Alpha Bytes

Shawn Tsao was the co-founder of Caviar. They sold it to Square for $100M. DoorDash then bought it from Square for $400M.In this episode, expect to learn how the idea of Caviar came from a failed business, their unique partnership strategy that allowed to scale fast, the interesting discovery that made their customers loyal, why he would do it all over again (with a few tweaks), how the Square acquisition went down and much more…TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Coming up 01:15 Starting a company out of college 04:34 The fall of Groupon and business failure 07:01 Being an accidental founder 10:27 The value of being able to sell 12:56 Being influenced by your environment 16:06 Starting Caviar 18:32 Lessons learnt 22:04 Partnership strategy 23:47 Marketing 25:34 Scaling 28:25 Recruiting 31:20 Competition 34:06 Height of Caviar 35:31 High Retention 38:07 Square takes notice 43:09 Selling to Square 46:12 Continuing to build 48:00 DoorDash steps in 49:04 Would you do it all again? 50:37 Would you change anything? 52:05 Mental health 54:44 What's happening now 56:12 Routine 57:05 Connecting with ShawnGUEST:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-tsao-9361142a/CONNECT WITH ME:About Me / Newsletter: https://barrywinata.ck.page/YouTube:  @barrywinataPodcast: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata/podcastsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/X: https://x.com/barrywinataRSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/258746.rssPatreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinataFOR FOUNDERS:Get funded: https://metagrove.vcABOUT ME:I'm an engineer, founder, and investor. I've worked across Silicon Valley with hundreds of founders and early-stage companies. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside amazing founders and entrepreneurs. This channel is to help support the next generation of leaders.Argon Labs: https://argonlabs.xyzAFFILIATES:Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=thepromptNotion:https://affiliate.notion.so/the-promptNotion AI:https://affiliate.notion.so/the-prompt-ai This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Peter Buckingham leads the software organization at SambaNova Systems. SambaNova produces accelerated solutions for AI.In this episode, expect to learn why Peter moved to Silicon Valley, how he managed to get his first job, why he’s now involved in building AI chips, what the future of AI looks like, the tug-of-war between open and closed source AI, the path towards technology leadership, how to hire strong engineers and much more…#ai #agi #leadership---------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:---------------------------------00:00:00 Coming up00:01:28 Peter's start in Silicon Valley00:06:43 Job hunting in the Valley00:13:09 How Silicon Valley has changed over 20 years00:20:19 SambaNova00:27:17 Going against NVIDIA00:32:55 AI ecosystem00:36:33 Doubling down on Gen AI00:40:24 Open source vs. Closed source AI00:46:09 Startups vs Scale-ups00:56:42 Becoming a leader01:03:31 Hiring great engineers01:07:16 Recommended books/podcasts01:11:34 Mental Models01:13:41 Daily Routine01:16:39 Connecting with Peter---------------------------------GUEST:---------------------------------Peter’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/fiforsPeter’s Twitter: @pmb232Fave Books:- The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz- High Output Management, Andy Grove---------------------------------CONNECT WITH ME:---------------------------------About Me / Newsletter: https://barrywinata.ck.page/YouTube: @barrywinataPodcast: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata/podcastsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/X: https://x.com/barrywinataRSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/258746.rssPatreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata---------------------------------FOR FOUNDERS:---------------------------------Get funded: https://metagrove.vc----------------------------------ABOUT ME:----------------------------------I'm an engineer, founder, and investor. I've worked across Silicon Valley with hundreds of founders and early-stage companies. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside amazing founders and entrepreneurs. This channel is to help support the next generation of leaders.---------------------------------AFFILIATES:---------------------------------Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=thepromptNotion: https://affiliate.notion.so/the-promptNotion AI: https://affiliate.notion.so/the-prompt-ai This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Instead of making decisions on gut feel all the time, here's one method and framework to help make tough and hard decisions easier for every aspect of your life, from deciding to start a business (startup), or moving jobs to relationships and personal growth.Learn how to break down the benefits and costs into worst-case, most likely, and best-case scenarios.This is the perfect video for those being faced with an important and potentially life-changing decision.#decision making #leadership #personal growth #mindset---------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:---------------------------------00:00 Introduction01:04 High-level example decisions02:15 Traditional: benefits / cost03:07 Worst, most likely, best-case scenarios03:47 Probabilities04:36 Example: Moving Jobs07:45 The Decision Algorithm---------------------------------CONNECT WITH ME:---------------------------------About Me / Newsletter: https://barrywinata.ck.page/YouTube:  @barrywinata Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata/podcastsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/ X: https://x.com/barrywinata RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/258746.rssPatreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata---------------------------------FOR FOUNDERS:---------------------------------https://metagrove.vc/ ----------------------------------ABOUT ME:----------------------------------I'm an engineer, founder, and investor. I've worked across Silicon Valley with hundreds of founders and early-stage companies. