a16z Live is the place to listen to recorded live discussions and events featuring, hosted, or co-hosted by a16z partners (with outside voices too).
As a remi...
In The Vault: How AI is Powering Payments with Greg Ulrich
How does a company as massive as Mastercard decide where to deploy AI? Instead of centralizing every AI initiative, Mastercard operates under a “hub and spoke” model — balancing centralized AI leadership with decentralized innovation across business units.In this episode, a16z Partner Marc Andrusko chats with Mastercard’s Chief AI and Data Officer Greg Ulrich about Mastercard’s long history of using AI, the opportunities (and potential risks) associated with integrating generative AI into fraud detection, determining what tech to employ based on use cases, and the best advice he’s ever gotten.“In the Vault” is a podcast series by the a16z Fintech team, where we sit down with the most influential figures in financial services to explore key trends impacting the industry and the innovations that will shape our future. Resources:Find "In The Vault" on a16z.com: https://a16z.com/podcasts/in-the-vault/ Find more about a16z's vision for the future of fintech: https://a16z.com/banking-on-ai/Find Marc Andrusko on X: https://x.com/mandrusko1Find Greg Ulrich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregu/Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe to the a16z Fintech newsletter: https://info.a16z.com/newsletters-fintech.html
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29:15
How Jack Henry is Modernizing Banking Infrastructure
Most financial institutions still bank on software built before the internet, but Jack Henry's CTO, Ben Metz, is leading a quiet revolution to change that. Speaking with a16z General Partner Angela Strange, Metz shares how banks’ historical tech infrastructure and regulatory obstacles have stymied innovation—and how Jack Henry is helping them overcome these challenges. Metz outlines actionable ways startup founders can help smaller community banks leverage artificial intelligence and cloud computing, reshaping the industry at large. Chapter Breakdown:0:47 Backstory 2:15 Community banks and historical infrastructure 4:30 Pre-internet banking & software realities 6:45 Challenges of scaling historical banking tech8:30 Building software & COBOL12:15 Dissecting core banking systems 15:40 How regulatory hurdles impact innovation18:30 Mobile banking and market shiftsT22:45 Integrating AI into banking's foundation 25:30 Digital service core to banking 28:15 Where AI will be integrated first31:20 Advice for fintech founders 34:45 Building a data platform to enable innovation 38:20 Working together: banking & tech startups
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26:38
Building a $20B+ Open Source Business with MongoDB's Eliot Horowitz
a16z Partner Seema Amble talks with MongoDB and Viam co-founder Eliot Horowitz about building sustainable open source software tools. From challenging Oracle to building the de facto cloud-based database management tool, Horowitz outlines MongoDB’s early go-to-market strategies, approach to community building, and enterprise sales motion. This episode provides detailed tips on creating solutions for the developer community, building trust amongst enterprises, and successfully scaling a business supported by the open source community. 01:18-03:42 Why open source is a strategic business decision 3:42:6:03 Product development strategy + making developers’ lives easier6:03-08:24 MongoDB strategy of building community through meetups08:24-10:49 The five-second rule for developer products10:49-13:09 How MongoDB used meetups to fuel growth13:09-15:35 The importance of getting people excited about your product15:35-19:29 MongoDB’s enterprise sales strategy 19:28-20:26 MongoDB’s recruiting strategy 20:26-25:12 Open source customers vs. users, adoption patterns 25:12-27:35 The evolution of enterprise deals and building trust through demos27:35-32:23 Product communication strategies and tactics 32:23-39:37 Managing customers and building long-term relationships39:37-40:16 Outro
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40:16
How Zapier Became Profitable in 3 years and Scaled to $5B with Wade Foster
a16z Partner Seema Amble connects with Zapier co-founder Wade Foster about the company’s founding and GTM success utilizing a product-led growth (PLG) strategy. Chock-full of actionable insights, this episode explores Zapier’s product strategy, customer experience, and how the team built a sustainable growth engine that enabled them to reach profitability within three years. Foster also provides valuable guidance on brand strategy and how creating an unconventional “weird” brand helped Zapier differentiate from competitors.1:15-2:05 Zapier's origin story2:05-3:13 Initial product idea3:13-5:06 Finding product-market fit and YC5:06-7:43 How Zapier found their early customers7:43-10:15 Strategic approach to identifying services to integrate10:15-13:28 Identifying customer needs and optimizing onboarding13:28-16:10 Developing a scalable customer acquisition strategy16:10-19:07 Guidance on building a successful self-serve product 19:07:23:52 Early pricing experiments and brand evolution23:53-27:04 Early hiring strategy 27:04-29:59 Reflecting on Zapier’s brand identity and product strategy29:59-31:19 Advice for founders regarding customer acquisition and GTM31:19-31:59 OutroPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should not be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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31:59
How Gusto Used Customer Input to Scale Growth with Tomer London
In this episode, a16z Partner Seema Amble chats with Tomer London, co-founder of Gusto, about establishing product-market fit and product discovery. London shares how Gusto, now valued at ~$10 billion with 300,000+ customers, identified early customers who could provide valuable feedback that helped the team optimize the self-service product experience. The conversation explores Gusto's approach to product development, as well as managing and incorporating customer feedback while maintaining a clear product vision.1:18-3:14 Gusto’s founding story 3:14- 4:56 Solidifying a GTM sales strategy 4:56-10:03 Identifying early customers and perfecting the sales pitch10:03-12:45 Working with customers to optimize the product UX12:45-14:31 Engendering trust and finding success with accountants 14:31-16:41 The role accountants planned in Gusto’s success16:41-19:34 Creating a feedback funnel and balancing product vision19:34-22:38 Self-service strategy and measuring success22:38- 23:45 Refining the UX at scale 23:45-25:45 Identifying real-world use cases to inform product strategy25:45-29:52 GTM learnings and advice29:52-30:05 OutroPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should not be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
a16z Live is the place to listen to recorded live discussions and events featuring, hosted, or co-hosted by a16z partners (with outside voices too).
As a reminder, all content posted here is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Views expressed are those of the individuals and not the views of Andreessen Horowitz, please see a16z.com/disclosures for more.
To learn more about the broader a16z Podcast network and shows, please visit a16z.com/podnetwork.
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