The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

20VC: Robinhood's Vlad Tenev on Founder Mode | Building 8x $100M Revenue Lines | Lessons from Raising $5BN and the Gamestop Saga | The Future of Artificial Intelligence, Wealth Management and Home Ownership

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Episode notes

Vlad Tenev is a Co-Founder and CEO of Robinhood, the commission free stock trading and investing app with a market cap today of $20.7BN. Over the incredible 11 year journey Vlad has raised over $5BN from some of the world’s best investors including Sequoia, a16z, DST, Ribbit and Index. Before Robinhood, Vlad started two finance companies in New York City. 

In Today’s Episode with Vlad Tenev We Discuss: 

1. Surviving a Scandal: The Gamestop Saga:

• What was the single hardest element of the sage for Vlad?

• What did the sage teach Vlad about how to tell stories effectively?

• What did Vlad not do in the period that he wishes he had of done?

• What did he do that he wishes he had not done?

• What advice does Vlad have for any founder going into a crisis?

2. Founder Mode and The Biggest BS Myths of Leadership:

• How does Vlad analyse and assess Paul Graham’s “Founder Mode”?

• Where is Founder mode right? Where is it dangerous?

• What canonical leadership statements and lessons does Vlad most disagree with?

• How has Vlad changed most significantly as a leader?

3. 8x $100M Revenue Lines: Scaling a Juggernaut:

• What have been the single biggest challenges of scaling 8 lines of revenue each with over $100M in them?

• What have been Vlad’s biggest lessons on when and how to release new products?

• Why did Vlad decide to abandon the Europe launch? Was it right with the benefit of hindsight?

• What did Vlad not invest in with Robinhood that he wishes he had of done?