Grit
Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.
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The Grittiest Conversations of 2025: AI, Business & Beyond
<p>In this recap episode, we highlight the best moments from our 2025 interviews and reflect on the ideas that defined the year.</p><p>Featuring:</p><p>David Rubenstein (co-founder of Carlyle) - From White House to Wall Street: David Rubenstein</p><p>Yamini Rangan (CEO of HubSpot) - HubSpot CEO on the Future of SaaS, AI, & Leading Through Change</p><p>Ben Chestnut (co-founder of Mailchimp) - Bootstrapped to 12B: Mailchimp’s Ben Chestnut on Life After the Exit</p><p>Winston Weinberg (co-founder and CEO of Harvey) - I Raised $300M To Bring AI To Laywers | Winston Weinberg & Ha...
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
<p>What happens when AI becomes your most influential referrer?</p><p>As consumers turn to ChatGPT for answers, James Cadwallader and his team at Profound help brands like Eight Sleep and MongoDB gain visibility and leverage inside AI models.</p><p>On this episode of Grit, he explains why brand narrative has shifted away from content, and why Profound is scaling globally ahead of traditional SaaS timelines.</p><p><br>Guest: James Cadwallader, co-founder and CEO of Profound and Ilya Fushman, partner at Kleiner Perkins</p><p><br>Connect with James Cadwallader<br>X: https://x.com/thejamescad?lang...
How Snap Plans to Win the AR Race | Evan Spiegel on Spectacles
<p>Turning down a $3B offer from Facebook is a bold move for any young CEO.</p><p>Evan Spiegel shares how Snap’s early dream was to stay independent and give its community an authentic voice, a bet that proved right.</p><p>He also explains why they are now doubling down on AR glasses and why the anxiety around AI deserves far more attention from tech leaders.</p><p>Guest: Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. and Bing Gordon, Advisor at Kleiner Perkins</p><p></p><p>Connect with Evan Spiegel</p><p>X:https://x.com...
The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner
<p>What does it take to go from advising founders to becoming one?</p><p>On this week’s special Reverse Grit episode, we flip the script and put our Grit podcast host Joubin Mirzadegan in the guest seat.</p><p>Joubin recently founded Roadrunner, where he is now co-founder & CEO. Roadrunner is building an AI‑native CPQ to modernize the quote‑to‑cash stack, drawing on years of conversations he’s had with enterprise revenue leaders.</p><p>Stepping into the host role, Mamoon Hamid joins Joubin to talk about his transition from sales leader to founder, how Roadrunner came toget...
Building Cloudflare for the Next 50 Years | Co-founder Cloudfare Michelle Zatlyn
<p>Fifteen years in, it can still feel like “we’re just getting started.”</p><p>Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder of Cloudflare, returns to Grit with Joubin Mirzadegan to share how Cloudflare secures the internet for millions, with a vision built to last generations.</p><p>She also shares why staying close to reality and to customers becomes harder as success compounds, and how Cloudflare is helping content creators regain control in an AI driven internet.</p><p><br></p><p>Guest: Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder and President of Cloudflare</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with Michelle Zatlyn</p>XLinkedIn<p></p><p>Con...
She Sold Her Startup for $500 Million, Here’s Her Next Idea
<p>Screens have pulled families apart. </p><p>Brynn Putnam set out to bring them back together with Board, the world’s ‘first face-to-face game console.’</p><p>On Grit, she tells Joubin Mirzadegan how every venture she’s built, including Mirror, started as a personal need, and how her true edge is the ability to strip an idea down to what actually matters.</p><p>Guest: Brynn Putnam, founder and CEO of Board</p><p>Connect with Brynn Putnam</p>XLinkedIn<p><br></p><p>Connect with Joubin</p>XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com<p><br>Learn more about Kleiner Perkins</p
Synthetic Data and the Future of AI | Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez
<p>How do companies like Salesforce and Dell scale intelligence across every cloud?</p><p>Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Cohere, explains how they’re building AI that works across all enterprise systems and deploys anywhere, giving companies true flexibility and security.</p><p>He joins Joubin Mirzadegan for a wide-ranging conversation on why synthetic data went from dismissed to indispensable, and how the race among AI labs is really unfolding.</p><p>Guest: Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Cohere</p><p>Connect with Aidan: </p>XLinkedIn<p>Connect with Joubin: </p>XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com<p><br>Lear...
From Yext to Roam: Howard Lerman’s Second Act
<p>The hardest company to build is the one you start after you’ve already succeeded.</p><p><br>After scaling Yext into a platform powering millions of businesses, Howard Lerman chose to start over with Roam, the “Office of the Future,” where humans and AI work side by side from anywhere.</p><p><br>On Grit, he joins Joubin Mirzadegan to talk about the solitude of leadership and what happens when you stop building for Wall Street.</p><p>Guest: Howard Lerman, co-founder and former CEO of Yext, and founder and CEO of Roam</p><p><br>Connect with Howard L...
Rebuilding Front for the AI Era | CEO Dan O’Connell
<p>The hardest part of transformation is knowing what to let go of.</p><p>Dan O’Connell, now leading Front as CEO and formerly on the board at Dialpad, joins Joubin Mirzadegan to explore the delicate balance between legacy and innovation as he leads a decade old company through the AI revolution.</p><p>He also reflects on why courage and control can coexist in leadership, and what it means to “make decisions that give you energy.”</p><p>Guest: Dan O’Connell, CEO of Front</p><p></p><p>Connect with Dan O’Connell</p>XLinkedIn<p></p><p>Connect with...
ElevenLabs’ Vision for Voice Interfaces | CEO Mati Staniszewski
<p>Before AI became a buzzword, a few true believers were already building.</p><p>Since early 2022, Mati Staniszewski and his team at ElevenLabs have been among them, working to create voices that “actually represent emotions.”</p><p>He shares with Joubin Mirzadegan how voice AI is transforming diverse fields, from delivering personalized healthcare for different age groups to amplifying creativity in filmmaking.</p><p><br></p><p>Guest: Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with Mati Staniszewski</p>XLinkedIn<p></p><p>Connect with Joubin</p>XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com<p></p><p>Learn...
