Ignite Startups: Startup Lessons in Intuition and Core Competencies from Dave Hersh | Ep66

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital, Tech, Future, and Society

In this episode of the Ignite podcast, host Brian Bell welcomes Dave Hersh, an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and author, who shares insights from his varied career and his new book, "Reignition." The conversation starts with Dave recounting his experience as CEO of Jive Software, a company he co-founded on September 11, 2001. Despite the challenging beginnings, Dave navigated Jive through bootstrapping and significant growth, eventually raising venture capital to transform the company. However, his journey was marked by learning the pitfalls of scaling too fast and the importance of maintaining focus on a company's core strengths. Dave discusses the inefficiencies and problems within the venture capital model, noting how the industry often overlooks promising companies that could have thrived with a different approach. He emphasizes the importance of understanding a business's core and not overstretching. The episode delves into how founders sometimes perpetuate a form of "theater" to raise money and how this can lead to unrealistic expectations and unsustainable growth. Dave also shares the story of DocSend, a company that successfully refocused on its core strengths, resulting in substantial growth and a lucrative acquisition by Dropbox. The discussion shifts to how founders can avoid getting stuck in what Dave calls "eddies" or strategic pitfalls, by following their intuition, understanding their core competencies, and avoiding the allure of premature scaling. He highlights the significance of emotional fluidity and internal transformation in achieving external success. The conversation also touches on the future of competitive advantage, with Dave suggesting that understanding humans and building empathetic companies will be crucial in a world increasingly dominated by AI. In the rapid-fire segment, Dave shares advice for his 20-year-old self, emphasizing the importance of intuition, and discusses how storytelling plays a crucial role in business. He admires leaders like Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia for their strong values and dedication to a bigger mission. The episode closes with Dave's perspective on the future of business and his desire to be a storyteller who helps make capitalism work better.

• Chapters: Introduction and Guest Introduction (00:01–01:30)
• Dave Hersh's Background (01:31 - 05:30)
• Starting Jive on September 11, 2001 (05:31 - 09:00)
• The Shift to Enterprise (09:01 - 13:00)|
• The Venture Capital Model (13:01 - 19:00)
• Core Competencies and Intuition (19:01–26:00)
• Scaling and Market Pull (26:01 - 34:00)
• Emotional Fluidity in Leadership (34:01 - 38:00)
• The Future of Business (38:01 - 44:00)
• Rapid Fire Questions and Conclusion (44:01 - 49:00)