Podcast
Need to Know
Hosted by The Commons · EN
Welcome to Need to Know - a podcast by the Commons.
The Commons helps you get the skills and connections you need to land - and thrive in - a business role in tech. That includes roles like Strategy, Business Operations, Product and more.
To do that, we’ve created a community where you learn what you need to know, directly from who you need to know - business operators at top tech companies like DoorDash, Instacart and Uber.
Need to Know is a podcast where Luis, our host, interviews these people - the operators, founders and investors who you need to know about.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Sheldon McCormick - Co-Founder and COO at Properly
Feb 4, 202200:38:59Tap to summarizeKris chats with Sheldon McCormick, Co-Founder and COO at Properly - a company helping its users to buy and sell their homes and reshaping the real estate industry. Sheldon shares how and why he decided to step away from consulting, and what later led him to co-found a project of his own. He candidly shares what he feels prepared him to be a founder, how he perceives risk and the intricacies of building a company and team. There’s lots to unpack here - don’t miss this one!
Transcribe →Camila Gargantini - Sr. Product Operations Manager at Oyster
Dec 17, 202100:45:06Tap to summarizeKris chats with Camila Gargantini, a Senior Product Operations Manager at Oyster. Camila talks about the growing importance of the Product Ops function, how and why she broke into the world of tech and shares tactics for success as a Product Manager. This episode doesn’t end here. Camila is also a prolific writer - we strongly recommend you give her a follow and check out what she has to say here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camila-gargantini/.
Transcribe →Sasha Pang - Product Manager at Facebook
Nov 2, 202100:39:47Tap to summarizeKris chats with Sasha Pang, Product Manager at Facebook. Sasha dives right in with us and shares what it takes to lead with empathy and the lasting impact that can have in the cross-functional world of product. Hang on until the very end of this episode - Sasha also shares her unique experience and perspectives on what it takes to transition to a new role. We hope you enjoy the conversation.
Transcribe →Hadar Dor - Product Lead at Shopify
Sep 27, 202100:31:56Tap to summarizeKris chats with Hadar Dor, Product Lead at Shopfiy. Hadar shares his insights on how to build your career as a generalist (or not) and narrowing in on the right role for you. We also dive into Hadar’s perspectives on what it means to influence without authority, and the importance of this skill inside and outside of the product world. We hope you enjoy the conversation!
Transcribe →Sri Batchu - Head of Growth at Instacart
Sep 9, 202100:41:43Tap to summarizeLuis chats with Sri Batchu, Head of Growth at Instacart - the online grocery delivery service we’ve all come to know and love (especially) over the past year. Sri shares the challenges he has faced throughout career transitions, how he jumped into a remote leadership role at the height of the pandemic and how he continues to foster and grow his network. We hope you enjoy the conversation!
Transcribe →Pete Huang - BizOps at WorkOS, Ex Airtable
Aug 23, 202100:46:22Tap to summarizeJoin Kris as he chats with Pete Huang, currently leading BizOps at WorkOS - A San Francisco based startup that is building Stripe for enterprise ready features. Pete and Kris dive into multiple topics together - from the importance of the role of sales at startups, all the way to how Pete has decided which startups to jump into. This is a recording from a Skillful Fireside Chat where our community came together to connect and listen to Pete’s story. https://www.joinskillful.com/join-waitlist sign-ups just opened up for our Fall cohort!
Transcribe →Marcus Bertilson - VP of Go-to-Market at Thumbtack
Jun 28, 202100:40:42Tap to summarizeJoin Luis as he chats with Marcus Bertilson, VP of go-to-market at Thumbtack - an online platform that matches customers with the best local professionals. Thumbtack is backed by investors like the Qatar Investment Authority, Blackstone, Sequoia Capital and CapitalG, and is currently valued at $3.2 billion. Listen to Marcus give advice on how to find the right metric(s) for success, the benefits of cross-functional teams and what that means for operators working in tech today!
Transcribe →Ahmad Bani - COO at Wisp
Jun 9, 202100:30:56Tap to summarizeJoin Luis as he speaks with Ahmad Bani - COO at Wisp, a telehealth company focused on providing accessible and affordable primary care prescription medication and natural remedies to its customers. Ahmad shares with us how he keeps calm when facing storms at work and the importance of being a generalist that can strike a balance by thriving in chaos while also building (some) structure.
Transcribe →Andre Charoo, GP at Maple VC, Ex Uber, Hired
Jun 1, 202100:30:24Tap to summarizeAndre Charoo, founder and GP at Maple VC, a San Francisco based seed stage fund, talks candidly about his journey that led him into venture capital. We find out how Andre realized he didn’t want to be a founder, and how that led him to jump into the start-up world as the 25th hire at Uber and later the 15th employee at Hired. Join our host Luis, as Andre shares with us what it really means to know and play to your strengths and build a strong network, no matter where you find yourself.
Transcribe →Christian Keil - Chief of Staff at Astranis
May 26, 202100:40:43Tap to summarizeChristian Keil, an internet lover turned operator, shares some intimate insights into his own journey of becoming the ultimate generalist. Currently he is the Chief of staff at Astranis, a company reinventing internet satellites by making them at a fraction of the size and cost. Join our host Kris, as Christian shares with us how he became an "almost" entrepreneur at the age of 14, to what made him walk away from his own project as a founder and how he broke into the San Francisco world of start-ups and tech!
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