Scott Weiss
Scott Weiss
Scott Weiss is a venture capitalist at the Silicon Valley firm Andreessen Horowitz, joining in April 2011 as the firm’s fourth general partner. A native of Sarasota, Florida, he founded and was CEO of IronPort Systems, which Cisco acquired in 2007 for $830 million. Weiss has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
CountryUnited States of America
carries experience lasting
The first day, week and month of an employee's experience carries a lasting impression.
almost believe case experience helps share stories studies substitute
While there's no substitute for real experience, I believe it helps to hear and share stories of resourcefulness in action - almost like case studies in school.
helpful home rarely stated values
One of the stated values at IronPort was 'work/life balance,' but I wasn't living it. I was rarely home. And when I was home, well, let's just say I wasn't particularly helpful or cheery.
available best cultural definitely founders hard interview mediocre networks settle talent time trying ultimately waste work
I see many founders waste too much time trying to work their networks and/or ultimately settle for mediocre but available candidates. You will definitely have to interview hard for cultural fit, but the best talent isn't cheap.
amazingly drive fast frequently generous love means moment money parking slow time work
Be generous with your time and money - it has an amazingly fast payback. Be in the moment with everyone you love - and this frequently means tuning out work completely. And drive slow in parking lots.
authentic founder list low might product sounds telling
At the core, coaching authenticity is complicated - some might say impossible. Telling someone to be authentic sounds pretty low calorie, especially to a founder plowing through a list of product and operational goals. But it's important.
forget founders hungry muscle notion product talk
At Andreessen Horowitz, we talk about the notion of being 'too hungry to eat.' That's to say, we often see startups that are so entrenched in the product that the founders forget they need muscle to grow.
fully guarded patent rookie spend
One of the rookie mistakes first-time entrepreneurs often make is to be too guarded about their idea - in fact, many will actually spend their first $25,000 on patent lawyers without ever fully vetting their product.
currently experts recruit
The experts typically know where the other best-in-the-world talents are currently working and can help you recruit them in with a credible intro.
board business contribute member needs showing success
Being on a board is not just about showing up for the meetings. A board member needs to materially contribute to the success of the business.
legitimate scale shot
As a first-time CEO, I wasn't sure if I would scale to run IronPort long-term. But I wanted a legitimate shot at it.
affects developing directly essence extremely good healthy hiring operation overall practices reflects success
Developing a good, healthy culture is extremely important at a startup. Culture reflects the essence of a startup's operation because it directly affects the success of a company's hiring practices and overall strategy.
basis hear regular spots
It's important for a leader to hear about his blind spots on a regular basis so working on them is periodically top of mind.
admitting company failure hard helps learning methodical open thinking
Nothing helps make a leader more approachable than admitting your struggles, screw-ups and behind-the-scenes thinking on hard calls. If the leader makes this a priority, the whole company will be more open and methodical learning from failure.