We sit down with one of Silicon Valley’s finest serial entrepreneurs, Ion Stoica. He is the co-founder of Databricks, and is also a tenured professor at UC Berkeley where he currently leads the RISELab which is focused on developing tech for real time intelligence and secure executions.
SHOW NOTES
00:00 – Start
02:00 – How did you get your start? Did you always want to be an entrepreneur? Did you always want to be in Tech?
03:20 – Have there been any specific inflection points in your life that have helped define who you are today as an entrepreneur? Are there any key attributes you can think of that have made you successful along the way?
05:20 – Have you received any feedback that was difficult to hear but was impactful for you in your career?
06:25 – As a leader of AMPLab and RISELab, I’m sure you’ve had the opportunity to groom some of the most innovative minds in tech.
09:10 – At Daversa we talk about the importance of storytelling. In past interviews, you’ve emphasized on storytelling, especially when it comes to fundraising. Can you walk us through how you’ve constructed and told the Databricks story when you walked into VC firms? What was the emphasis of your story and what did you make sure the people listening came away with?
11:57 – The market is insane right now. After Databricks and the latest raise early this year, can you give us some insight into the company’s strategy in the near future? Do you see an IPO on the horizon?
13:19 – What does the future of open-source look like from your perspective?
17:43 – As we begin to live life post-pandemic, what’s your stance on remote working and productivity?
18:43 – What do you think is the most challenging part of your job? Where do you have the most fun?
19:32 – What advice would you give to the next generation of tech leaders?
21:28 – End