The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

20VC: Wunderlist & Pitch Founder, Christian Reber on His Personal Relationship with Risk, Money, Whether the Sale to Microsoft was a Mistake, What Great Product Designs Means Today & Why Founders Investing External Capital is a Distraction

Feb 15, 2021

Christian Reber, Founder and CEO of Pitch and former founder of Wunderlist, shares his unique journey in the startup world. He discusses the emotional aftermath of selling Wunderlist to Microsoft and whether he regrets that decision. Reber dives into his relationship with risk and money, revealing how his views have evolved. He also highlights the importance of great product design and the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship and personal life, offering insights into the complexities of running a startup.

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ANECDOTE

Unintentional Fundraising

Pitch's fundraising was unintentional.
Investors approached Reber with offers he couldn't refuse, accelerating their growth.

ADVICE

Sustainable Work Habits

Avoid overworking and prioritize a balanced lifestyle.
Set an example for your employees by working sustainably.

ADVICE

Organic Culture Building

Build company culture organically by hiring individuals who align with your values.
Demonstrate sustainable work practices through your own actions.

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Christian Reber is the Founder & CEO of Pitch, the collaborative presentation software for modern teams. To date, Christian has raised over $52M for Pitch from some of the best in the business including Index, Thrive, Blueyard and then some amazing individuals including Instagram's Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Zoom's Eric Yuan, Datadog's Olivier Pomerol and Tiny's Andrew Wilkinson. Prior to Pitch, Christian was the Founder @ Wunderlist, raising $35M from the likes of Sequoia and Atomico before being acquired by Microsoft.

In Today's Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How Christian Reber made his way into the world of startups? How that led to his founding te global phenomenon, Wunderlist? How his experience with Wunderlist led him to start Pitch most recently?

2.) Does Christian regret selling Wunderlist to Microsoft? What was the reasoning and logic behind it? What does Christian believe Microsoft did wrong that resulted in Wunderlist no longer being in existence today? How did Christian deal with the personal depression post the sale of Wunderlist?

3.) How does Christian assess and evaluate his personal relationship to risk? What does he do when making risky and large decisions to ensure he is comfortable? How does Christian feel about his relationship to money? How has it changed over time? How does Christian approach personal finance today between startup investing, fund investing, cash and savings?

4.) How does Christian think about what great product design means today? How does he balance gut and instinct with granular data when making product decisions today? How has this changed over time? How has Christian structured his team to make the fastest and most efficient product decisions?

5.) How would Christian reflect on his own style of board management? How has it changed over time? What element does he still to this day find most challenging? What board moment would he say is his most memorable? Who has been his favourite board member to work alongside?

Item's Mentioned In Today's Episode

Christian's Favourite Book: The Unbanking Of America: How the New Middle Class Survives

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