Spotlight On

When Armadin co-founder and CEO Kevin Mandia started his career, hacking was an under-the-radar nuisance. As our lives and financial systems moved online, everything changed. Mandiant, his first company, became the team that CEOs called during their worst breaches. Now, he believes cybersecurity is entering its biggest shift yet, and he’s founded Armadin to put the defenders back on offense.In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Ping Li talks with Kevin about his path from the U.S. Air Force to founding Mandiant and now Armadin. They dig into how hacking went from annoyance to national security threat, what’s different about today’s AI-enabled adversaries, and Kevin’s playbook for CEOs facing a breach.

For our final episode of VBSR this season, Sara phones a friend. Accel’s Zhenya Loginov joins from London to talk about what defines the 2025 IPO, common PLG-to-enterprise pitfalls, and why today’s European founders look different. Plus: Zhenya’s startup green flags.This Week’s TakeawaysIPOs are back. But they’ve changed. Not long ago, companies were going public before becoming profitable. After years of belt-tightening, 2025’s IPOs are disciplined companies with solid fundamentals, higher revenue, and durable growth trajectories.Don’t underestimate the PLG-to-enterprise transition. Zhenya calls it “Enterprise University,” since it often takes four years to execute well. His advice: start early, be ready for a steep learning curve, and don’t forget that user love will power new customer acquisition—so keep investing in product, too.The Euro founder flywheel is spinning. Healthy investment, a generation of unicorns, and a pandemic and AI boom that shifted the talent center of gravity have come together to reshape Europe’s startup ecosystem. Today’s founders began their careers at early-stage startups that went on to become industry-defining companies. They know how to build and understand what “good” looks like.Conversation Highlights2:25 - The 2025 IPO7:02 - Zhenya’s founder green flags8:22 - The PLG-to-enterprise tightrope12:40 - “A leader in the global market”: today’s European startups16:46 - What makes the European buyer different?19:08 - The new European founderFor more on the European founder flywheel, read our Founder Factory report.Zhenya LoginovZhenya joined Accel in 2023 and has a particular interest in cloud/SaaS, enterprise, and developer tooling businesses. Prior to Accel, he held roles in multiple Accel-backed companies. He ran the go-to-market teams at Miro and Segment (acquired by Twilio) as CRO and COO, respectively. Earlier in his career, Zhenya led teams at Dropbox across a number of different functional areas. He graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University and Harvard.

Jan Oberhauser was spending too much time on tasks that weren’t joyful. A former visual effects artist turned programmer, he lost hours each day rebuilding the same code instead of solving new problems. In 2019, Jan founded the German workflow automation startup n8n to end the drudgery. Now, hundreds of thousands of developers and thousands of enterprises use n8n’s automation platform to make work more efficient, more productive, and yes, more joyful. Today, we announced that Accel is leading n8n’s Series C. Ahead of the announcement, Accel’s Ben Fletcher joined Jan in Berlin to retrace n8n’s journey from developer favorite to powerhouse of Europe’s AI boom. Jan and Ben talk about how n8n reimagined their product strategy for the LLM era, the choices that kept its community loyal while expanding in enterprise, and why the team set its sights on an ambitious goal: becoming “the Excel of AI.”Conversation Highlights0:43 - Meet n8n1:45 - From VFX to n8n: Jan’s story2:49 - Spending too much time on “not very joyful” tasks5:26 - No-code’s “80% there” issue7:14 - How n8n built its community11:00 - “Do a few things right versus everything half-baked”12:25 - AI-native vs. incumbents14:47 - “I honestly was a bit scared”: reimagining n8n post-AI22:52 - n8n’s secret to a high employee NPS24:17 - The traits Jan looks for in team members27:42 -  Becoming the “Excel of AI”

Sara and Vas discuss what AI means for teachers, new graduates, and the broader education system– and whether it’s changing the investment landscape for edtech.This Week’s Takeaways1. Forward-thinking educators won’t play the AI “cat and mouse” game. They’ll put automation to work instead, tailoring lessons and giving students more hands-on reps.2. Developing the next generation of knowledge workers will mean getting creative. As the entry-level job market tightens, companies should invest in apprenticeships that can track new graduates into roles less impacted by AI.3. There’s opportunity in edtech, but it’s complicated. Baroque RFPs and knotty webs of stakeholders make selling into this market hard. Products need a sharp purpose. Do schools want specialized AI presentation tools, or can students just use Gamma?Conversation Highlights0:33 - Back to school, AI edition7:57 - The entry-level crunch11:27 - The return of apprenticeships?15:22 - Credential erosion21:07 - AI reshapes edtech

This week, Vas and Sara talk about why the browser is suddenly the hottest space on the internet, how security will adapt to AI agents, and what makes software defensible.This Week’s TakeawaysThe browser isn’t dead; it’s changing. AI agents are taking over to-dos like booking Vas’s pickleball court, but comfort, preference, and technical limitations have kept us from outsourcing everything – for now. Now, products like Perplexity’s Comet, with a user experience built for tandem browsing mode, hint at how the Internet’s front door is adapting to an agentic world. “Not human” is no longer synonymous with “under attack.” Activity that once signaled bots swarming a reservation system could simply be AI assistants snagging a table for Friday. Security’s in a hinge moment, and the way its architecture adapts will set the boundaries for what agents can do.Building defensible software is harder, but still possible. Some users will move on to bespoke, DIY solutions. Others will continue to prefer out-of-the box tools. Delight the “out-of-the-box” crowd, and your product’s more likely to stick.Conversation Highlights1:16 - The founder-to-investor transition3:29 - What’s next for the browser?9:51 - The rise of the friendly bot17:09 - Defining “defensible”21:48 - What’s behind the backlash to GPT-5 

This week, we’re talking to Accel’s newest partner, Kerry Wang, about her journey from founder to investor, advice for finding the right early-stage partners, and what we can learn from Figma’s “12-year overnight success.”This Week’s TakeawaysReturn to first principles during uncertainty. Figma’s journey to IPO was anything but linear, with a bumpy road to product-market fit and a near-acquisition by Adobe halted by regulators. But instead of letting the blocked deal become a “switch flip” that changed their product roadmap or strategy, the team stayed locked on their long-term vision – which in turn, drove their resilience. Pivots aren’t failures. In Kerry’s experience, successful founders are like “heat-seeking missiles,” able to read the market's signals, make informed decisions, and adjust their paths accordingly.When you’re choosing an early investor, ask yourself: would this be the first person I’d call when I have a problem? Good investors are like the friend who always has your back—and will give you the hard truth when it matters.Conversation Highlights:0:53 - Figma’s “12-year overnight success”6:05 - Is it time to stop numbering AI models?9:24 - Meet Kerry Wang10:48 - Co-founding with your twin12:45 - “Everything is different”: shifting AI norms14:19 - Founders as “heat-seeking missiles”17:22 - How do you know when it’s time to exit?20:26 - Investor green flags

Sara and Vas talk about Lovable’s record-breaking sprint to $100 million ARR and the growth of startups that boost human creativity. They also explore how the AI talent wars are reshaping industry narratives and why early-stage founders shouldn’t lose sleep over nine-figure compensation offers.This Week’s Three Takeaways1. Tools that amplify self-expression are seeing explosive growth. Lovable reached $100 million ARR in just eight months, while Gamma recently topped 50 million users with a team that could fit in one classroom. They’ve found success by tapping into the basic human desire to create, then making it accessible and fun.2. There’s still opportunity in the AI niches. Founders with deep domain knowledge are drawing on their expertise to build sharp, focused vertical AI products. Stacking on top of the foundational models makes the bigger players’ growth an advantage.3. Headlines about AI research compensation packages are obscuring a more interesting and nuanced dynamic in the hiring market for early teams. There’s more young, green, and eager talent available than there’s been for some time; early teams might be better served by betting on promising talent who’ll be motivated by the journey. 

