Running Through Walls

Healthcare industry veteran George Barrett joins Venrock partner Bob Kocher to discuss how the U.S. handled the unprecedented demand for PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barrett explains the significance of examining all components at the supply chain level to create a system that is more flexible and resilient. They also delve into Barrett...

Venrock partner David Pakman speaks with Roham Gharegozlou, CEO and founder of Dapper Labs about launching CryptoKitties, one of the world's first and most successful blockchain games, and shares his predictions for how crypto gaming will evolve in the next decade. They also discuss the launch of NBA Top Shot, a new kind of digital collectible that capitalizes on consumer affinity for collecting a...

Following up on their discussion of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, Venrock partner Bryan Roberts speaks with Mathai Mammen, Global Head of R&D at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, about Mammen's career path and what differences he's found working on drug development in both small companies and large companies. Managing 14,000 people has its challenges, but the scale i...

Venrock partner Bryan Roberts chats with Mathai Mammen about COVID-19 vaccine development and therapeutics in this special episode of Running Through Walls. Mammen serves as the Global Head of R&D at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, where he is heading up the firm's COVID-19 vaccine development. They discuss J&J's unique approach to the vaccine and which therapeutics are...

Allison Pickens, former COO at Gainsight and co-author of "The Customer Success Economy: Why Every Aspect of Your Business Model Needs A Paradigm Shift" joins Venrock Partner Brian Ascher to discuss the new and increasingly important function of customer success for SaaS companies. They discuss how customer success differs from customer support, how working with customers has evolved, what startup...

Venrock Partner Bob Kocher speaks with Ezekiel Emanuel, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, about Emanuel's upbringing and family, how to deliver better patient care and implications of data/AI for medical ethics. They speak about their time working together in the Obama White House on the Affordable...

10x Genomics CEO and co-founder Serge Saxonov joins Venrock's Bryan Roberts to discuss the founding of the company and its recent IPO. Saxonov shares his story of emigrating from Tajikistan to New York City as a teenager, learning English and becoming an entrepreneur. He talks candidly about how he's grown as a leader over his six years as CEO of the company and how the company's technology has ev...

Paul Koenig founded SRS Acquiom to make M&A deals more manageable for entrepreneurs. Venrock partner Brian Ascher speaks with Koenig about what he's learned from seeing thousands of deals, including best practices for shareholder reps, common misconceptions about due diligence, and trends in all-cash vs. stock offers. They also discuss how entrepreneurs can set the stage for a smoother M&A process...

Adam Boehler, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and former Deputy Administrator for Innovation & Quality at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sits down with Venrock's Bob Kocher to talk about the business of healthcare. He shares his journey from venture to founder to government, and he offers lessons learned in the shift to a value-based healthcare p...

Venrock's David Pakman speaks with Misty Robotics Founder and Head of Product Ian Bernstein and CEO Tim Enwall about the launch of Misty II and the company's evolution into a platform for developers. They discuss what sparked their initial interest in robotics and the various ways a robot can help people at home, from eldercare and cleaning to any other application that developers can dream up. Th...

Venrock's DJ Patil speaks with Secretary Ash Carter, who served as the 25th Secretary of Defense in the Obama administration, about his experience in national security, technology and management. He shares how he successfully introduced new technologies to the Pentagon while earning the nickname "The Deliverer." He discusses his new book, "Inside the 5-Sided Box: Lessons from a Lifetime of Leaders...

Venrock Partner Bob Kocher sat down with Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness in front of a live audience during the launch of their latest book "The Passion Paradox" at the offices of Lyra Health. They talked about cultivating a harmonious passion based on research that counters the conventional wisdom to find and follow your passions. "The Passion Paradox" is available on Amazon .

Ed and Todd Park join Venrock's Bryan Roberts to continue their conversation about fixing the big problems in healthcare. In the second part of our two-part episode, the Park brothers examine rewiring the healthcare stack for the inevitable shift to a value-based care paradigm. They talk about their success with their latest venture Devoted Health, including how they build and motivate a workforce...

Todd and Ed Park, serial entrepreneurs in health IT, sit down with Venrock partner Bryan Roberts to discuss their early experiences founding athenahealth. Todd and Ed look back at how the company evolved from a women's health clinic to a provider of practice management services. Tune in to find out their advice for new entrepreneurs, the mistakes that shaped their path, and the core team that help...

Kathleen Sebelius joins Venrock partner Bob Kocher for this episode of Running Through Walls. Kathleen is a former Governor of Kansas and was Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama. They discuss her upbringing in a political family, what led her to pursue a career in public service herself, and lessons learned from the implementation and subsequent fix of He...

Todd Brinton, cardiologist and co-founder of Shockwave, spoke with Venrock's Colin Cahill to discuss his journey from studying bioengineering to starting medical device company Shockwave. He shares the ups and downs of applying to medical school, how he decided to veer off the traditional medical path, and why he values mentorship. They also discuss bringing Shockwave to market and the tremendous...

Venrock partner David Pakman speaks with CoinFund's Jake Brukhman and Aleksandr (Alex) Bulkin about their path to the crypto space, projects they have worked on, as well as the challenges they have faced. The crypto ecosystem is still early in its evolution and there is a lot of room for improvement, but what will catalyze widespread adoption? David, Jake and Alex also discuss opportunities for in...

Jessica Neal, Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, joined Partner Tom Willerer for a special event at Venrock's office to discuss culture, hiring and what early-stage founders need to think about when building their teams. Tom and Jessica discuss some of the unique features of Netflix's culture and share their advice on all things HR/culture with the audience.

Hamilton Helmer, strategy expert and author of "7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy" joins Venrock partner Tom Willerer for part two of their conversation, applying the 7 Powers framework to three iconic organizations: Tesla, Stanford University and Netflix.         

Hamilton Helmer, strategy expert and author of "7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy" joins Venrock partner Tom Willerer for part one of their discussion about business strategy and Helmer's book. They discuss each power, why it matters, and how much attention early-stage founders should be paying to strategy. 

Venrock's Megan Blewett speaks with Harvard chemistry professor EJ Corey about his childhood growing up in the Great Depression, what led him to pursue chemistry as a career, and how he became interested in human health. They discuss the day Professor Corey found out he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1990, and he shares his perspective on mentorship, having mentored more than 700 students ove...

Daphne Koller, co-founder of Coursera and professor of Computer Science at Stanford, joins Venrock's Tom Willerer to discuss her experience as a first-time founder. Daphne shares how her desire to make the world a better place led her to found Coursera, providing broader access to education for millions of users. She also discusses the decision to create a for-profit company vs. non-profit and why...

Dr. Bob Harrington, an interventional cardiologist and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University, speaks with Venrock's Dr. Bob Kocher about his passion for coagulation and thrombosis (seriously, he loves it) and his involvement with Gusto, a clinical trial that changed the way doctors treat heart attack patients. Bob also talks about working with an executive coach to develop...

Maria Eitel, founder and co-chair of the Nike Foundation, joins Venrock's Bryan Roberts to discuss the Time's Up movement and recent cultural shifts in the workplace. Maria shares her journey from working in the White House to founding The Girl Effect, and the simple formula girls need to be successful. She also discusses the importance of creating shared spaces where men are involved in the conve...

Venrock partner Brian Ascher speaks with Randy Womack, a seasoned executive who has served as both COO and CEO in several companies, including his current role as co-founder and CEO at Socrates.ai. They discuss the "Sheryl" effect, what to look for when hiring a COO, and when is the best time to introduce the COO role into a company. As CEO at Socrates.ai, he shares the difference between the two...