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside amazing founders and entrepreneurs. This channel is to help support the next generation of leaders.---------------------------------AFFILIATES:---------------------------------Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=theprompt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Zach is currently the Head of Solutions Engineering at Rippling. Previously, he was the VP of Solutions Engineering at Slack, and has led solutions engineering at Optimizely and Box. In this episode, expect to learn how startups can build out a solutions engineering team the right way, why the SE function is different to customer success and sales, the powerful and measurable benefits SE can have on a business, the impact AI will have on this space, the ups and downs of working with early-stage companies, advice for founders and people thinking about entering this field and much more…#startup #solutionsengineering #business---------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:---------------------------------00:00 Intro01:20 Solutions Engineering 10103:10 Benefits of having SE in your organization05:25 Differences between SE and non-SE organizations07:36 Creating a SE pipeline and process10:07 The benefits of ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)14:13 How to build a strong SE team16:50 Hiring great solution engineers19:52 The ups and downs of a startup22:35 Understanding Customer Success27:06 Advice for founders30:05 Impact of AI on the SE space34:10 Recommended podcasts/books35:47 Mental models/decision making36:56 Daily Routine - selfcare38:35 Connecting with Zach ---------------------------------GUEST:---------------------------------Zach’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zlawryk/  Recommended Podcasts: Daily Rundown, Invest Like the Best Recommended Books: Going Infinite (FTX Scandal)---------------------------------CONNECT WITH ME:---------------------------------About Me / Newsletter: https://barrywinata.ck.page/YouTube:  @barrywinata Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata/podcastsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/ X: https://x.com/barrywinata RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/258746.rssPatreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata---------------------------------FOR FOUNDERS:---------------------------------https://metagrove.vc/ ----------------------------------ABOUT ME:----------------------------------I'm an engineer, founder, and investor. I've worked across Silicon Valley with hundreds of founders and early-stage companies. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside amazing founders and entrepreneurs. This channel is to help support the next generation of leaders.---------------------------------AFFILIATES:---------------------------------Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=theprompt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Vatsal have served as a product and engineering executive in creating operating systems, video games, virtual reality, and cloud services for the consumer (B2C) and businesses (B2B) customers at companies such as Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Zynga. The products he has created are used by billions of customers and have cumulatively generated 10s of billions of USD value. Learn how Vatsal entered the gaming industry, how Meta and Amazon think about gaming, the unique lessons gained from working at Oculus in the early days, the power of leadership and communication, advice for people wanting to pursue a career in gaming, how AI is going to disrupt the gaming sector and so much more… #gaming #metaverse #ai#gaming #metaverse #ai---------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:---------------------------------00:00 Intro01:25 Explaining the metaverse07:11 Future of the metaverse13:02 How Vatsal got into gaming17:27 The growth of the gaming industry19:38 Building a career in gaming24:20 Engineering vs. Product Management26:06 Early days of Oculus (Facebook)32:11 Future of Oculus and the VR space37:17 Apple vs. Meta38:34 Amazon's journey into gaming46:54 Unique career learnings from Meta and Amazon52:15 Motivating teams towards ambitious goals56:32 Generative AI01:04:55 Advice for others01:09:13 How to make hard decisions using mental models01:13:30 Outro---------------------------------GUEST:---------------------------------Vatsal Bhardwaj (LinkedIn) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vatsal/---------------------------------CONNECT WITH ME:---------------------------------About Me / Newsletter: https://barrywinata.ck.page/YouTube: @barrywinataPodcast: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata/...LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/X: https://twitter.com/barrywinataApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...Patreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata---------------------------------FOR FOUNDERS:---------------------------------https://metagrove.vc/----------------------------------ABOUT ME:----------------------------------I'm an engineer, founder, and investor. I've worked across Silicon Valley with hundreds of founders and early-stage companies. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside amazing founders and entrepreneurs. This channel is to help support the next generation of leaders.---------------------------------AFFILIATES:---------------------------------Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=ca... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

