Wiz is the largest venture-backed M&A in history: Shardul Shah, Partner at Index Ventures

The $23B Wiz acquisition has become the largest venture-backed M&A in history, a milestone moment for the tech industry and the cybersecurity ecosystem. In this conversation, Shardul Shah, Partner at Index Ventures and an early backer of Wiz, reflects on the long relationship with the founders that began years before the company existed and why conviction in people, more than markets or products, continues to guide how he thinks about investing.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show0:36 - Guest introduction: Shardul Shah1:40 - Importance of people in investment decisions4:08 - Assessing conviction versus delusion in investing6:27 - Importance of ambition in industry growth7:11 - Trusting intuition in investment decisions9:30 - The role of founders in investment success10:21 - Challenges of pattern matching in founders12:51 - Evolving craft of decision-making14:31 - Importance of trust in founder relationships16:09 - Quick connections with entrepreneurs18:20 - Key question for entrepreneurs on offers