Accel just led Lovable’s Series A, the largest in Stockholm's history. On the eve of the announcement, Lovable CEO and Co-Founder Anton Osika sat down with Accel’s Ben Fletcher and Zhenya Loginov to talk about the startup’s remarkable growth, building from Stockholm, and what’s next for the small but mighty team.They also revisit Anton’s origins and how they shaped Lovable’s remarkable mission to unlock creativity for 99% of the world's population that doesn't code. Anton’s always been a builder, whether deconstructing gadgets as a kid or as a founding engineer at Sana and CTO and Co-Founder at Depict.ai. Along the way, he realized that building software is one of the most direct ways to have a broader impact on the world. Currently, that power is disproportionately held by the less than 1% of the world’s population that can code. Enter Lovable, and a world where you don’t need deep technical knowledge to build. You just need an idea.

Sara and Vas talk about Scale’s partnership with Meta, Circle’s IPO, and what founders can learn from the companies' early journeys. They also answer common questions they get from founders about exits: the different options, how to build partnerships that can lead to an acquisition, and why a founder’s job doesn’t end at the closing table or opening bell.This Week’s Five Takeaways1. Most people don’t actually want fully automated AI products right now. Technological capability is one thing, but people’s comfort with automation varies widely depending on their industry, task, and background. Andrej Karpathy called the spectrum between manual control and full automation the “autonomy slider” – and for most products, somewhere between those extremes is probably just right.  2. Trust is your wedge for breaking into new industries. Circle’s route to IPO wasn’t linear, but their steady focus on building credibility set them apart from other cryptocurrency and blockchain platforms. Their stablecoin USDC helped make their value clear to skeptical audiences. Takeaway: Big ideas matter (Circle’s Jeremy Allaire brings plenty), but translating them into practical, legible products is ultimately what scales.3. Government relations is an underrated founder discipline. In sectors shaped by regulation, even early-stage leaders gain an edge by learning how to advocate to policymakers. A great example is Alexandr Wang, who framed Scale as a “data foundry” to lawmakers and made the case for AI’s role in national defense.4. What matters now is what you’ve built, not where you’ve been. Traditional badges like Stanford degrees or FAANG stints carry less weight as founders start younger and skip established tracks. The new markers of credibility aren’t always obvious, but one stands out: you’ve already shipped something great. For technical founders without institutional credentials, building and launching is a clear way to demonstrate vision, creativity, and determination.5. It’s a myth that founders “shop” for acquisitions. Instead, most M&A develops more organically out of strategic partnerships – product integrations, go-to-market deals – developed and tested over years of working together.

Freshworks CEO Dennis Woodside’s career reads like a tour through the world’s most complex operational challenges: opening new markets at pre-IPO Google, wrangling billion-dollar losses at Motorola, guiding Impossible Foods from scrappy upstart to mainstream staple. At every turn, he’s proven himself as a singular operator, able to translate bold visions into strong teams, scaled business, and real results, no matter the industry or product. In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Sameer Gandhi sits down with Dennis to talk about how Freshworks—the first Indian SaaS company to list on Nasdaq—honors both its Chennai heritage and its global customer base, tips for thoughtfully succeeding a founder, and why Freshworks’s engineers cross continents to meet customers face-to-face.

According to Veza co-founder and CEO Tarun Thakur, you don’t just found a startup once. Instead, you found and refound it many times over: as you achieve product-market fit, as you land your first investment, as you scale from a team of three to 200 and beyond. In this episode of Spotlight On, Tarun sits down with Accel’s Eric Wolford to discuss how this theory of continuous reinvention has shaped the identity security company’s growth—and his own. He explores how working with a coach has transformed his leadership style, highlights “trust” the most critical ingredient in co-founder relationships, and recounts the story of how a two-page document from an early prospect changed Veza’s vision of both the problem they were solving and the solution. Tarun also shares what he’s learned about building an effective go-to-market motion, including why Veza’s first hire was an SDR and how to execute a “land and expand” strategy. 

Sara and Vas debrief on Vas’s recent trip to India, how founders use geography to their advantage, and what tech can learn from LVMH  about taste. They also share some advice for founders on pitching their stories to investors. This Week’s Five TakeawaysWhere you build can shape how you win. On his recent visit to India, Vas noticed a verve for the messy work of systems integration and solutions engineering he hadn’t seen elsewhere. Different geographies impart strategic advantages, whether it’s talent with a knack for rolling up sleeves, a longtime connection to a particular industry, or simply a certain kind of ambition in the air.  Commodified code requires aspirational brands. As AI lowers barriers to production, there’s been a lot of chatter about taste (we love Sarah Guo’s essay on this). But taste is more than a buzzword; it’s a durable business advantage. (Just look at LVMH and Herman Miller.) Founders should study how luxury brands build worlds for which their products are the ticket to enter.Taste is more than your color scheme and logo. Aesthetic instincts are a start, but the most interesting companies right now are pairing those instincts with a nuanced, almost anthropological understanding of their customer. Taste applied is all about solving the right problems with thought and charm.The founding designer is having a moment. Taste as an ascendant differentiator means designers are taking more prominent roles, earlier. And whether you’re aiming upmarket or targeting the masses, this key early hire can ensure you’re delivering on your brand promise in a way that feels coherent and consistently delights your customers and users.5. It’s okay to talk about the messy parts of building a company. Don’t be afraid to show your work when discussing your project with an investor. That includes false starts, discarded ideas, and tests that didn’t go as planned. These stories often contain nuggets about how you think and work that are really what’s important to a potential partner.

Most of us think of space as a future possibility. The reality is that space is our present: everything from our maps apps, bank transactions, and national defense depends on operations currently floating in orbit around us. That strategic importance also makes space vulnerable. Enter True Anomaly: the defense startup is dedicated to protecting the United States and its allies’ activity in space. In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Jonathan Turner sat down with True Anomaly Co-Founder and CEO Even Rogers to discuss his leap from uniformed service to life as a first-time founder and the fast-evolving landscape of space defense. Their conversation covers: Even’s path into the space tech industry, why designing for space means you have to “invent the universe”, setting and sticking to your goals, selecting the right team, and why True Anomaly has learned to view failure as a critical part of the process—and developed a standard for doing it well.

AI has made advanced cybersecurity methods more widely available—and put sophisticated cyberattack techniques into the hands of threat actors everywhere. CrowdStrike has spent the last decade and a half reshaping the security landscape, and now, the company continues to reimagine what state-of-the-art looks like when both the good guys and the bad actors are learning what these powerful tools can do for them.In this special episode of Spotlight On, recorded live at Accel during the RSA Conference, Accel’s Sameer Gandhi joins CrowdStrike Founder and CEO George Kurtz to explore the knotty challenges—and fascinating opportunities—that characterize the security industry now. They discuss how AI has changed the hierarchy of cyber threats, whether George would do anything differently if he founded CrowdStrike today, and the lessons founders can learn from F1, where team collaboration and mental toughness power the highest performers—and a fraction of a second can change everything.

