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Mar 9, 2016 · 23m · top-founders

Inventor of Hyper-Convergence Sitting On $150m+ Valuation and $77m Raised with Mohit Aron of Cohesity EP 199

Mohit Aran · 13m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of 'The Top,' host Nathan Latka interviews hyper-convergence pioneer Mohit Aran about leaving Google to co-found Nutanix and launch secondary storage platform Cohesity. Aran discusses his career transitions, architectural breakthroughs in enterprise infrastructure, venture fundraising rounds, and executive hiring strategies.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 35.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 2.6 Guest teaching 2.6 Guest disagreement 1.1 Nathan pushing back 3.0
05100:0010:0020:002:08–4:29 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Leaving Google's Golden Handcuffs to Pursue Entrepreneurship Nathan inquires about Mohit's decision to walk away from compensation at Google. Mohit answers transparently, detailing his salary and unvested stock options in a collaborative exchange.4:29–8:36 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Aster Data Systems and Lessons in Startup Mechanics Nathan presses for exact numbers around Aster Data's funding, equity, and vesting schedule. Mohit educates the audience on standard one-year cliffs and corrects Nathan's exit equity payout math based on partial vesting.8:36–10:54 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Founding Nutanix and the Invention of Hyper-Convergence Mohit delivers an extensive technical explanation detailing how hardware bottlenecks between CPU/disk and network speeds led him to invent hyper-convergence. Nathan listens passively to the masterclass.10:54–13:40 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Leaving Nutanix to Target Secondary Storage Nathan pushes Mohit on why he separated completely from Nutanix before its impending IPO. Mohit clarifies the legal and informational boundaries between competing storage ventures and explains pivoting from primary to secondary storage.13:40–15:40 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Cohesity's High-Valuation Venture Funding Rounds Nathan aggressively uses high/low bracket questions to force Mohit to disclose Cohesity's confidential Series A and B valuations. Mohit resists giving precise figures but concedes bounds between 150M and 500M dollars.15:40–17:45 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Cohesity's Product Architecture and Early Commercial Trajectory Nathan interrupts to clarify GA terminology and presses Mohit on whether Cohesity has generated meaningful revenue since launch. Mohit defines general availability and agrees to a ballpark under 10 million dollars for the initial two months.17:45–20:10 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Contact Details, Contest Reminder, and HostGator Sponsorship This segment contains guest contact details, contest promotions, a HostGator sponsor ad read, and a brief discussion regarding Cohesity's marketing leadership.20:10–22:45 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan conducts the Famous Five lightning round, validating Mohit's book choice and relating his irregular sleep schedule to other successful founders he has interviewed.2:08–4:29 · Guest teaching 1/10 Leaving Google's Golden Handcuffs to Pursue Entrepreneurship Nathan inquires about Mohit's decision to walk away from compensation at Google. Mohit answers transparently, detailing his salary and unvested stock options in a collaborative exchange.4:29–8:36 · Guest teaching 4/10 Aster Data Systems and Lessons in Startup Mechanics Nathan presses for exact numbers around Aster Data's funding, equity, and vesting schedule. Mohit educates the audience on standard one-year cliffs and corrects Nathan's exit equity payout math based on partial vesting.8:36–10:54 · Guest teaching 6/10 Founding Nutanix and the Invention of Hyper-Convergence Mohit delivers an extensive technical explanation detailing how hardware bottlenecks between CPU/disk and network speeds led him to invent hyper-convergence. Nathan listens passively to the masterclass.10:54–13:40 · Guest teaching 3/10 Leaving Nutanix to Target Secondary Storage Nathan pushes Mohit on why he separated completely from Nutanix before its impending IPO. Mohit clarifies the legal and informational boundaries between competing storage ventures and explains pivoting from primary to secondary storage.13:40–15:40 · Guest teaching 1/10 Cohesity's High-Valuation Venture Funding Rounds Nathan aggressively uses high/low bracket questions to force Mohit to disclose Cohesity's confidential Series A and B valuations. Mohit resists giving precise figures but concedes bounds between 150M and 500M dollars.15:40–17:45 · Guest teaching 4/10 Cohesity's Product Architecture and Early Commercial Trajectory Nathan interrupts to clarify GA terminology and presses Mohit on whether Cohesity has generated meaningful revenue since launch. Mohit defines general availability and agrees to a ballpark under 10 million dollars for the initial two months.17:45–20:10 · Guest teaching 1/10 Contact Details, Contest Reminder, and HostGator Sponsorship This segment contains guest contact details, contest promotions, a HostGator sponsor ad read, and a brief discussion regarding Cohesity's marketing leadership.20:10–22:45 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan conducts the Famous Five lightning round, validating Mohit's book choice and relating his irregular sleep schedule to other successful founders he has interviewed.2:08–4:29 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Leaving Google's Golden Handcuffs to Pursue Entrepreneurship Nathan inquires about Mohit's decision to walk away from compensation at Google. Mohit answers transparently, detailing his salary and unvested stock options in a collaborative exchange.4:29–8:36 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Aster Data Systems and Lessons in Startup Mechanics Nathan presses for exact numbers around Aster Data's funding, equity, and vesting schedule. Mohit educates the audience on standard one-year cliffs and corrects Nathan's exit equity payout math based on partial vesting.8:36–10:54 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Founding Nutanix and the Invention of Hyper-Convergence Mohit delivers an extensive technical explanation detailing how hardware bottlenecks between CPU/disk and network speeds led him to invent hyper-convergence. Nathan listens passively to the masterclass.10:54–13:40 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Leaving Nutanix to Target Secondary Storage Nathan pushes Mohit on why he separated completely from Nutanix before its impending IPO. Mohit clarifies the legal and informational boundaries between competing storage ventures and explains pivoting from primary to secondary storage.13:40–15:40 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Cohesity's High-Valuation Venture Funding Rounds Nathan aggressively uses high/low bracket questions to force Mohit to disclose Cohesity's confidential Series A and B valuations. Mohit resists giving precise figures but concedes bounds between 150M and 500M dollars.15:40–17:45 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Cohesity's Product Architecture and Early Commercial Trajectory Nathan interrupts to clarify GA terminology and presses Mohit on whether Cohesity has generated meaningful revenue since launch. Mohit defines general availability and agrees to a ballpark under 10 million dollars for the initial two months.17:45–20:10 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Contact Details, Contest Reminder, and HostGator Sponsorship This segment contains guest contact details, contest promotions, a HostGator sponsor ad read, and a brief discussion regarding Cohesity's marketing leadership.20:10–22:45 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan conducts the Famous Five lightning round, validating Mohit's book choice and relating his irregular sleep schedule to other successful founders he has interviewed.2:08–4:29 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Leaving Google's Golden Handcuffs to Pursue Entrepreneurship Nathan inquires about Mohit's decision to walk away from compensation at Google. Mohit answers transparently, detailing his salary and unvested stock options in a collaborative exchange.4:29–8:36 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Aster Data Systems and Lessons in Startup Mechanics Nathan presses for exact numbers around Aster Data's funding, equity, and vesting schedule. Mohit educates the audience on standard one-year cliffs and corrects Nathan's exit equity payout math based on partial vesting.8:36–10:54 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Founding Nutanix and the Invention of Hyper-Convergence Mohit delivers an extensive technical explanation detailing how hardware bottlenecks between CPU/disk and network speeds led him to invent hyper-convergence. Nathan listens passively to the masterclass.10:54–13:40 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Leaving Nutanix to Target Secondary Storage Nathan pushes Mohit on why he separated completely from Nutanix before its impending IPO. Mohit clarifies the legal and informational boundaries between competing storage ventures and explains pivoting from primary to secondary storage.13:40–15:40 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Cohesity's High-Valuation Venture Funding Rounds Nathan aggressively uses high/low bracket questions to force Mohit to disclose Cohesity's confidential Series A and B valuations. Mohit resists giving precise figures but concedes bounds between 150M and 500M dollars.15:40–17:45 · Nathan pushing back 6/10 Cohesity's Product Architecture and Early Commercial Trajectory Nathan interrupts to clarify GA terminology and presses Mohit on whether Cohesity has generated meaningful revenue since launch. Mohit defines general availability and agrees to a ballpark under 10 million dollars for the initial two months.17:45–20:10 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Contact Details, Contest Reminder, and HostGator Sponsorship This segment contains guest contact details, contest promotions, a HostGator sponsor ad read, and a brief discussion regarding Cohesity's marketing leadership.20:10–22:45 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan conducts the Famous Five lightning round, validating Mohit's book choice and relating his irregular sleep schedule to other successful founders he has interviewed.

