What Founders Get Wrong About Scaling – With Carta’s CEO
About this episode
From the show’s notesHenry Ward, cofounder and CEO of Carta, has spent over a decade scaling his company from an early-stage startup to a 2,000-person industry leader. In this a16z Speedrun conversation with Games partner Josh Lu, Henry shares hard-earned lessons on:
Hiring missionaries vs. mercenaries — and how to keep company culture intact as you scale
Read the show’s notes in full
The reality of product-market fit and why many founders try to sell too soon
The evolution of a CEO — from building a product to building a system around you
Inputs vs. outputs, and why companies should focus on the right leading indicators
Transparency in leadership, including when (and when not) to share
This episode is packed with candid insights and lessons on company building. Recorded live at the a16z Speedrun program, you can learn more at a16z.com/games/speedrun.
Resources:
Find Henry on X: x.com/henrysward
Find Josh on X: x.com/JoshLu
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