Vercel founder and CEO Guillermo Rauch still remembers the thrill of loading new software onto his family’s computer as a kid living in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. This was the Windows ’95 era, when software came on CDs and floppy disks. He’d already begun to wonder: what if this whole process of distribution and deployment was much, much simpler? This question would drive his career and, ultimately, lead him to found Vercel.In this episode of Spotlight On, Guillermo Rauch joins Accel’s Dan Levine to discuss his journey founding and building Vercel. He shares the story of dropping out of high school to take his first job as an engineer, why he believes great deployment infrastructure powers innovation, and why a founder’s job is to bring their customers to the “promised land” of their vision, step by incremental step.

The Netflix culture deck has been viewed over 17 million times and covered by the New York Times and Harvard Business Review. Sheryl Sandberg called it one of the most important documents to come out of Silicon Valley. Detractors called it brutal (which, Patty and Jessica reveal during our interview, was by design). Why did Netflix spend 10 years and thousands of hours creating this document? And what can founders learn about molding culture and building teams from the people behind it?In this special episode of Spotlight On, recorded live at the Accel People Summit, Accel’s Pete Clarke speaks with hosts of the TruthWorks podcast: Patty McCord, author and former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, and Jessica Neal, former Chief HR Officer at Netflix and Venture Partner at TCV. Patty and Jessica share the real story behind the culture deck, why Netflix chose a radically different approach to compensation, and the mistakes that still keep them up at night.

Welcome to a Very Brief Short Report: (kinda) short listens on the biggest ideas in tech right now, from Accel’s Vas Natarajan and Sara Ittelson. This week, Sara and Vas try to make sense of the “chaotic change” happening as they share observations from Accel’s latest portfolio review. They discuss why teams that collaborate in-office are thriving, how data isn’t the moat it once was, and what it means when everyone’s vibecoding (Sara and Vas’s teen nephew included).This Week’s Five TakeawaysThe energy is snapping back to San Francisco. Tech talent dispersed across the US (and the world) during the pandemic. Lately, we’re seeing an uptick in teams collaborating five days a week, right here in SF.As switching costs ease, data becomes less of a moat. Portability is easier than ever. When platforms can quickly gather—and, more crucially, use LLMs to make sense of—enterprise data, businesses need to consider how else they can drive retention. The pain of migrating simply isn’t enough to get a contract renewed.A lot of talented people are founding right now. It’s an exciting time to build, with AI lowering barriers to entry and powering rapid scale. It’s also more competitive than ever. A slick demo and a world-class team are the default assumptions—you need to bring an additional edge, like a distribution advantage or a discerning sense of taste.Build vs. buy is coming to consumers. Enterprises with massive developer teams have always had the option to simply build custom solutions. Vibecoding gives end-users this option, too.Creativity is in a moment of “IKEA-fication.” AI means everyone’s a medium-level creator. But there’s real hunger for products and experiences that feel deeply human. Make something that feeds people’s craving for connection and authenticity, and you can command a premium price point.

Before Eoin Hinchy founded automation platform Tines, he spent more than a decade on security teams at DocuSign, Deloitte, and eBay, where he saw firsthand the time eaten away by important but repetitive–and not-exactly-thrilling—tasks. He and Tines co-founder Thomas Kinsella decided to do something about it, launching Tines from a cramped office in Dublin. Now, Tines saves their 400+ global customers a mind-boggling amount of time, performing more than one billion automated actions each week.In this episode of Spotlight On, Eoin joins Accel’s Luca Bocchio to discuss how Tines got here, including: why you can argue like cats and dogs and still be founder “soulmates,” why founders don’t (necessarily) need to move to the Bay Area anymore, and what he learned from throwing out parts of the startup playbook—and trusting his instincts instead.

From the beginning, the backend-as-a-service platform Supabase has done things a little differently. Building on Postgres instead of a proprietary engine. Putting data portability at the core of their product. Going all-in on global hiring from day one. And yes, naming themselves after a Nicki Minaj song because they thought it would make a funny meme. The meme has stuck, but Supabase has scaled. In this episode of Spotlight On, Supabase CEO and co-founder Paul Copplestone joins Accel’s Arun Mathew and Gonzalo Mocorrea to discuss how these contrarian bets have paid off, and how the platform has stayed true to its “by developers, for developers” roots. Their conversation covers: why Supabase bet early on Postgres and data portability, the difference between “playing startup” and strategy, how they manage an entirely distributed team, and how a founder’s role changes as the company grows. 

While we take a quick mid-season break, we're re-sharing some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. This week, we're revisiting our conversation with Transcend President Kate Parker. Recent developments in artificial intelligence have sparked an outcry for control over personal data. While regulators, politicians, and the business community have been thinking about how to improve data privacy, there is still much more work to do. Kate Parker, Transcend’s President, will discuss the progress in data governance, how companies can adopt and build secure AI servicese, and why it is critical to give power back to the user.Questions around data and privacy will only become more important and complex as AI evolves. Since 2017, Transcend’s privacy platform has been used by major enterprises like Robinhood and Patreon to answer questions about their data: What data do we have? Where is it going? Who has access to it? With user demand for control rising, it isn’t just about ticking a compliance box—it’s the key to a company’s survival in the future.Efforts in Europe, such as GDPR and the AI Act, along with California’s CCPA, represent tangible steps toward putting guardrails in place. On this episode of Spotlight On: AI, Kate Parker, and Vas Natarajan will discuss the latest in data governance, and share how to enhance your company’s privacy posture to keep user data safe in our AI-driven world. “Personal data within most companies goes off like a confetti gun. It gets into every SaaS system, every data warehouse. You have to pull the confetti back together and hand it back to the user. ” – Kate Parker

While we take a quick mid-season break, we're re-sharing some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. In honor of RSA later this month, we wanted to revisit some of the conversations we've had with cybersecurity leaders, starting with CrowdStrike's George Kurtz. Since its inception in 2011, CrowdStrike has had a profound impact on the security landscape. Yet, despite their wildly successful 2019 IPO, there is no finish line for CEO and Co-Founder George Kurtz. With each passing year, the company grows larger, the market opportunities expand, and the need to prevent breaches becomes even more critical. In this episode of Spotlight On, George and Accel’s Sameer Gandhi reflect on how their shared vision for a full suite of security solutions on a single platform, which kickstarted the partnership in 2013, has become a reality. As CrowdStrike approaches the 5th anniversary of its IPO, boasting a market cap of $72 billion, George reflects on the company’s enduring success. He shares his learnings as a second-time founder, detailing how he structures his investors and his board, and how his unwavering focus on solving the hard problems first continues to guide the company today.  

While we take a quick mid-season break, we're re-sharing some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. In honor of RSA later this month, we wanted to revisit some of the conversations we've had with cybersecurity leaders, starting with 1Password's Jeff Shiner. 1Password has been cash flow positive since day one, bootstrapping for 14 years before securing the largest Series A round in Accel’s history. What started as a personal project developed by two couples has grown into an identity security solution used by millions of individual consumers and their families and more than 150,000 businesses worldwide. In this episode of Spotlight On, CEO Jeff Shiner joins Accel’s Arun Mathew to discuss the company’s patient growth journey and how they balance the needs of vastly different customers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.This conversation offers an open look into Jeff’s learnings over the last decade as CEO. Jeff joined 1Password early on when the company reached 20 employees to lead its next phase of growth. Under Jeff’s leadership, the team has scaled to over 1,200 employees and tactfully evolved their platform from a consumer mobile app to a comprehensive identity security solution for businesses of all sizes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of purpose behind every funding decision, his vision for the future of identity security, and the impact of AI on it all.

