Vikas is an experienced entrepreneur, advisor and the Managing Director of Frisco Analytics. In this conversation, he discusses the importance of selecting good advisors and how he identified gaps in the tech consulting space to grow his successful company later acquired by Huron. Vikas gives insights on how to build the right team, and sales strategies, navigate acquisitions and foster the right team culture. Finally, he shares his experiences with acquisition processes, incentive structures in consulting, managing multiple ventures and the value of direct feedback and the growth dynamics in the tech industry.

Key Takeaways:

• Choosing experienced advisors to save on finances and time

• Identifying what’s missing on the team and choosing members with the right culture fit

• Addressing incentive structures in consulting as a worker retention strategy

• Insights into the acquisition process for consulting teams

• Addressing the need for direct and honest feedback

• Navigating the complexities of managing multiple ventures

Key Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction

(04:55) - Building a successful consulting business

(07:30) - Scaling and managing growth as an Investor

(09:05) - Proven incentive structures in the consulting space

(15:17) - What is product market fit?

(21:24) - The company acquisition journey and post-sale experience

(33:48) - The process of underwriting a deal

(35:21) - When does one need an exit strategy?

(39:17) - Deal flow, evaluation and selection criteria used to issue funding

(48:29) - Strategic investment roadmaps

Key Topics Discussed:

Funds and Founders, Austin Texas, Abhinav Sinha, entrepreneurs, startups, venture capital, product-market fit, acquisition, team building strategy

Mentions:

Website: https://www.friscoanalytics.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikas-punna-94b33216/

Check out the Funds & Founders Community:

Reach out to Abhi at abhinavsinha.podcast@gmail.com

Website: fundsandfounderspodcast.com

Vinay Chandrasekaran, founder of Frontek Solutions, Crayon’d, and Layerpath, shares his fascinating journey from learning HTML as a teenager in India to becoming the CEO of a successful SaaS company. Vinay delves into his entrepreneurial motivations, experiences at Zoho, and the essential role of community, mentorship, and resilience. He also discusses raising venture capital and emphasizes the importance of energy, passion, and mindset. Additionally, Vinay reflects on how his endurance sports endeavors have shaped his discipline and mindset and explores the idea of merging his tech expertise with sports training. The episode concludes with his thoughts on manifestation and public speaking. If you’re looking for the motivation and insight needed to build a successful startup, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways:

• What’re the first three steps a founder should take in building a startup?

• What does failing fast look like in the startup ecosystem?

• When will you know to raise venture capital?

• What is the role of a Chief Focus Officer?

Key Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction

(03:18) - Building Frontex Solutions

(06:12) - The Role of Community in Entrepreneurship

(08:23) - Building a Founding Team

(10:32) - Joining Zoho

(14:36) - Travel and Personal Growth

(20:48) - Returning to Entrepreneurship

(25:57) - The First Thing Startups Should Do

(31:53) - Bringing an Idea to Market

(34:49) - The Importance of Founder Fit

(41:13) - Raising Venture Capital

(51:19) - Burnout and Support Systems

(53:41) - Closing Thoughts

Key Topics Discussed:

Funds and Founders, Austin Texas, Abhinav Sinha, entrepreneurs, startups, venture capital

Mentions:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivinayc/

Check out the Funds & Founders Community:

Reach out to Abhi at abhinavsinha.podcast@gmail.com

Website: fundsandfounderspodcast.com

Alberto Silveira is a seasoned engineering leader with a diverse career spanning companies like IBM, Kaplan, Amplify, OnDeck, and currently, HireVue. He is also the author of the book, Building and Managing High Performance Distributed Teams. Alberto discusses the differences between leading small and large engineering teams, the importance of creating a positive engineering culture, and the nuances of hands-on leadership. He also shares his passion for distributed teams, the challenges of scaling team culture in a remote environment, and his philosophy on balancing immediate deliverables with long-term team health. Alberto reflects on his career journey, the lessons learned from writing his book on high-performance distributed teams during the pandemic, and offers advice on overcoming organizational challenges by taking an inclusive leadership approach.

Key Takeaways:

• How can you humanize work culture in a remote environment?

• How can you create focused teams to improve delivery and outcome?

• How the Iron Triangle allows founders to align product, engineering and design teams

• Identifying problems and suggesting solutions empowers team members and builds a strong team culture

Key Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction

(04:40) - Hands-On Leadership as a CTO

(08:45) - Defining and Building Engineering Culture

(010:44) - Challenges of Scaling and Remote Work

(25:49) - Balancing Change and Delivery

(31:39) - Engineering vs Product Leadership

(37:27) - The Iron Triangle Concept

(39:18) - Importance of Design in Product Development

(43:06) - Building High-Performance Distributed Teams

(48:57) - Leadership and Team Motivation

(60:26) - Entrepreneurship is a Journey

Key Topics Discussed:

Funds and Founders, Abhinav Sinha, Abhi, Austin Texas,, Venture Capital, Ecosystem, Culture, Company Values. Collaboration, Distributed Teams, Scalability, Engineering, Technical, Product, Leaders, Product-Driven, Early-Stage, SaaS

Mentions:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asilveira/

Mentions: Who: Building and Managing High Performance Distributed Teams, The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, Lean Inception, Scale Up

Check out the Funds & Founders Community:

Reach out to Abhi at abhinavsinha.podcast@gmail.com

Website: fundsandfounderspodcast.com