Ground Truth

Welcome to GroundTruth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com for other Ground Truth episodes and a deeper dive into each story. In this episode, we talk to Ash Fontana, technology investor and author of the book The AI-First Company. Growing up in Australia, Ash began his path studying law and finance, then quickly turned into the tech space in Silicon Valley. His learnings from investing, building and selling his own startup and being early at Angelist, are distilled into his practical book The AI-First Company. In this book, Ash presents a completely new form of competitive advantage through AI for any kind of business. Learn all about Ash’s book, his inspiration, the process behind it, and what he foresees for companies who adopt the AI-First model. Podcast Summary:01:01 -  Who is Ash Fontana? Growing up in Australia with Jesuit education and public speaking as his foundation.03:15 - Ash’s first tech companies: What he learned about handling data and how he went from law to full-time AI. 07:52 - The inspiration behind the book: How to put a completely new form of competitive advantage into actionable words, checklists, frameworks, and illustrations.15:41 -  Data Leaning Effects and how to observe things at scale: Is there a potential for impactful dailies in this business model?22:23 - Involving different experts in the process: How to build a culture and a feedback loop around the AI-First Model.30:17 - What Ash hopes the book brings to people: Giving people the power of competitive advantage + Ash’s next book. Episode Resource:Find Ash on Twitter and  LinkedInThe AI-First CompanyThe AI-First Company by Ash FontanaCreditsGroundTruth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Jack Buehrer from Campfire Labs, sound engineering and studio space provided by TJ Bonaventura and Julian Lewis from StudioPod, editing and mixing by Nodalab, and video production by Nick Shaheen from Above Treeline Studios.

Welcome to GroundTruth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com for other Ground Truth episodes and a deeper dive into each story. In this episode, we talk to Jeff Ma, current General Manager of Microsoft for Startups, to talk about his multidisciplinary background, his business journey, and his passion for startups and innovation. With a formation influenced by the pursuit of excellence, along with his natural gifts for math and science, Jeff has always managed to stay ahead of the curve, and has found a spot inside groundbreaking projects and startups time and time again. A legendary gambler and a role model for entrepreneurs, Jeff shares his success story. Listen now to learn how following your passion and making meaningful connections will always add up to the building of your own legacy.Podcast Summary: 0:44 - Jeff’s academic journey, multidisciplinary background, and his toe dip in the entrepreneurial waters. 8:30 - Bonding over blackjack, transforming a casino into a “working office”, and becoming a gambling superstar.18:38 - A professional breakthrough: Jeff’s involvement in an ambitious sports business model, and the birth, “fail” and rebirth of PROTRADE. 28:55 - The cool kid in the company: On TenXer, the Twitter experience and why networking is invaluable. 33:10 - Jeff’s migration to Microsoft, the importance of taking “once in a lifetime” opportunities, and how to get rid of the Impostor Syndrome. 36:22 - On data innovation, the future of sales and how Microsoft serves startups. 39:53 - Jeff’s regrets, thoughts on his legacy and his hopes for the future.40:50 - A brief discussion on Microsoft for Startups.Resources The House Advantage by Jeff MaRange by David EpsteinOutliers by Malcolm GladwellMoneyball by Michael LewisSmart People Podcast with Marty Cagan CreditsGroundTruth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Campfire Labs, sound engineering and studio space provided by StudioPod Media, editing and mixing by Nodalab,

Welcome to Ground Truth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. Ground Truth is hosted by Mercy Bell alongside Kyle Williams and Ben Salzman. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com or dogpatch.com/podcast for other Ground Truth episodes and a deeper dive into each story. In this episode, we talk to Manny Medina, CEO at the leading sales engagement platform, Outreach. Once a young fisherman, Manny was always a curious kid, a passionate learner and big dreamer. As he fell in love with the USA, he knew this was the perfect destination for his entrepreneurial heart. Hired by Amazon, Microsoft, and by starting his own company from scratch, Manny has learned important business and personal lessons throughout his journey. To him, failure and mistakes are key for professional development and personal growth.Podcast Summary: 00:56 - A man with big ideas and his pursuit of the American Dream.06:07 - The importance of thinking big and Amazon’s secret sauce to success.12:58 - How to quit from the most influential companies on the planet and still rock the world of tech business.16:41 - The unstoppable pitcher: How relationship building is an entrepreneur's best tool.20:05 - Everything in sales starts with a meeting: the birth, struggles and awaited success of Outreach. 25:59 - On the human bias and the exciting future ahead for automation in the tech world. 30:40 - How the Coronavirus and the Black Lives Matter movement have impacted sellers and how Manny and his team plan to take a leadership role34:38 - How embracing the journey in its entirety is the real key to success.CreditsGround Truth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Jack Buehrer from Campfire Labs, sound engineering and studio space provided by TJ Bonaventura and Julian Lewis from StudioPod, editing and mixing by Nodalab, video production by Nick Shaheen from Above Treeline Studios and cover art by Eric Miller.