Corelight’s story is unlike that of any other successful growth-stage network detection company. Founded by academics, it now counts all six branches of the U.S. military, and some of the world’s largest banks and utilities companies as customers. And then there’s the fact that it started off as an open-source tool, a rarity in cybersecurity. All of this could have made stepping in as CEO a difficult job. But CEO Brian Dye has evolved and successfully scaled Corelight while thoughtfully maintaining the company culture that attracted him in the first place. In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel Partner Eric Wolford talks to him about how he did it and what he’s learned along the way. Their conversation covers: the questions to ask yourself when you’re considering if you should be a CEO, why a good segmentation strategy is essential to scale, how to structure a culture of experimentation, and how to scale yourself as a leader alongside your company.  

In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Christine Esserman sits down with Merrill Lutsky, co-founder and CEO of Graphite, to discuss how his company is redefining code review for the AI era. Merrill shares how he and his co-founders have fostered an unconventional yet deeply effective approach to building trust through weekly Monday dinners and co-founder “therapy” sessions. They discuss the unique challenges of building a developer tools platform inspired by Meta’s engineering culture and how Graphite’s AI-powered code review companion, Diamond, enables teams to work smarter and faster.From navigating pivots to scaling a fast-growing AI startup headquartered in New York City, Merrill offers insights into the messy, exhilarating process of building a company that’s reshaping how developers collaborate in the age of AI.

In the past two decades, the number of software tools the B2B buyer can shop between has exploded. While that abundance has made it more likely that a buyer can find a tool that solves their problem, it also complicates the buying journey. Discovering and vetting the right tools is a job in and of itself. Godard Abel founded G2 to simplify that process. He knew firsthand from his experience founding five previous startups that a “Yelp for software” was desperately needed. Building a company and brand as big as G2 hasn’t always been straightforward, though (just ask Godard about when they launched and had just three site visitors). In this episode of Spotlight On, Godard sits down with Accel’s Arun Mathew to share his journey to founding G2, what he’s learned about building brands and teams, and how AI is changing the buying journey completely. Conversation Highlights: 0:00 – How Godard’s journey as a six-time founder shaped his vision for G26:45 – Deciding to scale or aim for a strategic exit8:45 – Building the Amazon storefront for B2B software11:59 – The early days of G2: from no traffic to product-market fit19:00 – Building a brand by enriching the startup ecosystem 21:01 – Why you shouldn’t hire a sales team too early 24:35 – The advantages of building a Chicago-first startup 27:45 – How AI is changing the B2B buyer journey 

Think about how you learned your native language: trying out words, listening to your parents, speaking small fragments, until one day you were talking. Now, think about how you were taught languages in school – the grammar, the emphasis on writing and reading first – and it becomes clear why so few students achieve fluency in a second language. Enter Speak. The language learning app uses conversational AI to replicate the experience of practicing a new language with a native speaker. It’s an incredibly savvy application of AI achieving remarkable results: just this past year, over 10 million people downloaded the app and took lessons. This isn’t a fluke. On this episode of Spotlight On, Speak CEO Connor Zwick shares how an early start building apps – which all began with a chance airport encounter – and a 10-year-old thesis on the progression of intelligence inspired him to find the best application for the new technology systematically. He also shares many surprising ways he and his co-founder have chosen to build Speak, including why they launched first in Korea and how they plan to grow into the U.S.Conversational highlights: 0:00 – Connor’s founder career begins with a serendipitous encounter at the Milwaukee airport6:24 – How Connor and his co-founder developed a clear conviction that deep intelligence would be able to teach people a new language – in 201511:12 – The origins of Speak: from speech recognition to learning flywheel 16:39 – Why Connor and his co-founder decided to launch Speak in Korea first 19:12 – How to think strategically about geography when selecting a market 20:55 – Most people have good startup ideas; it’s conviction that matters22:45 – Lessons on getting to product-market fit 27:30 – Speak’s strategy for growing into new markets of both geographies and users32:37 – Connor on building successful consumer AI: “Productizing consumer AI is super hard.” 38:24 – How people actually learn languages vs the way we’re taught languages 41:10 – “You can’t outsource a core competency of your company.”

Nebius is unique among companies that call themselves startups. As it currently exists, is less than a year old; it’s also listed on NASDAQ as a publicly traded company with billions in cash on the balance sheet. Its hundreds of engineers have worked together for years building out digital infrastructure, but have been rapidly redeployed to focus on what founder Arkady Volozh has determined is the next generational opportunity: the cloud infrastructure needed to drive the AI transformation. Accel’s Matt Weigand sat down with CEO Arkady Volozh to talk about the journey to Nebius and what’s to come for the prolific founder. Arkady’s story is remarkable: he spent nearly three decades building his former company Yandex into the “Google of Russia” – valued at $30 billion at its peak – before divesting the company’s Russian assets and pivoting the remaining company into AI infrastructure. On this episode of Spotlight On, he also shares lessons on building teams, infrastructure, and across markets relevant for leaders at all stages. 0:00 – The journey from Yandex to Nebius 9:27  – How Arkady pivoted people, operations, and capital into the AI infrastructure market 12:30 – Nebius’s surprise NASDAQ re-listing 14:20 – The secret to building infrastructure: technology and capital 16:28 – How Nebius is prioritizing markets 19:17 – Why Arkady starts with the team rather than product 21:40 – Nebius’s product portfolio strategy28:36 – The best thing Arkady’s read recently to understand where AI is going 

One thing we like about working with repeat founders is that they’re decisive about how they do and do not want to build their company. Take Avery Pennarun, CEO of Tailscale. Even before he knew what Tailscale would be, he knew he wanted to: build products as simply as possible, avoid selling software only at the enterprise level, focus on winning small segments before expanding, and not waste time “innovating” executive team structure. Clearly, it’s working: the company is redefining the network security category, and recently hit 10,000 paid customers after doubling its customer base in 10 months. Listening to Amit Kumar’s conversation with Avery is like taking a crash course on how to build a successful tech company – give it a listen and let us know if you agree.  Conversation highlights: 0:00 – Avery’s background and how Tailscale was born by solving a customer’s problem 5:50 – The decision to sell directly to developers versus at the enterprise level8:55 – “Listen to people, and give them what they want.”10:22 – Why Tailscale’s made building simply a guiding principle14:40 – Avery’s philosophy on failing quickly and cheaply 18:38 – How Tailscale’s adapting to the different ways customers use their products 21:46 – Building a growth strategy based on doing and winning at small things 26:00 – Winning the market with a bottoms-up approach 30:28 – Why it’s time to fix the internet  33:50 – What Avery’s learned about hiring the right executive team Related reading: How our free plan stays freeThe Future of Private Networks: Our Series A in TailscaleCrossing the Chasm, by Geoffrey A. Moore 

