StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Mar 9, 2018 · 29m · 20vc

20VC: 2 Levers To Fundraising: FOMO & Leverage and How To Use Them, How To Implement "A Sustainable Growth Mindset" & How To Put VCs To Work For You with Leore Avidar @ Lob

Leore Avidar · 20m spoken Harry Stebbings · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The 20 Minute VC, host Harry Stebbings interviews Leore Avidar, founder and CEO of Lob, about his journey from Wall Street to building an automated direct mail API. Avidar shares key insights on startup fundraising mechanics, implementing a controlled growth mindset, and scaling executive leadership.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Harry holds 26.5% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Harry as informed peer 3.0 Guest teaching 3.8 Guest disagreement 1.7 Harry pushing back 2.3
05100:0010:0020:002:24–6:33 · Harry as informed peer 1/10 Leore's Path: Wall Street, AWS, and Founding Lob Harry asks a welcoming opening question about Leore's career progression. Leore responds with a detailed narrative about Wall Street, AWS, and founding Lob without host interruption.6:33–12:09 · Harry as informed peer 3/10 Fundraising Strategy: Managing FOMO and Leverage Harry invites Leore to share contrarian fundraising advice and asks clarifying questions regarding VC chatter and runway management. Leore details his leverage and FOMO frameworks.12:09–15:06 · Harry as informed peer 4/10 Fundraising Reflection and The Controlled Growth Mindset Harry notes the typical VC pressure for aggressive growth and asks Leore to define controlled growth. Leore outlines his philosophy using Keynes quotes and car gear analogies.15:06–20:36 · Harry as informed peer 5/10 Responsible Growth and Scaling the CEO Role Harry pushes on whether hyper-competitive land-grab scenarios override controlled growth. Leore maintains his position, emphasizing responsible growth and scaling the CEO role.20:36–24:06 · Harry as informed peer 3/10 Creating a Long-Term Culture and 30-Year Employee Retention Harry asks how Leore builds a 30-year retention culture and queries whether stretching employees can go too far. Leore explains his approach to high trust and high accountability.24:07–27:53 · Harry as informed peer 2/10 Quickfire Round Harry conducts a quickfire round covering books, paper industry surprises, intense personal competitiveness in chess, and product roadmaps.2:24–6:33 · Guest teaching 2/10 Leore's Path: Wall Street, AWS, and Founding Lob Harry asks a welcoming opening question about Leore's career progression. Leore responds with a detailed narrative about Wall Street, AWS, and founding Lob without host interruption.6:33–12:09 · Guest teaching 5/10 Fundraising Strategy: Managing FOMO and Leverage Harry invites Leore to share contrarian fundraising advice and asks clarifying questions regarding VC chatter and runway management. Leore details his leverage and FOMO frameworks.12:09–15:06 · Guest teaching 5/10 Fundraising Reflection and The Controlled Growth Mindset Harry notes the typical VC pressure for aggressive growth and asks Leore to define controlled growth. Leore outlines his philosophy using Keynes quotes and car gear analogies.15:06–20:36 · Guest teaching 4/10 Responsible Growth and Scaling the CEO Role Harry pushes on whether hyper-competitive land-grab scenarios override controlled growth. Leore maintains his position, emphasizing responsible growth and scaling the CEO role.20:36–24:06 · Guest teaching 4/10 Creating a Long-Term Culture and 30-Year Employee Retention Harry asks how Leore builds a 30-year retention culture and queries whether stretching employees can go too far. Leore explains his approach to high trust and high accountability.24:07–27:53 · Guest teaching 3/10 Quickfire Round Harry conducts a quickfire round covering books, paper industry surprises, intense personal competitiveness in chess, and product roadmaps.2:24–6:33 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Leore's Path: Wall Street, AWS, and Founding Lob Harry asks a welcoming opening question about Leore's career progression. Leore responds with a detailed narrative about Wall Street, AWS, and founding Lob without host interruption.6:33–12:09 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Fundraising Strategy: Managing FOMO and Leverage Harry invites Leore to share contrarian fundraising advice and asks clarifying questions regarding VC chatter and runway management. Leore details his leverage and FOMO frameworks.12:09–15:06 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Fundraising Reflection and The Controlled Growth Mindset Harry notes the typical VC pressure for aggressive growth and asks Leore to define controlled growth. Leore outlines his philosophy using Keynes quotes and car gear analogies.15:06–20:36 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Responsible Growth and Scaling the CEO Role Harry pushes on whether hyper-competitive land-grab scenarios override controlled growth. Leore maintains his position, emphasizing responsible growth and scaling the CEO role.20:36–24:06 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Creating a Long-Term Culture and 30-Year Employee Retention Harry asks how Leore builds a 30-year retention culture and queries whether stretching employees can go too far. Leore explains his approach to high trust and high accountability.24:07–27:53 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Quickfire Round Harry conducts a quickfire round covering books, paper industry surprises, intense personal competitiveness in chess, and product roadmaps.2:24–6:33 · Harry pushing back 0/10 Leore's Path: Wall Street, AWS, and Founding Lob Harry asks a welcoming opening question about Leore's career progression. Leore responds with a detailed narrative about Wall Street, AWS, and founding Lob without host interruption.6:33–12:09 · Harry pushing back 2/10 Fundraising Strategy: Managing FOMO and Leverage Harry invites Leore to share contrarian fundraising advice and asks clarifying questions regarding VC chatter and runway management. Leore details his leverage and FOMO frameworks.12:09–15:06 · Harry pushing back 3/10 Fundraising Reflection and The Controlled Growth Mindset Harry notes the typical VC pressure for aggressive growth and asks Leore to define controlled growth. Leore outlines his philosophy using Keynes quotes and car gear analogies.15:06–20:36 · Harry pushing back 5/10 Responsible Growth and Scaling the CEO Role Harry pushes on whether hyper-competitive land-grab scenarios override controlled growth. Leore maintains his position, emphasizing responsible growth and scaling the CEO role.20:36–24:06 · Harry pushing back 3/10 Creating a Long-Term Culture and 30-Year Employee Retention Harry asks how Leore builds a 30-year retention culture and queries whether stretching employees can go too far. Leore explains his approach to high trust and high accountability.24:07–27:53 · Harry pushing back 1/10 Quickfire Round Harry conducts a quickfire round covering books, paper industry surprises, intense personal competitiveness in chess, and product roadmaps.