Welcome to Ground Truth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. Mercy Bell hosts Ground Truth alongside Kyle Williams and Ben Salzman. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com for other Ground Truth episodes and dive deeper into each story. In this episode, we talk to Kyle Porter, co-founder, and CEO of SalesLoft. Kyle shares with us how he’s managed to evolve and re-chart his course time and time again, to become one of the most influential voices in the sales world. What first started as an ambitious but demanding video-game business eventually transformed into a groundbreaking application of data. Kyle never stopped pouring his heart into his dreams to create his own business. A natural entrepreneur, he has helped numerous companies shift their attention to their customers, and — by enabling the human side of sales with data-based automation — he was lucky enough to find the equilibrium he’s been seeking for years. Podcast Summary: 00:54 - Kyle’s fighter mentality, the pursuit of an authentic college experience, and embracing the entrepreneurship tingle. 06:44 - Kyle’s unstoppable selling genius, teaming up with an entrepreneurship veteran, and the birth of SalesLoft.19:50 - The awaited launch of Cadence and how organizational health led SalesLoft to exponential growth.22:59 - The acquisition of Noteninja and the explosion of conversation intelligence to add value to the customers’ experience. 26:02 - On Cadence’s exceptionally personalized sales experience for their customers, and how they have built trust among their network.30:31 - Did the “data” really say that?: the “noise on LinkedIn” and Kyle’s predictions on the future of sales.CreditsGroundTruth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Jack Buehrer from Campfire Labs, sound engineering and studio space provided by TJ Bonaventura and Julian Lewis from StudioPod, editing and mixing by Nodalab, and video production by Nick Shaheen from Above Treeline Studios.

Welcome to Ground Truth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. Ground Truth is hosted by Mercy Bell alongside Kyle Williams and Ben Salzman. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com or dogpatch.com/podcast for other Ground Truth episodes and a deeper dive into each story. The guest for Episode 3 is Christine Trodella, a Director at Facebook and head of the Americas for their Workplace division. We loved chatting with her as she shared her journey from rural Iowa all the way to Silicon Valley, where over her nearly two-decade career as a sales leader, she’s found herself at the tip of the spear of just about every pivotal shift in the tech industry.Podcast Summary: 01:29 - On Christine’s childhood, her parents and her move to California for college.04:50 - How she switched to tech after working as an economist07:33 - Her first corporate development role and how they adapted their rudimentary tools to the arrival of the Internet.09:44 - Christine’s biggest career leap to Yahoo! building out the advertising industry15:40 - A new life: motherhood, working from home and her role at WebMD17:31 - How Christine’s quiet life took a 180º turn as she joined Facebook in 201019:43 - Looking back at customer acquisition ten years ago22:58 - How Christine, Workplace’s biggest fan, ended up leading the Americas for Workplace27:19 - An insider look at Workplace’s go to market strategy32:34 - How Workplace has responded to the COVID-19 crisis38:21 - On her team’s strategies to find and use data to measure impactCreditsGround Truth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Jack Buehrer from Campfire Labs, sound engineering and studio space provided by TJ Bonaventura and Julian Lewis from StudioPod, editing and mixing by Jorge Gonzalez from Nodalab, video production by Nick Shaheen from Above Treeline Studios and and cover art by Eric Miller.

