Dad first. CFO at Substack. Former CFO at Underdog Sports, VC at Mayfield, Exec at Twitter, Square, MTV. Entrepreneur, Coach, jazz lover, kung fu enthusiast.
San Francisco, CA
Joined May 2008
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I'm extremely bullish about @zcabrams and the Bridge.xyz team - they're building, capably, services to enable maybe the single best utility cryptocurrencies can provide today for everyday people: international transfer. Shout out to all my ex-Squares!
We've been building Bridge for 2.5 years. Very excited to finally share more about what we do and why we're doing it.
Sean and I also spent time with @leomschwartz to tell our story.
Our blog is below.
And article is here --> teapawt.net/leomschwartz/status/18…
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Had such a great time talking Corp dev and M&A with my friend @sashaorloff on the @TurpentineMedia Finance podcast - check it out!
In this episode of Turpentine Finance with @sashaorloff, @rishigarg, former Head of Corporate Development at Twitter and Square, shares insider knowledge on tech acquisitions.
He explains when companies should start considering M&A and the three key approaches: tops down, bottoms up, and strategy influence. Rishi reveals how he managed up to 15 deals in 12 months and why integration is crucial for M&A success.
He debunks common M&A misconceptions and discusses the "sins of omission" - deals he regrets not making. The conversation shifts to his current role as a VC at Mayfield Fund, offering a unique perspective on both sides of acquisitions.
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TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Introduction
(02:53) How companies should think about M&A and corp dev
(06:58) Signs that a company is ready to consider M&A
(11:37) Different approaches to M&A: tops down, bottoms up, and strategy influencing
(16:52) How to start building an M&A team
(18:16) Sponsors: Netsuite | Metaview
(22:15) Misconceptions about M&A in Silicon Valley
(26:53) Valuation considerations in M&A deals
(34:31) Current state of M&A market and opportunities
(38:24) Sponsors: Omneky | Brave
(39:47) How M&A deals happen and relationship building
(45:55) Reasons why M&A deals don't work out
(51:50) Transition to Rishi's experience as a venture capitalist
(57:50) Advice for founders considering M&A
(1:02:09) Rishi's current interests in investing, particularly in AI and new platforms
Love to see how Highbeam continues to make an impact for indie sellers of all kinds with innovative, targeted financial products! Great work @sshergill and @highbeamapp team!
Today at Highbeam we’re excited to announce new financial products and automation to put cashflow on autopilot for multi-million dollar ecommerce brands.
Highlights in 🧵
highbeam.co/blog/how-highbea…
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@lexfridman Podcast #339 with @Revkin and @BjornLomborg is a super direct, collaborative, thought provoking discussion on climate change and is worth everyone taking several days to listen to
It was an honor to discuss climate challenges & choices for 4 hours with @lexfridman - and a total surprise when he ended our chat with Bjorn Lomborg by reciting the lyrics from my song "A Very Fine Line"! Here's Lex & the tune. (Full interview: youtube.com/watch?v=5Gk9gIpG…)
New post: The Unbundling of Google? A Real Possibility rishigarg.substack.com/p/unb…
Search is the most important application on the Internet and it's stagnant. Could we see a real challenger to Google? 🧵 👇 1/17
People are already beginning to use GPT-3 as a search tool, in it's current form: 2/17
teapawt.net/altimor/status/1583341…
We're witnessing a fascinating moment in tech history -- how the 2nd non-founder in a key company can change and evolve tech platforms to make them more valuable, essentially creating a second founding moment.🧵
So excited to partner with my good friends @sshergill, @gautamg_ and @amishjani on the @HighbeamApp — empowering the future of indie sellers with best in class financial services!
I’m excited to announce @HighbeamApp’s $7M seed round led by @MayfieldFund and @FirstMarkCap. Our mission is to power brand founders with the finance foundation to grow their business with control and confidence. 🧵
techcrunch.com/2022/08/17/hi…
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This is the biggest under-appreciated economic/demographic story of the next 10-20 years: Americans aged 75 and up are the only age group whose labor-force participation rate is projected to grow over the next decade bloomberg.com/news/articles/… via @bbgequality
Founders: there will be explosion of acquisitions of startups in the next 2 years, and that may apply to you and your company. Some tips and things to things about: 🧵
Weird beyond words, and yet indicative of our time on so many levels
youtube.com/watch?v=x26fUL_Y…
I know you're supposed to build a web3 platform by engaging and captivating a community on Discord and getting Paris Hilton to buy them but wouldn't it be great if the utility of the product was enough to drive adoption?
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2 mistakes that companies made in the late 90s that I saw resurface alot in the last two years (and need to be unwound):
1)Using people instead of product to solve problems
2)Doing deals with other startups
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Great pod from @richroll and @BStulberg this week; imp of community feels crucial and so infrequently discussed, esp in Silicon Valley where what we do tends to get valued over who we do it with. In the end, all the stuff we do every day is just an excuse to be with people
Pushing this hard because honestly it’s the best—and most important—public conversation I’ve ever had. @richroll is a master interviewer. We wrestled with anxiety, striving, and excellence in new and crucial ways.
Listen: “The Rich Roll Podcast”
YouTube: bit.ly/bradstulberg677
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I met Sameer during profro weekend in April 1995; I thought "if Stanford is full of people like this, I have to go here" - What a great addition to the @BessemerVP team
I couldn’t be more excited to begin this next chapter with the amazing team at @BessemerVP. I was fortunate to have a magical journey with my team @SendGrid, and I now hope to partner with and serve CEOs who are working hard to do the same.
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Congratulations to @davidmcj, @armon, @mitchellh and the entire @HashiCorp team on their IPO! We’re honored to have been partnered since the Series A in 2014 on your journey from inception to iconic company. @NavinChaddha
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Congrats to our friends @TRIPPV, the meditative XR platform, for raising $11M in funding. Read more about their plans via @TechCrunch tinyurl.com/5aj47wbc
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