speaking balance: gold is Harry, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Harry 84.7% · guest 15.3%0:00 · Harry 84.7% · guest 15.3%3:00 · Harry 0% · guest 100%3:00 · Harry 0% · guest 100%6:00 · Harry 11.2% · guest 88.8%6:00 · Harry 11.2% · guest 88.8%9:00 · Harry 10.4% · guest 89.6%9:00 · Harry 10.4% · guest 89.6%12:00 · Harry 17.9% · guest 82.1%12:00 · Harry 17.9% · guest 82.1%15:00 · Harry 20.4% · guest 79.6%15:00 · Harry 20.4% · guest 79.6%18:00 · Harry 27.2% · guest 72.8%18:00 · Harry 27.2% · guest 72.8%21:00 · Harry 5.4% · guest 94.6%21:00 · Harry 5.4% · guest 94.6%24:00 · Harry 20.6% · guest 79.4%24:00 · Harry 20.6% · guest 79.4%27:00 · Harry 74.9% · guest 25.1%27:00 · Harry 74.9% · guest 25.1%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 15:55 Rejecting the land-grab exception

Leore firmly disagrees with Harry's suggestion that hyper-competitive land grabs justify reckless spending, stating directly 'I don't think it does'.

 Hardest push from Harry ▶ 15:48 Challenging controlled growth during land grabs

Harry challenges Leore's controlled growth framework by asking whether aggressive land grab market situations make reckless growth necessary.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 6:53 Debunking off-cycle VC meeting advice

Leore counters standard fundraising advice, explaining why founders must meet VCs off-cycle to build trust long before raising capital.

 Harry holds his own ▶ 13:02 Bringing VC perspective on aggressive growth

Harry brings industry knowledge into the discussion, challenging Leore on how controlled growth conflicts with common VC demands for aggressive expansion.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicHarry as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementHarry pushing backWhy
Leore's Path: Wall Street, AWS, and Founding Lob 1210 Harry asks a welcoming opening question about Leore's career progression. Leore responds with a detailed narrative about Wall Street, AWS, and founding Lob without host interruption.
Fundraising Strategy: Managing FOMO and Leverage 3522 Harry invites Leore to share contrarian fundraising advice and asks clarifying questions regarding VC chatter and runway management. Leore details his leverage and FOMO frameworks.
Fundraising Reflection and The Controlled Growth Mindset 4523 Harry notes the typical VC pressure for aggressive growth and asks Leore to define controlled growth. Leore outlines his philosophy using Keynes quotes and car gear analogies.
Responsible Growth and Scaling the CEO Role 5425 Harry pushes on whether hyper-competitive land-grab scenarios override controlled growth. Leore maintains his position, emphasizing responsible growth and scaling the CEO role.
Creating a Long-Term Culture and 30-Year Employee Retention 3423 Harry asks how Leore builds a 30-year retention culture and queries whether stretching employees can go too far. Leore explains his approach to high trust and high accountability.
Quickfire Round 2311 Harry conducts a quickfire round covering books, paper industry surprises, intense personal competitiveness in chess, and product roadmaps.

Statements from this episode (8)

Insight
VCs act irrationally when driven by peer investment FOMO, says Leore Avidar
“Investors and VCs actually act very similarly, and they don't always act rationally when their peers are looking to make an investment, or they see this shiny new startup that's going out to raise money.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 8:46
Insight
Raising capital with under a year of runway destroys founder leverage
“When it gets to under a year, you're putting yourself in a position where you can't say no to any term.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 11:47
What-if
Leore Avidar regrets raising venture capital because Lob could self-fund
“And so for Lobb, I mean, I wish I hadn't raised money because we keep doing well and we're able to self-fund through sales.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 12:33
Insight
Controlled growth means maintaining a path to profitability within six months
“Controlled growth is a mindset, and it's one where it's a growth trajectory that you can easily tweak that growth dial up and down and always have the ability to become profitable within six months.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 13:22
Insight
Most startup bankruptcies occur due to irresponsible growth, says Leore Avidar
“Most companies go bankrupt because they weren't responsible about their growth.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 17:23
Insight
Startups need executive leaders by late Series A or 25 employees
“It happens generally around, I would say, late series A, or when you're around 20 to 25 people, that you really need other people within the company to go and tackle big divisions within your company.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 20:19
Assertion Supported
Typical tech companies only retain employees for one to two years
“Everyone is doing all these crazy things, and they're only able to retain people for one to two years.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 21:03
Insight
Companies must promote internally rather than hire external managers for retention
“When there's an opportunity to promote somebody or you're looking for a manager on the team, you can't be in the mindset that you're going to go and hire somebody else from Another company. You have to invest in your own teammates.”
Leore Avidar Mar 9, 2018 ▶ 21:48
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 1,200 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.

Try the podcast clipper Learn more