Wish I Knew

All Podcasts

Wish I Knew is about the revelatory, life-changing "aha" moments that founders, CEOs and leaders discover along their business journeys and why taking risks leads to growth. 

Presented by Bessemer Venture Partners

     

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Sarah Friar: Career lessons on community, conviction, and capital from Nextdoor’s CEO

  • Sarah Friar, Nextdoor

From consultant to investor to CFO to CEO, Sarah Friar has a business acumen rivaled by few others. Today, Sarah Friar is at the helm of Nextdoor, the social network that services over 300,000 neighborhoods globally. Nextdoor unites neighbors in matters of utility and community. On Wish I Knew, she shared why you should pay attention to what you both love and hate about your job, why strong conviction in a market thesis can buoy you through hard times, and why it’s never a bad time to raise money. She shares how she navigated her career and trusted her intuition to make smart decisions along the way.

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Dave Rogenmoser: Top building lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and how to gain momentum in the AI revolution

  • Dave Rogenmoser, Jasper

Dave Rogenmoser landed at the helm of the AI revolution in what felt like the blink of an eye. In 2021, Dave co-founded Jasper, an AI writing tool for marketers. Just 18 months later, it became a unicorn company. Today it has a valuation of $1.5 billion. On Wish I Knew, we sat down with Dave, CEO & Co-Founder of Jasper AI, where he cautioned against painting your products into a corner, gave his insight on listening to the presence (or absence) of initial traction, and shared why hiring an executive recruiter was the highest ROI decision he ever made.

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How one CEO transformed his fascination with space into a billion-dollar rocket company

  • Pete Beck, Rocket Lab

Many companies claim they’re a rocketship—but few mean it literally. As a young child growing up in New Zealand, Pete Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, spent a lot of time stargazing. His fascination in space inspired a passion-driven career of building a billion-dollar rocket company. Today, Rocket Lab touts the highest launch success rate of any rocket company in history—and was the first private company in the southern hemisphere to go to space. In this conversation, he shares founder lessons on how to build an unlikely business, driven by passion.

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Lessons from a deeply courageous career in healthcare and public service

  • Andy Slavitt, Town Hall Ventures

Andy Slavitt’s resume has always reflected his mission: to help people get the healthcare they need. On Wish I Knew, he shares why the most profound experiences of his life have all been risks. With Steven Kraus, Partner at Bessemer, Andy recounts stories of his career in public health, government, and entrepreneurship. He shares why naiveté can be an asset to new entrepreneurs, the lessons from kindergarten that CEOs would be wise to heed, and why handling crises is the best way to build your confidence as a leader.

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How the CEO of Cameo turned celebrity obsession into a unicorn business

  • Steven Galanis, Cameo

Capitalizing on everyday people’s obsession with celebrity, Cameo became a unicorn company within five years of its founding and grew at a rate surpassing even some of tech’s biggest success stories. On Wish I Knew, we sat down with CEO of Cameo Steven Galanis where he shares the biggest mistake he sees aspiring entrepreneurs make, what he wished he knew during his entrepreneurial journey, and the values that keeps him motivated during tough times.

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A Stanford professor's masterclass on rewriting your failures

  • Tina Seelig

For most, there’s no such thing as a conventional entrepreneurial journey: And Tina Seelig is no exception. From working in neuroscience, to writing seventeen books, to launching her own small business ventures, Tina has done it all. And today, as a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, she’s teaching her students about one very important topic: What she wish she knew on her own business journey.

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How Walt Disney’s protege disrupted entertainment

  • Jeffrey Katzenberg, WndrCo
  • Sujay Jaswa, WndrCo

At Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg learned how to tell amazing stories, and ultimately, to dream big. On this show, you’ll learn what happens when his limitless dreams didn’t go as planned, with the rise — and very public fall — of his multi-billion-dollar entertainment venture, Quibi. And he’s joined by his right-hand man, Sujay Jaswa, the former CFO of Dropbox, who will talk about the latest with their venture capital firm, WndrCo.

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