CEO Supper Club: Why Box.net's Aaron Levie Has So Much Gray Hair

TL;DR

A conversation about enterprise software and venture capital in Silicon Valley, discussing living in Saratoga, fundraising, success, and the process of raising venture capital.

Transcript

we're at your restaurant and like you're very you know enterprise software um you know baller elephant Hunter and so like not surprised that you have a Michelin star restaurant in Saratoga elephant ball Hunter is that what you said that too question is how many cgar so but why do you live in Saratoga no I live in come on but that's not cooler I mea... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙈 Living in Palo Alto is often seen as more suitable for success in the enterprise software industry.
• 🤨 Raising significant funding can lead to stress and visible signs of aging, such as gray hair.
• 🤨 Bootstrapping a company and achieving profitability before raising venture capital is a unique approach.
• 👨‍💼 Taking on an investment partner can be beneficial for long-term business growth and development.
• 🤨 The process of raising venture capital involves sharing information with multiple firms and selecting the best offer.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does the speaker live in Saratoga instead of Palo Alto?

The speaker believes that living in Palo Alto is more conducive to success in the enterprise software industry due to the high correlation between work and company success.

Q: How much money has the speaker's company raised so far?

The company has raised about $160 million in funding.

Q: What is the connection between raising money and having gray hair?

The speaker jokes that the more money the company raises, the more gray hair they acquire, implying the stress and hard work associated with fundraising.

Q: How did the speaker's company raise money without venture capital?

The company had been profitable for eight years and didn't need venture capital. They later decided to take on an investment partner and raised $60 million from Excel.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker lives in Saratoga but believes that living in Palo Alto is more suitable for success due to the high correlation between work and company success.

• The speaker's enterprise software company has raised $160 million in funding and has noticed a connection between raising money and having gray hair.

• The speaker's company took a unique venture round without the need for venture capital, as the company had been profitable for eight years.