SafeGraph CEO Auren Hoffman discusses founder CEO compensation packages relative to external executive hires on a 20VC roundtable.
Insight
Hoffman: Founders who exited 10 years ago lack modern tactical execution skills
“Almost everything in running a company has changed over the last seven years. So if you sold your company 10 years ago, you don't know anything about how customer success works, how new types of sales works, how product led growth works, how even like all the …”
Opinion
Hoffman: Most successful startup founders have low emotional intelligence
“Well, most good founders have low EQ.”
Insight
Hoffman: Any time a CEO spends outside of work hurts the business
“I would say really any time a CEO is not spending on their company, it's bad for the business. But that's true. If you're dating, it's true. If you're being a spouse, if you're parenting kids, if you're working out, You're spending time with friends. If you're…”
Prediction Open · timeframe Nov 2028
Hoffman: LPs will cease re-upping with non-performing VC fund managers
“Well, I do think there were a lot of VCs with subpar returns that were still raising their third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh funds. That is very unlikely going to happen in the future. So I think you're the, sorry, VCs that were doing that from LPs. And so …”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hoffman: Venture capital firms will increasingly specialize team roles
“You're going to start to see different firms start splitting the stack a bit, and they're going to have certain people who are going to be good... You're going to start to see that much more so with investing, where if you're going to have a team anyway, and i…”
Insight
Hoffman: LPs should prefer venture funds led by active CEOs
“It is actually, they're generally not happy when someone in the fund is like also a CEO, but they should be because that fund's going to end up doing so much better. You're going to get into better deals, et cetera.”