silicon Valley debate, the now U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering opens up about what a real partnership demands from both sides.He also shares how he's built three new entry points for defense tech companies, and why America's military is called the "Department of War" again.Guest: Emil Michael, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and EngineeringConnect with Emil MichaelXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpgritFollow on X:https://x.com/KPGritLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
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How Sierra Is Pulling Ahead in the AI Race | Co-founder Bret Taylor
Mar 901:12:38Tap to summarizeFew founders have seen Silicon Valley from every seat at the table.After co-creating Google Maps at Google, serving as CTO at Facebook, and later as co-CEO of Salesforce, Bret Taylor is now building AI agents at Sierra to redefine customer experience.On Grit, he explains why “competitive intensity” is a core value at their fast-growing company and why he believes AI won’t lead to a world where people stop working.Guest: Bret Taylor, co-founder of SierraConnect with Bret XLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow GritLinkedInXLearn more about Kleiner Perkins:https://www.kleinerperkins.com/
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The AI Era of Cybercrime: How Malwarebytes Is Evolving Its Security Stack | Marcin Kleczynski
Feb 2301:03:09Tap to summarizeWhat began as a 14 year old fixing infected computers became Malwarebytes, an 800 person cybersecurity company trusted by millions of customers.On Grit, Marcin Kleczynski joins Joubin Mirzadegan to explore AI driven cyber threats, strategic reinvention, and the discipline of evolving before the market forces you to.“We’ve exceeded. Now, what do we do to protect individuals against the next wave of threats, which are plentiful?”Guest: Marcin Kleczynski, CEO at MalwarebytesConnect with Marcin KleczynskiX: https://x.com/mkleczynskiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcinkleczynski/Connect with JoubinX: https://x.com/JoubinmirLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/Email: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpgritFollow on X:https://x.com/KPGritLearn more about Kleiner Perkins: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/
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