Intro
Today’s episode features Auren Hoffman founder of LiveRamp ($RAMP), Flex Capital, Dialog, Safegraph and NQB8. This is one of the most interesting conversations I have had on the show so far and probably the best.
He grew LiveRamp to a $300m exit, has invested in 180+ companies through Flex Capital, a seed stage fund, is chair of Safegraph ($370m data company backed by Sapphire Ventures, Peter Thiel, Ridge Ventures) and is host of World of DaaS, a podcast and community for data nerds.
Auren is thinking of and validating new ideas on almost a weekly cadence. He continues to start new companies through NQB8 which includes a few successful spin outs. He also has a great blog post on it if you are interested in exploring different type of spinouts and how you should think about them as a startup.
Highlights
Choosing What To Pursue. Why LiveRamp’s bet on vendor sprawl (not consolidation) was right, and how SafeGraph’s bet on a “data-buying explosion” may find its moment with AI.
Succession Planning. Why founders should promote from within even if it means higher failure rates.
Who You Know vs. What You Know. Why skills matter more than connections in today’s economy (but not in every industry), and how AI could shift the balance again.
Career Time Horizons. Why optimizing for the mid-term is a trap, and how Auren thinks about fun in the short term while keeping eyes on the long game.
Why Community is the Future. Why repeated, in-person interactions compound and why the most powerful communities will never be replaced by AI.
Spotting 10x Talent & Founders. After funding, hiring, and working with hundreds of people, he explains why identifying 10x talent is more art.
Decision Making. His framework for understanding micro-time, short-time, long-time, and big-time thinkers and why most CEOs thrive in the “hours-to-days” zone.
Hope you enjoy the show!
Watch on YouTube:
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Can you categorize founder archetypes?
02:36 - Upbringing & early entrepreneurship
04:10 - College and job experiences
09:05 - Hiring for age v. experience, succession planning
19:20 - Choosing What to Pursue
29:15 - Insight for Safegraph
37:05 - The importance of community in the AI age
42:42 - Capitalizing on a successful podcast
47:09 - Outsiders vs Insiders
51:32 - Why founders like Thiel are not in the government
53:53 - When should founders transition to board Chair
56:30 - Investing at Flex Capital
1:01:05 - Decision Makers: Short Time, Long Time and Big Time
1:09:41 - Learning from people below the ladder
1:12:27 - Conspiracy Theories
1:18:18 - Favorite interview questions and evaluating talent
1:26:23 - Are ambition and persistence linked?
1:30:10 - Reading fewer books and favorite TV shows
1:42:18 - Signing off
