ARTICLE

David Hornik on the People and Culture of Venture Capital and Startups

by | Tue 25 Aug 2020

For those playing along with Silicon Valley bingo, there is an enormous amount of change going on in startups, venture capital, and beyond. This has been heightened by the impact of COVID-19 on founders, startups, and investors.

David Hornik has been around the investment world for a long time as a general partner at August Capital, creator of The Lobby conference, and a lecturer at Stanford.

I first met David at The Lobby and was taken aback by how different he was from the stereotypical power player VC who is only ever fixated on hyperactive growth. He is a fun, vivacious, creative powerhouse who is able to balance a keen knowledge of business with the reality of how people think, work, and collaborate. While he is focused on getting results he always pulls his work back to the human condition, which unsurprisingly resonates with my perspectives on the world. He is also a hoot to hang out with.

As such, I was thrilled to bring David on Conversations With Bacon. We dig into a raft of different areas including:

  • The impact of COVID-19 on hiring, spending, how much runway businesses need.
  • The personal impact of COVID-19 on families, hobbies, and commuting.
  • The design of The Lobby and how he managed to get professionals from a broad range of backgrounds to truly come out of their shells
  • How Silicon Valley has shifted and adjusted over the years and the role of ego.
  • How much money do you really need, how do you spend it, and how can you annoy financial advisers.
  • His love of Broadway and how he supports up and coming shows.
  • The role of diversity in business and how to impact systematic racism.
  • And much more…

This is a really fun, engaging, and insightful discussion. Be sure to give it a listen.

Communities are changing the way we do business. Discover a concrete framework for building powerful, productive communities and integrating them into your business. My new book, ‘People Powered: How communities can supercharge your business, brand, and teams’, is out now, available in Audible, Hardcover, and Kindle formats. Be sure to check it out, and grab the People Powered Plus pack with free templates, bonus content, and over $2000 of special offers.

Thank you to Marius Quabeck and NerdZoom Media for mixing the show!

An invitation-only accelerator that develops industry-leading community engagement and growth via personalized training, coaching, and accountability...all tailored to your company's needs.

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