How do you win in a market where everyone’s building at the same time? According to Decagon Co-founder and CEO Jesse Zhang, it’s all about focus and pace. We’re willing to take his word for it: in just two years, he and his team have built a leader in the enterprise agentic AI market, with a valuation of $650 million and already trusted by customers like Notion, Webflow, Substack, and Duolingo. In this conversation with Accel partner (and Jesse’s former Niantic colleague) Ivan Zhou, Jesse shares how they’ve focused relentlessly on customer needs, the differences between B2B and B2C founders, and why he thinks general AI agents don’t work. Conversation highlights:  00:00 – Ivan loses a bet to Jesse03:20 – The difference between building a consumer and B2B company05:24 – How Jesse knew it was the time to jump and start Decagon8:30 – How to recognize signal during customer discovery to inform product direction14:30 – What Jesse’s learned about winning in a space as hot as AI-native enterprise applications 19:00 – How AI is transforming customer support into a strategy driver 24:20 – Why scaling frameworks – for teams and products – can be a distraction 31:28 – Demonstrating efficient, quantifiable time-to-value as a lever for enterprise sales 

If you’ve ever been to a Laracon, you’d be mistaken for thinking you’d just walked into a music festival, not a PHP framework conference. Taylor Otwell founded Laravel in his native Little Rock, Arkansas, and has spent most of the past 14 years bootstrapping a company known for building exceptional product experiences alongside a community of over 1 million people. On this episode of Spotlight On, Taylor joins Accel’s Miles Clements to discuss building outside of Silicon Valley, why software is an excellent vehicle for viral community growth, and why he ultimately decided to take on investment. Conversation Highlights: 00:00 – The beginnings of Laravel03:24 – On choosing to bootstrap and build a company outside of Silicon Valley7:59 – Navigating the tension between open source and commercialization 11:50 – How Taylor’s definition of “selling out his community” changed 14:27 – What’s changed since Taylor took on fundraising after 13 years of bootstrapping17:29 – What it takes to go from programmer to CEO 20:56 – Taylor’s secrets to scaling (and keeping a four-meeting week) 23:31 – How Laravel’s kept its DNA while doubling in a year  29:50 – How Taylor built a 1 million+ strong community around a PHP frameworkMentioned in this episode: Our Series A Investment in Laravel: The Future of ShippingHow Sentry's David Cramer Turned an Open Source Side Project into a $3B BusinessCheck out Taylor’s artifact: The Founder of Laravel on Centering Mission and Users During Growth Featured: Taylor Otwell, CEO and Founder of Laravel and Miles Clements, Partner at Accel 

Welcome back to Season 3 of Spotlight On! This season, we’re digging into the parts of founding and building companies that people don’t often see: the firsts, the crucible moments, and the key decision points that come after that initial founding phase. Great companies are built one decision at a time, so we’re asking the people doing the building: How do you make the decisions that matter? What are the tradeoffs? And would you do it the same way again? We start this season with Joel Flory, the co-founder and chairman of Visual Supply Company (VSCO). When Joel and his founders launched VSCO, no serious creators took mobile photography seriously. 14 years later, he’s steered the company through innumerable technology shifts to build VSCO into a generational business. In this episode, we talk about how the business of creativity online has changed, the make-or-break moment that happens as you start to scale (and how to navigate it), how to select investors and leadership teams, and how to treat your company as something bigger than you are. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – How VSCO emerged out of Joel’s own need as a wedding photographer 07:50 – When to adapt to customer feedback – and when to stay the course12:08 – How VSCO capitalized on the dawn of mobile photography 16:07 – The types of brands that stand the test of time16:24 – Joel’s three guiding principles for selecting an investor21:27 – Before you scale, you need to align on what your definitions of success are26:18 – How VSCO navigated the transition from startup to scale-up 32:40 – How to hire a leadership team that’s ready to scale36:24 – Creating a generational business means being able to walk away43:29 – What Gen AI changes about the business of creativity, and what it doesn’t Featured: Joel Flory, Co-Founder and Chairman of VSCO and Vas Natarajan, Partner at Accel

Welcome to Season 3 of Spotlight On: a podcast about how companies are built, from the people doing the building.When we talk about startups, we talk a lot about the big milestones: founding, funding, and going public. We talk less about what happens in between: the firsts, the mistakes, and the messy, exhilarating decisions the people building these companies have to make every day. This is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes to hear from founders and builders about what they did, what they learned… and what they’ll never do again. Subscribe to get a new episode every Tuesday.

David Cramer, co-founder and CPO of Sentry, joins host Dan Levine to share the unconventional journey of turning an Open Source side project into a $100 million ARR business now valued at over $3 billion.  From his early days as a teenage gamer to becoming a key player in the Django community, David recounts how a simple error-logging tool evolved into an essential platform used by over 100,000 organizations worldwide. In this conversation, David also discusses the Open Source Pledge. Recognizing the critical need to support Open Source maintainers, this timely initiative from Sentry and others aims to create a sustainable funding model for Open Source, encouraging companies to support the often invisible labor powering modern software development. 2:04 His path from Midwest fast food worker to self-taught programmer 07:09: The origins of Sentry as "djanjo-db-log" and its evolution through various tech companies 10:41: Why design was a priority for an Open Source project, even 15 years ago 11:34: The decision to bootstrap and accidentally start a business through Heroku add-ons 12:34: Balancing a day job at Dropbox with the growing demands of Sentry 15:18: The competitive drive that led to raising venture capital and expanding beyond Django 16:27: Sentry's mission to be used by every developer and its unique approach to building a business 17:34: How maintaining an Open Source ethos drove Sentry's growth 21:14 Spearheading the Open Source Pledge to address fair compensation for maintainers Whether you're an aspiring founder, Open Source contributor, or just curious about the intersection of community-driven software and commercial success, this conversation offers valuable insights into building a developer-focused company with a foundation in Open Source. Featured: David Cramer, CPO and Co-founder of Sentry; Dan Levine, Host Learn more about Accel’s relationship with Sentry:  Why Accel is Supporting the Open Source Pledge Helping Developers See and Solve Quicker: Our Enduring Partnership with Sentry Our Series D in Sentry Our Series E in Sentry Our Continued Support of Sentry The Future of Open Source: Launching the Open100

Most Y Combinator graduates and Forbes’ Top 50 AI companies use Linear’s project management suite to build their software. It's no accident that this purpose-built tool is beloved by engineers for its quality and ease of use. But, the company’s path to success hasn’t followed the same hyper-growth playbook its founders experienced in their previous roles at Airbnb, Uber, and Coinbase—and that’s entirely by design. In this bonus episode of Spotlight On Season 2, Karri Saarinen, CEO and Co-founder of Linear, joins host Miles Clements to share the unique principles that have fueled the company's rise. Karri shares why prioritizing quality doesn’t mean perfectionism, how to raise funding when you don’t need cash, how Linear disrupted an existing category and continues to grow through a relentless focus on end-user needs, what most product teams get wrong about intuition, why he thinks scaling should be about building the highest functioning team instead of the biggest organization—and how his hiring strategy reflects that belief.  Whether you’re a first-time founder, an established executive, or just care about building great products, we’re sure you’ll find some inspiration from our conversation with Karri.  Conversation Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction to Linear's vision and purpose 01:17 – The importance of simple strategies executed well 03:00 – Most project management tools are built for the wrong end user 05:20 – Why achieving profitability and fundraising are both a part of Linear’s strategy 09:50 – The 'Linear way' and what product teams get wrong about intuition 19:04 – To achieve both speed and quality, abandon perfectionism 22:37 – Allowing customer feedback to guide product design roadmaps 28:15 – The role of taste in hiring practices and team culture 31:27 – Three practices for hiring only high-performers 37: 30 – Thinking about scale as a function of performance instead of size  42:37  – What’s next for Linear  Featured: Karri Saarinen, CEO and Co-founder of Linear; Miles Clements, Host

