Worried about retaining your best employees?

Our guest on this episode is helping you do just that.

Lindsay McGregor is the CEO and Co-Founder of Factor.ai and co-author of the bestselling book "Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation."

Lindsay has one of the best track records of working with fast-growing startups like Slack, Grab, and Flexport byhelping them build a high-performance team culture.

Previously, Lindsay led impactful projects at McKinsey, partnering with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, universities, and school systems.

She earned her B.A. from Princeton and her MBA from Harvard Business School.

In Episode 075 of CLIMB by VSC, Lindsay discusses why the 'fun' culture in entrepreneurship isn't working, the importance of measuring your team’s motivation, and why autonomy could be killing your startup.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Lindsay McGregor— https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaymcgregor/
• Jay Kapoor— https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykapoor/
• VSC Ventures— https://www.linkedin.com/company/vsc-ventures/

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:47 Meet Lindsay McGregor
00:02:01 3 Frameworks Every Founder Needs to Know
00:03:36 Tactical and Adaptive Balance in Startups
00:08:53 The 6 Key Motivators for Your Startup
00:16:00 The 'Fun' Culture in Entrepreneurship isn't Working
00:23:43 Are You Measuring Your Team’s Motivation?
00:31:05 Strategy is Ignoring Great Ideas: Slack Founder
00:31:57 Autonomy is Killing Your Startup
00:36:02 No Velocity? Your Startups is Doomed to Fail
00:39:32 Factor.ai is Simplifying Management
00:42:38 Great founders Aren’t the Most Charismatic
00:48:28 You Needs this Pit Stop Strategy to build a Great Company
00:53:03 Where can people learn more about Factor.ai?

The value of water to water security is $4 trillion today and is likely to triple in the next 10 years. [Source: Global Water Intelligence] To put that $12 trillion into perspective, it is higher than the GDP of every other country other than the US and China. Meet Peter Yolles, General Partner at Echo River Capital, a seasoned entrepreneur and strategic investor in early-stage water technology companies. Peter founded WaterSmart Software (acquired by Vertex One), serving 200 water utility customers and reaching over 20 million people. With a joint MBA and MES from Yale and a BA from the University of Colorado, he authored the CREO Syndicate report on water impact investment. Peter continues to advise founders with his deep domain and operational expertise. In Episode 074 of CLIMB by VSC, Peter and host Jay Kapoor analyze the water value chain, the three Ds VCs need to know when investing in water technology, carbon capture, portfolio companies & more. Connect with us on LinkedIn: 1. Peter Yolles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolles/ 2. Jay Kapoor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykapoor/

00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:51 Introduction 00:03:23 How your daily water use impacts the global economy 00:08:57 The true cost of water mismanagement 00:10:29 You're paying 400x more for dangerous water 00:15:18 Methane: A hidden climate threat 00:18:32 Why are nature-based solutions slower in decarbonization 00:23:19 Experience vs Mindset: What makes a successful founder? 00:25:15 What signals a growth mindset in founders? 00:26:47 How do you evaluate a founder’s grit? 00:32:09 Can investors save tribal water rights? 00:35:17 Why curiosity beats fear in business 00:37:39 Recruitment mistakes are costing startups

As many have attested, there's nothing romantic about being a founder. It's about doing what has to be done. And that’s what makes entrepreneurship difficult. In Episode 073 of CLIMB, Zach Coelius, Managing Partner at Coelius Capital, maintains that being a founder is 10x harder than being a VC. Talking about an investor’s MO, Zach equates being in the stands, drinking a beer, with the same as being a VC and deciding which companies will survive, and which will die. Zach is known for his investments in Angel List, HelloSign, Mercury, and more, but what is lesser known about him is that before investing, Zach sold an ad-tech business to Facebook (now Meta). As if this isn't impressive enough, he also raised $33M for Coelius Capital’s Fund II, that too in a record 3 weeks! In the latest episode of CLIMB by VSC, Zach and host Jay Kapoor discuss their views on: • repeat founders versus first-time founders • how Zach sold his company • the journey as an entrepreneur & more. Tune in to the full episode now. Connect with us on LinkedIn: Zach Coelius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachcoelius/ Jay Kapoor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykapoor/ Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:47 Zach Coelius Introduction 02:07 What does it feel like being an investor? 06:00 The three stages of being a founder 09:30 What are the common mistakes most founders make? 11:11 How do early founders navigate challenges? 12:52 It’s hard for founders to find an authentic circle 13:40 How do you evaluate someone with the right mix of learning and conviction? 15:31 Which three networks stand out to Zach? 17:00 What is it about vertical software that excites you? 20:56 What gets you excited about AI? 23:10 What is the process of securing a hit deal? 24:20 You can’t change your pitch every time you change a business. 27:48 How to get comfortable with uncertain opportunities? 29:25 Are there commonalities across industries? 33:21 What are the most common mistakes boards you've worked with make? 41:05 It’s all about timing. 42:14 What’s the flipside of being a general partner? 45:45 What’s a piece of advice you give to founders that isn't taken well enough? 51:10 Episode Outro

Watch the full video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/U4NFkF7jCmg