Karri Saarinen: How to Grow Capital Efficiently in a World of BS Growth | E1221

Karri Saarinen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Linear. The company has raised from some of the best in the business including Sequoia and Accel. Before founding Linear, Karri was the principal designer at Airbnb and the founding designer at Coinbase. ----------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:50) Impact on Product Thinking From Airbnb & Coinbase (04:37) Brian Chesky or Brian Armstrong? (05:45) On Founder Mode (07:53) Quality Growth vs. Hypergrowth: What’s the Difference? (09:46) Is Hypergrowth Essential for Fundraising, Making Quality Growth a Luxury? (12:23) Monetizing Quickly with Feature Products vs. Long-Term Platform Approach (17:25) Does Karri Wish To Target Enterprise Earlier? (19:11) When Profitable, Why Raise a Series B and Dilute Further? (20:37) How Impactful is Having Sequoia for Hiring? (24:22) Should Founders Have a Board from Seed or A? (28:32) Which Investor Karri Most Wants to Work With? (29:30) “Giving VCs Homework” (32:08) Hiring (36:48) Where Karri Feels Insecure in CEO Role Today (37:54) How Has Becoming a Father Shaped Karri’s Leadership (38:47) Angel Investing as a Founder (40:12) Quick-Fire Round ----------------------------------------------- 10 Lessons with One of Silicon Valley’s Most In-Demand Founders: 1. How to Become a Master Fundraiser: Why does Karri believe it is BS advice that founders should “always be raising”? What is Karri’s biggest advice to founders on minimising dilution? What do most founders think they know about fundraising but do not? What is the best way to put your VCs to work? How can you give them homework to do? What has been the single best VC meeting Karri has had? What has been the worst VC meeting? 2. Product and Growth: What does Karri mean when he says “founder must focus on quality growth over hypergrowth?” How does Karri advise founders on how soon to release and monetise their first product? Wait for platform ready or ship more feature products and monetise? What have been the single biggest product lessons for Karri from Airbnb and Coinbase? What are the most commons ways that growth plateaus? What breaks first? 3. Karri AMA: Brian Armstrong or Brian Chesky; who would you invest in first? Would you sell Linear today for $3BN in cash? What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started? What did you believe that you now no longer believe? ----------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Karri Saarinen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/karrisaarinen Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vchq Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #kaarisaarinen #linear #venturecapital #ceo #founder #fundraising #airbnb #coinbase #foundermode #hiring