1Password has been cash flow positive since day one, bootstrapping for 14 years before securing the largest Series A round in Accel’s history. What started as a personal project developed by two couples has grown into an identity security solution used by millions of individual consumers and their families and more than 150,000 businesses worldwide. In this episode of Spotlight On, CEO Jeff Shiner joins Accel’s Arun Mathew to discuss the company’s patient growth journey and how they balance the needs of vastly different customers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. This conversation offers an open look into Jeff’s learnings over the last decade as CEO. Jeff joined 1Password early on when the company reached 20 employees to lead its next phase of growth. Under Jeff’s leadership, the team has scaled to over 1,200 employees and tactfully evolved their platform from a consumer mobile app to a comprehensive identity security solution for businesses of all sizes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of purpose behind every funding decision, his vision for the future of identity security, and the impact of AI on it all. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – The founding of 1Password by two families 18 years ago 03:30 – The strategic shift from a consumer app to a B2B platform in response to changes in the SaaS and security landscapes 06:58 – Bootstrapping and the pivotal role of venture capital in attracting world-class talent 10:22 – Jeff’s journey to becoming CEO and the evolving role of the founder 29:15 – Insights on scaling and leading a remote-first, global team 31:55 – How 1Password has incorporated AI into its products, and its role in the future  36:20 – The impact and importance of leadership on company culture Featured: Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password and Arun Mathew, Partner at Accel

Today, Marc Lore is synonymous with eCommerce. He is known for translating his bold visions into trailblazing companies like Diapers.com and Jet.com. As a serial entrepreneur, there are consistencies in Marc’s companies: they were born out of his own needs and focused on how we consume goods. But perhaps most notably – they are ideas so daring that some would call him crazy.   His latest endeavor, Wonder, is no different.  In this episode of Spotlight On, Marc joins Accel’s Sameer Gandhi to reflect on their long-standing partnership and Marc’s bold yet methodical approach to company growth. They unpack Marc’s vision for Wonder to become an AI-powered personal chef and, along the way, share lessons for new and seasoned founders on stage-by-stage growth, scaling a team, and building investor trust. The conversation offers an open look into Marc’s ambition and unshakable belief in the importance of founder naïveté when challenging new markets that nobody believed could be disrupted before. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Recounting Marc’s and Sameer’s partnership over the years 04:00 – Marc’s early interest in entrepreneurship and atypical first investor 09:16 – Strategies for doubling the valuation of companies at each round  12:11 – Advice for new entrepreneurs on the power of naïveté 14:43 – How Diapers.com transformed e-commerce by redefining customer expectations 24:12 – Overview of Wonder and how it is redesigning the food supply chain 30:59 - Marc’s rubric for growth and the necessity of capital burn 35:10 – How Marc’s approach to interviewing and building a team has evolved 45:50 – Marc’s reflection on how to gain an advantage in the early days of your career Featured: Marc Lore, CEO of Wonder, and Sameer Gandhi, Partner at Accel

With any new technology, malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities and create uncertainty. But there are tools investigators, regulators, and cybersecurity professionals can use to fight back. In this episode, Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence, shares how to mitigate risks and build trust in emerging spaces, drawing from her work across the cryptocurrency and blockchain landscape. Since Chainalysis launched in 2014, the platform has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases and safely expand consumer access to cryptocurrency. Jackie joined Chainalysis in 2019 after serving as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, she reflects on the crucial role Chainalysis plays in enhancing blockchain safety and ensuring its viability. She also offers valuable advice on how early-stage startups and leaders can stay informed in the rapidly evolving tech ecosystem, and how they can think about implementing their own systems. The episode also explores the challenges new technologies like AI face from malicious actors, the importance of effective collaboration between technology and government agencies, and the steps needed to stabilize the crypto industry long-term. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Introduction to Chainalysis  05:30 – Why Chainalysis is working with government agencies to fight bad actors  14:00 – How the blockchain threat landscape is evolving with AI 16:30 – The role of education in rising crypto threats, like pig butchering 29:10 – Advice for staying up to date on the rapidly evolving technology ecosystem 31:34 – Building a Cyber Threat Intelligence team; Jackie’s role Featured: Jackie Burns Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis and Amit Kumar, Partner at Accel

In 2012, Netskope CEO and Founder Sanjay Beri was convinced that the security industry was on the brink of a massive transformation. Through countless conversations with CEOs, CIOs, and CISOs, he identified a significant shift towards the cloud, presenting a unique opportunity to redefine data network security for this new era. Thus, Netskope was born, starting small but with grand ambitions. Netskope’s early days exemplify the power of a clear vision and controlled growth. They began with specific SaaS products and steadily expanded into a comprehensive platform. Today, Netskope serves over 3,400 customers, tens of millions of users, including over 30 of the Fortune 100. In this episode, Sanjay shares insights into their steady strategy, intentional fundraising, and evolution into an industry-leading security platform. He also reflects on over a decade of leadership and people management, offering valuable lessons about team evolution as the company scales. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Sanjay’s background at Juniper Networks and interest in entrepreneurship 03:23 – The reasons behind Netskope’s early focus on SaaS products 04:14 – How Netskope approached fundraising with a focus on relationships and differentiation 11:00 – Netskope’s shift from products to platform 15:30 – Learnings from over a decade of leadership and people management 25:00 – A new approach to startup innovation; from product to GTM to marketing 27:10 – Why Netskope incorporated AI into their platform from the early days 35:00 – Reflections on how the ecosystem has evolved since 2012

Alex Bovee sees three critical ingredients to building a high-growth startup: a founding team with innate grit for entrepreneurship, a good idea, and great timing. ConductorOne has all three. In this episode of Spotlight On, Alex shares his founding journey and encourages entrepreneurs to focus on building unique solutions that address unmet market needs. ConductorOne is an access control solution that helps companies secure identity across their cloud and on-premises apps and infrastructure. In 2020, Alex joined Accel as an Entrepreneur in Residence (and was our first virtual EIR, for obvious reasons) before we partnered for their Seed later that year. The episode covers the founding story, identity market, ConductorOne’s unique approach to building a company out of Portland, Oregon, and the advantages of getting a startup team together in the same room. Alex also discusses the challenges faced during the early iteration phases, the importance of timing, and the inspiration that can be found in competing against large incumbents. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Alex’s background and early interest in entrepreneurship 04:51 – Identifying current gaps in the access control experience 07:44 – Complementary skillsets that make startup founders successful 08:50 – Transitioning from COVID to an in-person culture in Portland, Oregon 17:00 – Early iteration phase challenges 19:00 – Finding inspiration as an underdog competing against large incumbents 25:18 – Takeaways from RSA 2024 and the biggest trends in security, AI, and identity