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

0:00 · Nathan 75.2% · guest 24.8%0:00 · Nathan 75.2% · guest 24.8%3:00 · Nathan 20.3% · guest 79.7%3:00 · Nathan 20.3% · guest 79.7%6:00 · Nathan 25.1% · guest 74.9%6:00 · Nathan 25.1% · guest 74.9%9:00 · Nathan 7.3% · guest 92.7%9:00 · Nathan 7.3% · guest 92.7%12:00 · Nathan 13.6% · guest 86.4%12:00 · Nathan 13.6% · guest 86.4%15:00 · Nathan 39.8% · guest 60.2%15:00 · Nathan 39.8% · guest 60.2%18:00 · Nathan 50% · guest 50%18:00 · Nathan 50% · guest 50%21:00 · Nathan 51.9% · guest 48.1%21:00 · Nathan 51.9% · guest 48.1%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 14:21 Refusal to disclose exact pre-money valuations

Mohit repeatedly deflects Nathan's direct questions regarding specific valuation figures, refusing to break confidentiality despite Nathan's persistent probing.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 15:18 Host calling out marketing hype without numbers

Nathan bluntly challenges Mohit's boastful framing of record-breaking enterprise valuations, demanding specific boundaries rather than vague promotional claims.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 9:30 Data center architectural shift to hyper-convergence