This is part 2 of our 2-part series with Jeanne DeWitt, Head of North America revenue and Growth at Stripe.Welcome to Ground Truth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. Ground Truth is hosted by Mercy Bell alongside Kyle Williams and Ben Salzman. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com for other Ground Truth episodes and a deeper dive into each story. In part 2 of this series, Jeanne DeWitt, Head of North America Revenue and Growth at Stripe, dives deep into all of the challenges she has faced inside of the growing startup and with that, the new approaches for outbound sales she’s discovered. Jeanne is convinced that the future of outbound is based on data-driven go-to-market strategies with the perfect blend of art and science, and with Stripe she’s experienced just that. From working on pieces of personalized content with Stripe founders John and Patrick Collision, to keeping your brand relevant and solving data vendor problems, Jeanne’s insights will help you build large-scale data pipelines and maintain authenticity.Podcast Summary:01:42 - Jeanne’s transition to Stripe, the luxury of inbound demand and the hunt for the “Buffalo”.03:08 - On cookie-driven prospecting and the new approach for outbound sales.05:28 - What was it like working on content with Stripe’s founders John and Patrick Collison.07:50 - The next challenge for Jeanne to do things differently compared to other companies.09:23 - The power of messaging consistency while ensuring relevance and personalization.11:48 - How Jeanne convinced the data science team to partner with the sales department.14:48 - Smoke and mirrors: How Jeanne solved the huge data vendors problem along with experts.19:56 - The art of data science or how to expand internationally using a data-driven model.26:01 - A few extra anticipated learnings that have helped Stripe to get better overall.28:31 - How Jeanne sees the future of data-driven sales for Stripe.30:16 - Why she thinks the future of data and go-to market strategies is more like a mix between art and science. 31:25 - The importance of always starting with an articulated hypothesis to prove or disprove.                                                                                                                                                                               Listen to part 1 of the series and learn more about Jeanne’s background at Google.This podcast is made possible by Clearbit. To learn more go to clearbit.comCreditsGround Truth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Jack Buehrer from <a...

This is part 1 of our 2-part series with Jeanne DeWitt, Head of North America revenue and Growth at Stripe.Welcome to Ground Truth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. Ground Truth is hosted by Mercy Bell alongside Kyle Williams and Ben Salzman. To learn more, check out www.groundtruthpod.com for other Ground Truth episodes and a deeper dive into each story. In this episode, we talk to Jeanne DeWitt, Head of North America Revenue and Growth at the big-tech online payments company, Stripe. Starting her career back in 2005 cold calling prospects with a phone book, Jeanne has come a long way since then, developing her skillset with tech startups like Google and Dialpad. During her time at Stripe, she has developed a sales framework using a groundbreaking data-driven approach to feed its outbound strategy as well as its content. Learn all about Jeanne’s success story in Google and how it helped her plant the seeds and inklings that inspired her to build the game-changing market machine at Stripe.Podcast Summary: 2:18 - How Jeanne’s father played a huge influence upon her to go into tech and the trip to Napa that changed her life. 04:28 - How she went from a sales rep at a small firm to landing a job at a yet-to-IPO search startup called Google. 06:24 - What working on the early Gmail team taught Jeanne about effectiveness and influencing people in product and engineering.10:09 - Jeanne’s ultimate career goal, getting an MBA at Stanford, and returning to work on the G Suite. 14:47 - A new challenge for Jeanne: moving to Sydney and growing revenues for Google’s Asia Pacific exploding region. 17:17 - Going back to Google’s headquarters, heading up sales in America and rethinking the company’s sales model.18:43 - Leaving Google and pursuing Jeanne’s new long-term goal as the CRO of a young company, now known as Dialpad.20:11 - What it’s like to not work at Google, and entering Stripe in 2016 to build its go-to-market machine.Listen to part 2 of the series and figure out how Stripe blends business with data science.This podcast is made possible by Clearbit. To learn more go to clearbit.comCreditsGround Truth is a production of Dogpatch Advisors. This episode was written by Jack Buehrer from Campfire Labs, sound engineering and studio space provided by TJ Bonaventura and Julian Lewis from StudioPod, editing and mixing by Jorge Gonzalez from Nodalab, video production by Nick Shaheen from Above Treeline Studios and cover art by Eric Miller.

Sales is often the last function in a company to truly harness the power of data. We want to change that by sharing the success stories of the modern companies that have achieved greatness through innovation in data analysis.Welcome to Ground Truth by Dogpatch Advisors, a podcast about company builders, leadership, and how operators use data to build the future of sales. Ground Truth is hosted by Mercy Bell alongside Kyle Williams and Ben Salzman. Check out groundtruthpod.com for other episodes and a deeper dive into each story. The Ground Truth Podcast is about to take the business world by storm, not only by providing impactful advice from top guests’ expertise but also by inspiring all hungry and ambitious listeners out there. We are glad to be part of the future of sales.