Grit (Kleiner Perkins)
Hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan (go-to-market partner at Kleiner Perkins), Grit highlights leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. Weekly episodes feature in-depth conversations with founders, CEOs, and tech operators about building and scaling world-class organizations – covering the determination (“grit”) it takes in startups and venture-backed companies.
How Kevin Mandia Built the Most Trusted Name in Cybersecurity
In this episode, Kevin Mandia, founder of Mandiant and CEO of Armadillo, discusses the imminent shift to AI-driven cyber attacks and the need for autonomous defense. He explains how Armadillo is building nation‑state‑grade offensive capabilities to train and certify defenses, emphasizing a customer‑centric, self‑funded growth model that prioritizes happy clients over hype. Mandia also reflects on his career, from bootstrapping Mandiant to becoming a Fortune‑cover figure, highlighting the relentless focus, discipline, and empathy required to respond to breaches and build trusted security solutions.
The Silicon Valley Insider In The Pentagon | DoW Emil Michael
In this episode, former Uber executive Emil Michael, now a senior official at the Department of Defense, discusses the challenges of integrating AI into the world’s largest bureaucracy, the strategic push to back innovative defense startups, and the critical need...
How Sierra Outpaced Every AI Startup | Co-Founder Bret Taylor
In this episode, Bret Taylor, co‑founder and CEO of Sierra, discusses how the company achieved rapid growth—reaching $100M ARR in seven quarters and $150M in eight—by targeting Fortune 100 customers with AI agents that replace legacy IVR systems. He explains Sierra’s...
How Evan Spiegel Is Building the Future of Computing
In this episode, Evan Spiegel discusses Snap's decision to reject a $3 billion Facebook acquisition to preserve its independent culture and vision, and outlines the company's strategic pivot toward augmented‑reality glasses as the next growth frontier. He emphasizes the need for...
The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner
In this episode, Joubin Mirzadegan discusses how his relentless discipline and frustration with broken infrastructure drove him to leave Kleiner Perkins and become CEO of Roadrunner, now a $7.2 billion company. He shares lessons from an early startup failure, emphasizing that...
Building Cloudflare for the Next 50 Years | Co-Founder Cloudfare Michelle Zatlyn
In this episode, co‑founder and President Michelle Zatlyn discusses Cloudflare’s long‑term vision for securing the internet and supporting creators in an AI‑driven landscape. She highlights how the company balances rapid growth with staying close to customer realities, and outlines strategies...
She Sold Her Startup for $500 Million, Here’s Her Next Idea
In this episode, Brynn Putnam discusses how her personal frustration with screen‑driven family disconnection inspired Board, a face‑to‑face gaming console designed to reunite families, and reflects on her previous ventures like Mirror that also emerged from personal needs. She emphasizes...
Synthetic Data and the Future of AI | Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez
In this episode, Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez discusses how synthetic data has become essential for training AI models, enabling enterprises like Salesforce and Dell to scale intelligence securely across cloud environments. He explains Cohere's approach to building flexible, deployable AI...
From Yext to Roam: Howard Lerman’s Second Act
In this episode, Howard Lerman reflects on the challenges of launching a second venture after Yext’s success, describing how he founded Roam as an AI‑augmented "Office of the Future" that lets people work from anywhere. He discusses the solitude that...
Rebuilding Front for the AI Era | CEO Dan O’Connell
In this episode, Dan O’Connell, the new CEO of Front, discusses how the company is navigating the AI revolution by balancing legacy systems with innovative technology, emphasizing that the toughest part of transformation is deciding what to let go of....
ElevenLabs’ Vision for Voice Interfaces | CEO Mati Staniszewski
In this episode, ElevenLabs co‑founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski discusses how the company’s emotion‑driven voice AI is reshaping sectors such as personalized healthcare and film production. He explains the technology’s ability to generate nuanced, expressive speech that can adapt to...
95% Faster Video Production with Synthesia | Victor Riparbelli
In this episode, Victor Riparbelli, co‑founder and CEO of Synthesia, explains how his AI‑driven platform lets anyone create video without cameras, cutting production time by up to 95% and opening new possibilities for content creators. He and Kleiner Perkins partner...
From Idea To Impact: How Gamma Is Redefining Presentations | Grant Lee
In this episode, Grant Lee, co‑founder and CEO of Gamma, explains how his AI‑driven design platform replaces traditional PowerPoint with an "anti‑PowerPoint" approach that makes product presentations irresistible and drives user adoption. He discusses the importance of building enduring businesses...