This video covers the top 10 questions that I've received from aspiring founders looking to build their first company and how to do it properly. Building a company is hard stuff so these questions are aimed at helping entrepreneurs better understand what's required in building a business.#business #entrepreneurship #mindset---------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:---------------------------------00:00 Introduction02:46 Juggling 9-5 full time work with building your business07:48 Do I need to have a co-founder?10:34 Should I fundraise?12:30 What do I need to show investors?14:41 Do I need to have a business plan?16:29 How to stay consistent and disciplined?18:45 How do I create a product customers want?20:38 How do I minimize mistakes?22:27 Building a product without technical skills24:02 How to deal with my emotional state as a founder---------------------------------CONNECT WITH ME:---------------------------------About Me / Newsletter: https://barrywinata.ck.page/YouTube: @barrywinataPodcast: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata/...LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/Twitter: https://twitter.com/barrywinataSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mOHdfP...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...Patreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata---------------------------------FOR FOUNDERS:---------------------------------https://metagrove.vc/----------------------------------ABOUT ME:----------------------------------I'm an engineer, founder, and investor. I've worked across Silicon Valley with hundreds of founders and early-stage companies. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside amazing founders and entrepreneurs. This channel is to help support the next generation of leaders.---------------------------------AFFILIATES:---------------------------------Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=ca... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promptpodcast.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Jennifer is the CEO of Cultivating Leadership. She blends deep theoretical knowledge with a driving quest for practical ways to make leaders’ lives better. She speaks about leadership and complexity, coaches executives and executive teams, designs and teaches leadership programs. In this episode, expect to learn the mental models of highly effective leaders, why imposter syndrome is good thing, the importance of leadership in a complex world, why adult development theory is becoming more popular, how to deal with uncertainty, and much more…#leadership #complexity #mentalmodels #founders #startupsGUEST LINKS:Twitter: https://twitter.com/jgberger  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-garvey-berger-7b4a264/ IG: @jennifergarveybergerChanging on the Job: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804786968/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=farnamstreet-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0804786968&linkId=878ed44c986d1951ddae82c0035193e3 Simple Habits for complex times: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804799431/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=farnamstreet-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0804799431&linkId=b34259ca85f12f459b87963b6d075e0f CONNECT WITH ME:LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/barrywinata LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/448257.rss Patreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promptpodcast.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Danny is a data scientist, consultant, and educator with over 12 years of experience. Danny runs his Data With Danny education platform where he teaches fundamental data skills to over 3,000 students. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice, and a technical author and instructor at O’Reilly Media and LinkedIn Learning.In this episode expect to learn why data is becoming the new oil, the fundamentals of data science, the differences and similarities between data science and AI, how to build a strong personal brand, the value of being authentic, the power of dumb consistency, and much more…#datascience #creatoreconomy #ai #chatgptGUEST LINKS:=============Website: https://www.datawithdanny.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/datawithdanny/ CONNECT WITH ME:===================LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/barrywinata LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/barrywinata Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/448257.rss Patreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata TIMESTAMPS:=============TBD This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promptpodcast.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Jessica is an award winning executive, advisor and board director with experience leading product, growth and insights in +1bn valued tech companies.With a passion for learning and an entrepreneurial spirit, Jessica has grown successful teams across agencies (partnering with Toyota, Slack, Visa), startup (Finch) and scale up (Linktree) as well as driving change for women in tech as MD of Girls in Tech Australia for 6 years.In this episode, expect to learn what it was like during the early days of Linktree, lessons learnt from scaling the company to a unicorn, her strategies for building effective product and growth teams, the models she uses for building effective teams, how her unique leadership gets the best out of her team and much more…#theprompt #entrepreneurship #leadership #technology #venturecapital GUEST LINKS:Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicabox  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-box/Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicaboxxCONNECT WITH ME:Linktree: https://linktr.ee/barrywinata LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrywinata/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.prompt_/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrywinata Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mOHdfP2mfE6Z939nm1TMS?si=63765b3eec1c437e Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prompt/id1535985414 RSS: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/448257.rss Patreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/barrywinata  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promptpodcast.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beesletter.substack.com

Nazneen Rajani, Research Lead at HuggingFace, talks about open sourcing AI, building an open source chatbot model, the importance of data quality in AI models, the concept of pre-trained transformers and GPT, tokenization process and sub words, evolution and applications of GPTs, decision making and getting into AI, and strategies for achieving work-life balance.