In 2018, Barr Moses was looking to start a company but wasn't sure which idea to pursue. She decided to work on three different startup ideas in parallel to see which one gained the most traction with customers. One of those ideas was Monte Carlo, a solution to address the challenges around data reliability that Barr had experienced throughout her career— dealing with broken data products, wasted time, lost trust, and firefighting data quality issues. As Barr met with potential customers, it became clear that there was significant demand from technical leaders grappling with the consequences of data downtime across their organizations.  Today, Monte Carlo has successfully created a new category and firmly established itself as the end-to-end data observability platform for companies like Cisco, Fox, American Airlines, and more. Now, in the era of AI, the role of data quality has never been more critical.  In this episode of Spotlight On, Barr and Accel’s Steve Loughlin reflect on Monte Carlo’s unique origin story, explain “Hell Yeah Moments” as a company success metric, and dig into why they chose speed, focus, and customer impact as core values. Barr also peels the curtain back on why she decided to launch the company alongside an entirely new category—Data Observability—and the grit and determination it takes to build and sell a product that’s never been built or sold before. There’s no playbook for that, but Monte Carlo created its own. Conversation Highlights: 00:00: Monte Carlo’s origin story 3:54: How Barr discovered the idea of “data downtime,” which became the foundation for Monte Carlo and validated customer demand 7:19: Successfully raising Monte Carlo’s seed round and acquiring its first customers—despite a lackluster slide deck 10:31: The team’s maniacal focus on making just one customer happy and how that informs PMF 12:00: “Hell yeah” moments as a metric to measure customer success 13:40: What are the signals to move from a freemium to a paid product? 15:58: How Barr’s leadership style has evolved as the company has scaled 18:26: Why competition in a new category is a good thing 22:48: What it’s like building and selling a product that’s never been built before, and how Barr screens for “risk-takers”  29:46: The future of the Data Observability category and the crucial role that quality data will play in enabling safe and accurate generative AI 33:10: The most rewarding part of Barr’s entrepreneurial journey thus far Featured: Barr Moses, Co-Founder and CEO at Monte Carlo, and Steve Loughlin, Partner at Accel. Learn more about Accel’s relationship with Monte Carlo: Launching the Data Reliability Category with Monte Carlo Secrets to Scaling with Monte Carlo’s Barr Moses

In a landscape dominated by incumbent players, Gamma takes a bold approach: instead of trying to be better than the existing players, they aim to be an entirely different tech company. They've reimagined the very essence of presentation tools and the creative possibilities they offer. In this episode of Spotlight On, Gamma’s Co-Founder, Jon Noronha, delves into the team’s journey, from an early acquisition at a former startup to somewhat coincidentally building a product that dovetails perfectly with AI. He also unpacks the challenges and opportunities early-stage companies face navigating today’s landscape. While still in the early innings, Gamma’s journey underscores the importance of staying nimble and ahead of the curve. They’ve learned to anticipate and adapt to advancements in AI models and how to prevent the common (yet often surprising!) misuse of artificial intelligence products. On the heels of their Series A round, the discussion offers advice for early-stage startup founders on overcoming hurdles in aligning a product with market needs, fundraising in different economic climates, and more. Conversation Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction to Gamma 03:10 - The foundations Gamma had in place to take advantage of the AI wave 08:42 - Structuring early-stage teams to leverage AI UX designers 14:31 - Outpacing powerful incumbents by embracing uniqueness to earn market share 23:02 - Building an AI company with customer data sensitivity in mind 30:02 - Overcoming challenges of fundraising during boom times 32:08 - Reflecting on the importance of a lean early-stage team Featured: Jon Noronha, Co-Founder at Gamma, and Vas Natarajan, Partner at Accel

Since joining forces in 2019 to tackle the complexities of global employment, founders Marcelo Lebre and Job van der Voort navigated their startup, Remote, and its customers through a series of challenges: a global pandemic, the rapid emergence of distributed workforces, and subsequent economic volatility. In this episode of Spotlight On, Marcelo and Accel’s Miles Clements discuss the effectiveness of global remote team structures despite obstacles. Marcelo has taken no shortcuts in understanding the nuances that come with operating a distributed workforce himself, operating Remote’s $3B business with a team in 75+ countries worldwide. This episode provides essential insights for founders on the importance of deeply understanding the problems they aim to solve and, of course, presents a convincing argument for the sustainability of remote work. As debates continue around the effectiveness of remote work, and its pros and cons, Marcelo and his team focus on helping others consider the benefits of a well-considered, long-term strategy for supporting durable, globally distributed teams. Conversation Highlights:  00:00 - Introduction to Marcelo Lebre and Remote 02:46 - Discovering early challenges in hiring global, distributed teams 07:09 - Lessons from scaling a startup like Remote during the uncertainty of COVID-19 12:29 - Data that supports the enduring trend of a global, distributed workforce 15:26 - Economic advantages of hiring talent globally 18:13 - Advantages of building a full-stack product in a competitive market 24:10 - Remote’s thoughtful, methodical approach to understanding global markets  Featured: Marcelo Lebre, Co-Founder at Remote, and Miles Clements, Partner at Accel

No founder's journey is a straight line. In the throes of ups and downs, having guidance from someone who understands your experience can be invaluable. In this special episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Amit Kumar and Ivan Zhou discuss their shared founder journeys and transition into VC, and dive into how they worked together to steer Ivan’s startup, Mayhem, through its most challenging times. Mayhem (formerly Visor) was a social gaming platform that joined Accel Family in 2018 and was acquired by Niantic in 2021. In April, Ivan joined Accel as an early-stage partner, mirroring Amit’s founder-partner journey. Their discussion explores the resilience needed to navigate turbulent times, a central theme in their founder experiences. This episode unpacks some of the most critical qualities of early-stage founders and operators – the determination to solve real problems, the importance of establishing strong foundations, and the willingness to rethink strategies when things don’t go according to plan. Conversation highlights:  00:00 - Ivan’s background and first startup attempt 04:44 - Uncovering the problem and passion that would inspire Mayhem  07:25 - What Ivan and Amit were looking for in an early-stage VC partnership 11:40 - The importance of building a company around a problem, not a category 18:09 - Lessons learned in a pivotal moment when Mayhem nearly failed 21:16 - How adversity as a founder helped both Amit and Ivan become better partners 30:50 - Ivan’s discovery of his passion for supporting other founders 39:17 - The core verticals and traits Ivan is looking for in future founders Featured: Ivan Zhou and Amit Kumar, Partners at Accel

Since its inception in 2011, CrowdStrike has had a profound impact on the security landscape. Yet, despite their wildly successful 2019 IPO, there is no finish line for CEO and Co-Founder George Kurtz. With each passing year, the company grows larger, the market opportunities expand, and the need to prevent breaches becomes even more critical.  In this episode of Spotlight On, George and Accel’s Sameer Gandhi reflect on how their shared vision for a full suite of security solutions on a single platform, which kickstarted the partnership in 2013, has become a reality. As CrowdStrike approaches the 5th anniversary of its IPO, boasting a market cap of $72 billion, George reflects on the company’s enduring success. He shares his learnings as a second-time founder, detailing how he structures his investors and his board, and how his unwavering focus on solving the hard problems first continues to guide the company today.   Conversation highlights:  00:00 - Recounting the first meeting between George and Accel, which, against all odds, kickstarted a successful partnership  11:34 - How George held onto conviction for an unconventional approach to security  16:41 - Advice for founders operating in highly competitive landscapes 30:19 - Building an effective board of directors  33:00 - The importance of retaining the agility of a startup, even as a scaled business 38:01 - Parallels between racing and leading a business: time, data, team, and detail 44:40 - Considerations for the impact of AI and dark LLMs across the security landscape 51:05 - How George reinforced his commitment to customers post-IPO Featured: George Kurtz, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of CrowdStrike, and Sameer Gandhi, Partner at Accel

