Alexis Ohanian

She saw me, though, live my dream. And when I decided it was time to build my own venture firm, I took the lessons from those days of Y Combinator. Because... Jay, I agonized over a $200 plane ticket on AirTran to Baltimore because we only had $72,000 in the bank. We didn't raise that much money. This is a very different era.

She saw me, though, live my dream. And when I decided it was time to build my own venture firm, I took the lessons from those days of Y Combinator. Because... Jay, I agonized over a $200 plane ticket on AirTran to Baltimore because we only had $72,000 in the bank. We didn't raise that much money. This is a very different era.

But even if we had raised the normal round today, it would be maybe a few million dollars. I still don't want a CEO deciding, God, this is going to hurt our burn. Do I really want to take that trip? And we built a program in 2776 specifically to say there are tens of thousands of dollars a founder can use that we are paying for.

But even if we had raised the normal round today, it would be maybe a few million dollars. I still don't want a CEO deciding, God, this is going to hurt our burn. Do I really want to take that trip? And we built a program in 2776 specifically to say there are tens of thousands of dollars a founder can use that we are paying for.

It's coming out of our fees for their wellness, their development, any caregiving needs. Like we've had founders use this to pay for a babysitter and a date night with their partner. Awesome. We've had founders use it for you know, therapy for executive coaching, for surfing lessons, right?

It's coming out of our fees for their wellness, their development, any caregiving needs. Like we've had founders use this to pay for a babysitter and a date night with their partner. Awesome. We've had founders use it for you know, therapy for executive coaching, for surfing lessons, right?

If it, if it helps them find their focus, find their balance, be better founders for early stage companies, that's often the entire business is the founder. And if Y Combinator had had a program like that, I think it would have made all the difference. And it's not to slight them. They didn't know what they were doing. They were building the firm for the first time.

If it, if it helps them find their focus, find their balance, be better founders for early stage companies, that's often the entire business is the founder. And if Y Combinator had had a program like that, I think it would have made all the difference. And it's not to slight them. They didn't know what they were doing. They were building the firm for the first time.

But I want to do 776 differently. And not because it feels good, but because I actually think it will drive better outcomes. It will mean better leaders, better managers, better founders, which will lead to healthier organizations, which I think will lead to more returns. And these are the ways that we're trying to learn from those experiences.

But I want to do 776 differently. And not because it feels good, but because I actually think it will drive better outcomes. It will mean better leaders, better managers, better founders, which will lead to healthier organizations, which I think will lead to more returns. And these are the ways that we're trying to learn from those experiences.

And I speak with founders to this all the time, especially at the early days, but it never goes away. But especially at the early days, so much of the company takes on your neuroses, your like, you are setting so much of the culture and don't even realize it.

And I speak with founders to this all the time, especially at the early days, but it never goes away. But especially at the early days, so much of the company takes on your neuroses, your like, you are setting so much of the culture and don't even realize it.

even just the way you show up on a zoom call right because you're the founder you're the ceo like you are dictating so much of how other people are going to move and once you repeat those behaviors over and over again what you've done is created a culture intentionally or not and so your baggage your challenges the things that you're not addressing and working through to be your best are going to be inherited by your team and and that's again none of this is

even just the way you show up on a zoom call right because you're the founder you're the ceo like you are dictating so much of how other people are going to move and once you repeat those behaviors over and over again what you've done is created a culture intentionally or not and so your baggage your challenges the things that you're not addressing and working through to be your best are going to be inherited by your team and and that's again none of this is

This is the soulless capitalist talking here, right? I think there's a fantastic emotional argument for it and a health argument for it. But I always try to come first from just the business argument because if it makes sense for business, then it's a no-brainer. Then obviously, if it's going to be for your health and wellness involvement, then you should do it.

This is the soulless capitalist talking here, right? I think there's a fantastic emotional argument for it and a health argument for it. But I always try to come first from just the business argument because if it makes sense for business, then it's a no-brainer. Then obviously, if it's going to be for your health and wellness involvement, then you should do it.

But I do think it has a bottom line impact. I really do.

But I do think it has a bottom line impact. I really do.

Oh, I got that. So here, I'll give you an example. Let it illustrate it. so like two years into conan asked when there's the meme in uh the silicon valley show of resting investing so normally when a founder gets acquired they just hang out at the company and just they don't do anything and they earn out and they leave But again, not me, crazy. So like, I want to keep shipping.

Oh, I got that. So here, I'll give you an example. Let it illustrate it. so like two years into conan asked when there's the meme in uh the silicon valley show of resting investing so normally when a founder gets acquired they just hang out at the company and just they don't do anything and they earn out and they leave But again, not me, crazy. So like, I want to keep shipping.