Roger Roberts

Some key takeways on this podcast from Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao (Stanford) below: Key Takeaway 1: Friction in organizations increases as they grow larger and more complex, making it difficult to get things done efficiently. This is due to added processes, specialization, and hierarchy that are necessary but can hinder productivity if not managed well. Key Takeaway 2: Leaders should strive to be "elephants" who listen and ask helpful questions, rather than "hippopotamuses" who constantly talk and make statements. Encouraging open communication and collaboration while respecting others' time is crucial for reducing friction. Key Takeaway 3: Speed is important for startups, but it must be balanced with the ability to pivot when needed. Temporarily halting hiring or product development can allow for necessary adjustments and prevent friction from building up. >> This is the top reason startups fail, don't pivot/iterate fast enough. Key Takeaway 4: Founders should be mindful when allocating equity and hiring early on. Keeping some equity in reserve and staggering hiring can help maintain flexibility and prevent friction caused by misaligned incentives or onboarding challenges. Key Takeaway 5: Reducing organizational friction requires regularly "mowing the lawn" by removing unnecessary processes, meetings, and bureaucracy. This is an ongoing effort, not a one-time event, and is essential for maintaining efficiency as organizations grow. https://lnkd.in/e5SfQwCU

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Platforms are in, point solutions are out as the healthcare AI category leaders come into focus this year. In conversation with Shelby Livingston at Endpoints News, I shared: 1. Why AI-first companies have the greatest platform potential and heuristics for identifying these opportunities at the earliest stages, 2. How companies are differentiating through co-development and distribution partnerships with leading healthcare institutions, and 3. Strategies for navigating anemic budgets and constrained market sizes through business model innovation such as AI-enabled services and pay for performance models Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dJWqv_zC Bessemer Venture Partners Abridge #healthcare #lifesciences #AI #generativeAI

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The second update that I wanted to share was an investment that we've been working on for quite some time. Excited that the announcement has finally gone out. Citi Ventures has invested in Lakera, to build the next-generation of security tools to protect the next-generation of applications (those powered by LLMs). We got to meet David Haber and his co-founders, Matthias Kraft and Mateo Rojas-Carulla, just as the year started and were blown away by their vision of the future. Humans use LLMs today but in the not too distant future LLM-agents will talk to LLM-agents at rapid speed. Lakera's Guard product protects LLM-based applications from malicious prompts (made by bad actors trying to steal data) by inserting a layer of trust where bad prompts are detected and only valid/safe prompts reach your applications. The term in vogue today is an "LLM Firewall". We conducted an exhaustive search of the category and came away believing Lakera had built the most robust and scalable product in the market. Can't wait to get started with the team and work with them on this journey! Matt Carbonara ✅, Vibhor Rastogi, Arvind Purushotham, Blaze O'Byrne, Avi Arnon, Çağla Kaymaz, Olivia Zhang, Max R. Mailman https://lnkd.in/ewMmennJ

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【Flourishing Deep Tech VC - High risk and High return?】 Investing in deep tech is a thrilling ride with high risks and high returns. While traditional tech companies see an average value of 13% at exit, deep tech companies secure funding valued at 11-15% of their exit value. Investors across the world are savvy about the risks, adjusting with lower valuations especially in the last few years. On the other hand, deep-tech focused funds perform quite comparably with respect to traditional VC funds, with an average weighted IRR of 26% as compared to 21% of traditional VCs over the past 5 years. In 2023, a whopping $315Bn was poured into tech companies globally (Mainly in US 🇺🇸 and China 🇨🇳). Deep tech investments tend to take 25-40% longer between funding rounds, but they're still attractive because of moderate valuations and low premiums. Despite the higher risks, deep tech's unique benefits—like disruptive potential and major ecosystem influence—keep pulling in more VCs. Many of these groundbreaking technologies haven't hit the mainstream yet, so the investment scene isn't overcrowded with competitors. Our research, along with PitchBook data, confirms that deep tech's moderate valuations make it a standout choice compared to other tech sectors. It's a promising space that balances risk and reward in a compelling way. Access to Full Article: https://lnkd.in/gRMneMzE #DeepTech #VC #Investment Alex Lin Ibrahim Salifou Takashi Ogawa

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"Real transformative change goes beyond episodic efficiency efforts or organizational restructurings. It instead aims to reprogram an organization’s very DNA and embed a new operating model, guided by a bold strategy, to reach a company’s full potential". I couldn't agree more with this statement, true for any type of organization, at any maturity stage and regardless of their mission and objectives. Through my experience threading complex transformation projects, I can never emphasize enough the utmost importance of: - A crystal clear mission, to which the strategy will unlock enablers and leverage key differentiating factors, - A path with clear objectives and well-defined target indicators to ensure not only a data-driven approach to road mapping, but also to ensure a focus on where value is created, and - An organization-wide engagement program, from the board to executives and associates, from conception to implementation and on-going improvement. Engagement is key! #StrategicTranformation #DigitalTransformation #TransformativeChange #OrganizationalDNA #OperatingModel #Strategy #Mission #Objectives #DataDriven #ValueCreation #EngagementProgram #Leadership #TrueNorth #Roadmapping #CostOptimization #Growth #OrganizationalEffectiveness #DigitalEnablement #ChiefTransformationOfficer #Alignment #PhasedTransformation #ContinuousImprovement Defining your 'True North' - This McKinsey article outlines how companies can successfully transform by defining a clear "true north" strategy. It emphasizes focusing on four work streams: cost optimization, growth, organizational effectiveness, and digital enablement. Transformations should move through phases, starting with quick wins and then scaling initiatives. Making transformation part of everyday operations, with strong leadership and integration, ensures lasting impact. The role of the chief transformation officer is vital in aligning strategic goals with daily business activities. https://lnkd.in/gyyS6eJy

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Excited to share a new report from our Insight IGNITE team (with contributions from yours truly :) As the business value of AI increases, so does the business risk... Insight Partners’ 2024 State of Enterprise Tech report identified AI as the top concern (and opportunity!) among cybersecurity leaders, including securing data used in AI systems and AI system access controls. Whether you're a cyber entrepreneur looking to learn more about enterprise priorities, or an enterprise leader looking for benchmarks for your current and future cyber strategy, this report has answers!

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If you are in the VC space, you should know one of the early drivers of "Moneyball for VC". That's Gopinath Sundaramurthy, Ph.D Gopi partnered with the Kauffman Fellows Fund on implementing these concepts in their investment process. The results were staggering. 50% of the investments the fund made became unicorns. In Gopi's words 👇🏻 "We knew something was working, so we thought: Let's build this a little bigger." What did that look like in practice? 1️⃣ Gopi's firm uses a single ‘source of truth’ platform to centralize information, improving decision-making and consistency. 2️⃣ They maintain an even 50/50 split between data engineers and investors to ensure they leverage data to gain insights into teams, markets, and products. Want to learn more about what Gopi and the team at Ensemble VC has implemented at their firm? Check out the case study that our sponsor Harmonic published about the firm -->

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A little late, even though this process started in July.... Excited to share our latest investment in Heads Together Health!! We met Steve DeVrieze in October last year, and we think they are poised for impressive growth! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ecYcqqkn #earlystagestartup #earlystageinvesting #VCinvestment #ncstartups #nctechstartups

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