People, every show

Alyson Friedensohn

Founder & Executive Chair, Modern Health. On 1 show, 1 appearance. The Shows tab opens the full record on each.

founderexecutiveoperatormodernhealth.com ↗

She founded Modern Health in 2017, scaling the workplace mental health and wellness platform to unicorn status backed by Kleiner Perkins and Founders Fund. Before launching Modern Health, she worked in healthcare strategy consulting at PwC and in operations at Collective Health.

What they said11 Shows1

Everything Alyson Friedensohn said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.

20VC Assertion Not checkable as stated

Friedensohn: Mental health struggles like ADHD often drive startup founder success

“But the reality is most people struggle in one way or another. And most Founders actually do struggle with, whether it's depression, anxiety, ADD, and actually the flip side of that, which is pretty interesting, is sometimes it's part of what allows them to be…”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 8:53 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Prediction Not checkable as stated

Friedensohn: Traditional computer science backgrounds are no longer necessary for tech founders

“And so I actually think that as we go forward, the typical like technical founder who has a CS undergrad and maybe dropped out is not actually necessary. And someone who might be really strong in another area who has unique insight into the future and so has t…”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 11:35 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Insight

Friedensohn: Early-stage startups should hire general athletes over specific skill sets

“I think where people can go wrong is when they get too focused on a certain skill set or a certain background, when really it's about figuring out, okay, what's the problem that we need to solve? And who are the best people that we need to get on that bus to h…”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 18:27 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Opinion

Friedensohn: Kleiner Perkins' John Doerr is the best salesperson she has met

“So I think John Doerr is one of the best, if not the best salesperson I've ever met.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 20:51 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Disclosure

Kleiner Perkins' John Doerr joins Modern Health's enterprise sales pitches

“He has actually come to some of our sales pitches with me, and it's just incredible to see him in action.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 20:56 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Insight

Friedensohn: Founders err by optimizing for valuation over hands-on investor support

“I think where founders go wrong is where they might optimize for valuation over who's actually going to roll up their sleeves and work with them and support them.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 22:00 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Insight

Friedensohn: Only accept investors who make you excited for board meetings

“I think that for me, that's been the litmus test for every investor I've evaluated is, will I still be excited to go to the board meeting if this person's in the room? And if the answer's not a resounding yes, then we're not ready to work with them.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 22:53 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Prediction Not checkable as stated

Friedensohn: Mental health will be the fourth standard employee benefit by 2025

“And so we believe that in five years from now, mental health will be the fourth pillar that every employee should have access to. So you've got medical, dental, vision. We believe mental health is that fourth pillar. And so we believe modern health will become…”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 32:53 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Disclosure

Friedensohn relies on therapy and coaching to sustain her CEO role

“I'm very vocal at work that I see a therapist. I have a coach of couples therapists, and I can safely say I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for that entire support system and team that I have to coach and help me grow every single day.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 9:31 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Assertion Partly supported

Friedensohn and her husband are Founders Fund's first married portfolio founders

“Some of the benefits are, well, first and foremost, I think we're the first married couple in founders fund portfolios.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 26:12 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

20VC Assertion Not checkable as stated

Friedensohn called 50 therapists before finding an affordable sliding-scale rate

“I must have called 50 different therapists, And eventually got connected to someone who agreed to a sliding scale rate that I could afford until I got a job and my feet under me, and I still see that person to this day.”

Alyson Friedensohn Sep 4, 2020 ▶ 4:47 20VC: Biggest Lessons from Working with John Doerr, How Founders Can Have Discussions of Vulnerability with Their Board and Investors & Marrying Another Founder; The Pros, Cons and Ways To Make it Succeed with Alyson Friedensohn, Co-Founder & CEO @ Modern

One line per show, most statements first. The link opens Alyson's full record on that show: the calibration, argument clarity, speaking style and every statement made there.

Show	Role there	Eps	Statements	Record
20VCLEDGER	Founder & Executive Chair, Modern Health	1	11	0% 0/1	full record on 20VC →