In 2018, Sysdig made two critical decisions: pivoting its focus entirely to cloud security and welcoming Suresh Vasudevan as its new CEO. In this episode of Spotlight On, Suresh shares insights from his journey and unveils the bold decisions that have transformed Sysdig into a leading cloud security company. Suresh has learned the key to a successful CEO transition is shared decision-making. Over the years, he built a highly collaborative and disciplined team, encouraging them to stay focused on their strategy and core areas of strength regardless of what their competitors are doing. It is all part of maintaining a "challenger mindset," and it has steered the company through periods of change and helped it thrive despite a fiercely competitive tech landscape. Conversation highlights:  00:00 – Intro to Sysdig and Suresh’s background 03:59 – How a new CEO can build trust through shared decision-making 07:48 – Sysdig's pivot from observability to security: risks & strategic decisions 11:49 – How to challenge competition effectively through customer validation 14:10 – Navigating common pitfalls when building an open-source community 17:53 – The importance of building a team strong enough to withstand executive change 22:26 – How AI will transform the cloud security user experience  Featured: Suresh Vasudevan, CEO of Sysdig, and Ping Li, Partner at Accel accel.com/spotlight-on/sysdig-suresh-vasudevan

Building an AI-powered startup today presents distinct challenges: a lingering hype cycle, steep competition, endless customer education, and rapidly evolving technical capabilities. In this episode of Spotlight On, Syrup’s James Theuerkauf shares advice for early-stage founders navigating this inflection point. He discusses building an AI product that cuts through the noise and adds value, the advantages of building a distributed, global team, and how to stay focused on what matters in a market full of distractions.  The episode also offers a look into the evolving retail landscape. Syrup's AI helps retail leaders like Faherty, Desigual, and Reformation optimize inventory, their most precious and expensive asset. Getting the right product, in the right location, at the right time is an age-old challenge, but today, it is precisely the type of problem AI can solve.  Conversation highlights: 00:00 – James’ background and Syrup’s founding story  01:44 – How technology can solve the complex merchandising problems brands face 06:57 – The environmental impact of wasted garments, how AI presents solutions 10:05 – Roadblocks to AI adoption among brands and common customer concerns 18:27 – Advice for startups building a global, distributed product and team 26:17 – How early-stage companies can cut through the noise and fundraise thoughtfully Featured: Sara Ittelson, Partner at Accel and James Theuerkauf, CEO and Founder of Syrup

Webflow provides a way to design, build, and launch powerful websites visually without writing code. In this episode, Vlad Magdalin shares his inspiration for the product, tracing the story back from his early passion for computer science and 3D animation to the very moment he recognized a market need for intuitive, visual web design tools. He provides an open look into the company-building challenges his team faced during the early days, and how it helped build resilience in the years that followed. Today, Webflow is a successful startup that supports a vibrant community of over 3.5 million users worldwide. Vlad shares his advice for other founders that he wishes he’d known at the start of his journey: to approach investors with boldness about your vision and values, think systematically around monetization, invest time training leaders, and more. Conversation highlights:  00:00 – Vlad’s background and Webflow’s founding story 02:53 – How fundraising challenges turned Webflow into a resilient business 09:22 – The importance of setting expectations and values alignment with VCs 20:00 – Ways the CEO role and business changed in the first year after fundraising 22:31 – Lessons Vlad wishes he had known at the start of his entrepreneurial journey  30:50 – Webflow’s approach to training AI models with respect for creators Featured: Vlad Magdalin, CEO and Co-Founder at Webflow, Arun Mathew, Partner at Accel 

When Klaviyo became a public company in 2023, we celebrated a moment over a decade in the making. In this episode of Spotlight On, Andrew Bialecki shares learnings from Klaviyo’s unique growth story, from the diligence that came from bootstrapping to the 'unfair advantage' gained by scaling a startup outside a typical tech hub.  Klaviyo is an intelligent marketing automation platform. Under Andrew’s leadership, Klaviyo has grown to support over 143,000 brands. The discussion covers how a startup changes during various stages of growth and offers an open look into the evolving nature of the CEO role—from the earliest stages to operating as a public company.  Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Background and Klaviyo’s founding story 06:03 – Reflecting on the hustle it took to gain early customers 10:27 – Challenges & benefits of bootstrapping, what Andrew would do differently today 18:36 – Launching in Boston and learnings for startups building outside of a tech hub 22:47 – Building enduring partnerships like Klaviyo x Shopify 27:20 – How Klaviyo stays ahead by being a customer of their own products. 32:54 – Benchmarks Andrew looked for during the pre-IPO journey 35:53 – Klaviyo AI, and the impact Andrew sees from the technology in the future 41:00 – Advice for the challenges a founder faces as their roles change and evolve Featured: Andrew Bialecki, CEO and Co-Founder of Klaviyo and Ping Li, Partner at Accel Learn more: accel.com/spotlight-on/episodes/klaviyo-andrew-bialecki

Spotlight On examines the technology shaping our world through conversations with the people building it. This season, established and rising leaders across both private and public sectors discuss the challenges and opportunities of building companies in today’s rapidly changing technology landscape. Learn more at at Accel.com/SpotlightOn.

AI is considered to be one of today’s most significant inflection points — but is the enthusiasm warranted, or is it mere hype? In this episode of Spotlight On: AI, Accel partners delve into the state of the market and what comes next, drawing on the insights and predictions about artificial intelligence shared throughout this season. During the season, we interviewed 12 leaders applying AI in all parts of the ecosystem. They have enabled new industries and profoundly influenced productivity, creativity, and the global economy. Several founders of AI-native companies we spoke to, such as AssemblyAI, Ironclad, Scale and Synthesia, embarked on their AI journey years before the current cycle. They were the crazy ones, the early visionaries, the risk-takers, who patiently built early AI products. The Accel team reflects on their foresight and early approach and contrasts it with how new players navigate the space—listening to customer needs and meeting the moment quickly and creatively. “A world where I can just speak what I want to see and have it created feels so much closer than it ever has before.” – Sara Ittelson, Partner at Accel Regardless of the approach, every company must rise to the challenges of adapting to a rapidly evolving landscape. As a firm in our 40th year, we’ve seen many transformative, market-defining technology companies. in this episode, Accel’s Sara Ittelson, Casey Aylward, and Vas Natarajan discuss what’s next. Conversation highlights: 00:00 - Intro and season recap 00:53 - Lessons from early AI founders 01:58 - Distinguishing "hype" vs. real AI impact and innovation 04:54 - Future changes in emerging AI tech and market impact 05:31 - Surprising pace in the AI ecosystem 08:55 - AI wave parallels with mobile and cloud waves 11:09 - Global enthusiasm about AI and its impact on discovery pace 17:15 - Criteria for successful AI companies is vision and team insight 22:06 - Shifts in startups and venture investing 24:43 - Season 2 preview – Spotlight On: Security Featured: Vas Natarajan, Partner at Accel, Casey Aylward, Partner at Accel, Sara Ittelson, Partner at Accel Learn more: accel.com/spotlighton/ai-predictions-insights