Mohit delivers a structured breakdown explaining how mismatched scaling speeds between networks and CPUs necessitated converging compute and storage.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 7:58 Rapid financial breakdown of startup equity payout

Nathan demonstrates financial acumen by calculating the guest's equity value against Aster Data's exit price, prompting Mohit to specify his partial vesting period.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Leaving Google's Golden Handcuffs to Pursue Entrepreneurship 2101 Nathan inquires about Mohit's decision to walk away from compensation at Google. Mohit answers transparently, detailing his salary and unvested stock options in a collaborative exchange.
Aster Data Systems and Lessons in Startup Mechanics 4413 Nathan presses for exact numbers around Aster Data's funding, equity, and vesting schedule. Mohit educates the audience on standard one-year cliffs and corrects Nathan's exit equity payout math based on partial vesting.
Founding Nutanix and the Invention of Hyper-Convergence 1600 Mohit delivers an extensive technical explanation detailing how hardware bottlenecks between CPU/disk and network speeds led him to invent hyper-convergence. Nathan listens passively to the masterclass.
Leaving Nutanix to Target Secondary Storage 3325 Nathan pushes Mohit on why he separated completely from Nutanix before its impending IPO. Mohit clarifies the legal and informational boundaries between competing storage ventures and explains pivoting from primary to secondary storage.
Cohesity's High-Valuation Venture Funding Rounds 4137 Nathan aggressively uses high/low bracket questions to force Mohit to disclose Cohesity's confidential Series A and B valuations. Mohit resists giving precise figures but concedes bounds between 150M and 500M dollars.
Cohesity's Product Architecture and Early Commercial Trajectory 3426 Nathan interrupts to clarify GA terminology and presses Mohit on whether Cohesity has generated meaningful revenue since launch. Mohit defines general availability and agrees to a ballpark under 10 million dollars for the initial two months.
Contact Details, Contest Reminder, and HostGator Sponsorship 1111 This segment contains guest contact details, contest promotions, a HostGator sponsor ad read, and a brief discussion regarding Cohesity's marketing leadership.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 3101 Nathan conducts the Famous Five lightning round, validating Mohit's book choice and relating his irregular sleep schedule to other successful founders he has interviewed.

Statements from this episode (12)

Disclosure
Mohit Aron made over $500k annually before leaving Google in 2007
“My salary, you know, combined all the take home with all the bonus and stock options and stuff, it was well north of half a million.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 3:36
Disclosure
Mohit Aron abandoned over $2 million in unvested Google options
“I had, I left a lot of options on the table more than a couple of million worth.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 3:46
Disclosure
Mohit Aron traded salary for a 1% equity stake at Aster Data
“I took a pathetically low salary. You know, it was around 120,000 because I was, I had made enough money, but the options were eventually close to a percent that I took.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 6:08
Assertion Partly supported
Teradata acquired Aster Data for approximately $325 million
“I think the sale was it was undisclosed, and I had left Astrid by then, but the sale was around three hundred twenty five million if we know the numbers correctly.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 7:37
Assertion Supported
Mohit Aron claims he invented the concept of hyper-convergence at Nutanix
“I left Aster in 2009, and I actually founded the infrastructure company Nutanix in 2009, September 2009, and I was there with Nutanix for a little more than three years, and I was the brains behind the concept of hyperconvergence, which has kind of taken over …”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 8:44
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Aron: CPU and disk speeds outpaced networking growth 100-to-1
“The network speeds in the last 15 years have only grown by a factor of 10. Whereas the disk speeds and the CPU speeds have grown phenomenally. Maybe a hundred acts, or sometimes even a thousand acts.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 10:03
Disclosure
Mohit Aron retained an 8.8% equity stake in Nutanix
“Well, the public number that they published out was 8.8%. you know, it's out there in storage review and a bunch of other articles. So that's what I own.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 11:37
Assertion Supported
Nutanix was generating $10 million per quarter when Aron departed
“Yeah, we were, I think we were doing approximately ten million a quarter by then.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 12:44
Disclosure
Cohesity raised a $15M Series A from Sequoia and Wing
“I got funded by Sequoia and another venture firm, which was new, called Wing Ventures, and together they put in fifteen million dollars to put money into my Series A.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 14:02
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Sequoia gave Cohesity its highest enterprise Series A valuation in four years
“In Sequoia's own words, they have not given that high valuation to any enterprise company in the last four years before.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 14:28
Disclosure
Cohesity raised a $55 million Series B in May 2015
“So series A was raised in November, 2013, and I raised my series B in May, 2015, which was last year. And that was, again, another record. You know, we raised fifty-five million dollars.”
Mohit Aran Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 14:58
Disclosure
Cohesity raised a massive Series B entirely on Aron's reputation
“So we actually GA'd you know, in October. So the money that, or the phenomenal valuation I'm talking about is, it was all raised on the promise and the reputation.”
Mohit Aron Mar 9, 2016 ▶ 16:14
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