cover of episode What Founders Get Wrong About Scaling – With Carta’s CEO

What Founders Get Wrong About Scaling – With Carta’s CEO

2025/3/7
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#entrepreneurship and startups#tech entrepreneurship challenges#leadership development#entrepreneurial mindset#entrepreneurial decision making People
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Henry Ward
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@Henry Ward : 我是一位非典型的创始人，我热爱创业本身胜过对特定问题的执着。我的第一家公司失败后，我迷上了创业，并愿意在任何领域工作，只要它能推动我的创业旅程。在Carta，我从构建产品转向构建系统，这需要我不断学习和适应。我将公司比作体育队，早期招聘需要热情洋溢的‘传教士’，随着公司发展，需要平衡‘传教士’和‘雇佣兵’。我通过设定高于市场水平的薪酬和股权激励来吸引和留住人才。我经历了从‘狂热’到‘系统性思考者’的转变，这需要我不断学习和实践，并建立系统性的决策框架，让团队能够独立解决问题。我坚信，在找到产品市场匹配点之前，不要过早地投入大量资金在销售和市场营销上。找到产品市场匹配点后，公司应该关注领先指标而非滞后指标，例如收入。我通过书面记录和内部通讯来维护公司文化，并强调输入指标的重要性。在融资方面，我建议创始人专注于找到与自身问题产生共鸣的投资者，而非盲目追求投资者的认可。 @Josh Lu : 作为一名投资人，我与Henry讨论了关于公司扩张、招聘、产品市场匹配、CEO发展、公司文化、透明度、输入输出以及融资等诸多方面的问题。Henry分享了他多年来在Carta的经验和教训，包括如何平衡不同类型员工，如何根据公司发展阶段调整管理策略，如何建立高效的决策机制，以及如何与投资者有效沟通。Henry的观点和经验对于早期创业者具有重要的参考价值。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Henry Ward discusses the evolution of a founder's role as a company grows, highlighting the shift from building products to building systems.
  • Founders are unique and don't fit into standard archetypes.
  • The evolution from product-focused to system-focused is crucial as companies scale.
  • Building systems rather than direct products becomes the CEO's priority.

Shownotes Transcript

Henry Ward, cofounder and CEO of Carta, has spent over a decade scaling his company from an early-stage startup to a 2,000-person industry leader. In this a16z Speedrun conversation with Games partner Josh Lu, Henry shares hard-earned lessons on:

  • Hiring missionaries vs. mercenaries — and how to keep company culture intact as you scale
  • The reality of product-market fit and why many founders try to sell too soon
  • The evolution of a CEO — from building a product to building a system around you
  • Inputs vs. outputs, and why companies should focus on the right leading indicators
  • Transparency in leadership, including when (and when not) to share

This episode is packed with candid insights and lessons on company building. Recorded live at the a16z Speedrun program, you can learn more at a16z.com/games/speedrun.

Resources: 

Find Henry on X: https://x.com/henrysward

Find Josh on X: https://x.com/JoshLu

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.