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cover of episode 326: The Startup Survival Guide—Avoiding Costly Mistakes, Scaling Smarter, and Planning Your Exit with Mona Sabet, SVP at GCG

326: The Startup Survival Guide—Avoiding Costly Mistakes, Scaling Smarter, and Planning Your Exit with Mona Sabet, SVP at GCG

2025/3/10
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AI and the Future of Work
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Mona Sabet: 我在硅谷工作了二十多年，在软件、硬件和制造业等多个科技领域担任过领导职务。我亲眼目睹了企业在发展过程中不断重复犯同样的错误，这些错误在不同阶段有所不同，但都阻碍了企业的扩展和成功退出。在《Sail to Scale》一书中，我和我的合著者总结了18个常见的创业公司错误，这些错误可能导致公司失败。其中，在启动阶段，不理解MVP（最小可行产品）的真正含义是致命的错误；在转型阶段，未能识别团队对错误方向的承诺（错误承诺）是致命的错误；在扩展阶段，创始人未能成功转型为CEO，无法适应公司发展的新阶段也是致命的错误；在退出阶段，将收购视为交易而非战略，没有提前规划退出也是致命的错误。当前AI领域投资过热，存在泡沫，许多公司将面临倒闭的风险。对于那些计划在未来12到18个月内退出的公司，我建议他们应该提前规划退出战略，清晰地展现自身差异化优势，并根据收购方的需求调整自身定位，而不是仅仅关注自身业务。此外，科技行业中存在严重的品牌偏见，这导致女性在招聘和晋升中处于劣势。我们需要改变这种现状，关注候选人的技能和能力，而不是仅仅依靠品牌和过往经历。 Dan Turchin: 作为AI和未来工作播客的主持人，我与Mona Sabet就AI创业公司发展、退出策略以及科技行业女性领导力等话题进行了深入探讨。Mona Sabet分享了她在多个科技公司担任领导职务的经验，以及她在《Sail to Scale》一书中总结的创业公司常见错误。她强调了在不同发展阶段避免错误的重要性，以及创始人需要转变思维方式，从创始人角色转变为CEO角色，才能成功扩展公司。她还指出，当前AI领域存在投资过热现象，这与以往的科技泡沫类似，泡沫破裂后许多公司将倒闭。此外，她还分享了她对科技行业女性领导力问题的看法，并建议改变品牌偏见，关注候选人的技能和能力。

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Mona Sabet is the co-author of Sail to Scale: Steering Startups Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit and currently serves as SVP, Strategy, Projects, and Operations at GCG. With a track record of driving growth and strategic transformations, she has held executive roles at VulcanForms, UserTesting, and Cadence Design Systems. At UserTesting, she played a pivotal role in securing $100M in funding, leading acquisitions, taking the company public, and negotiating its $1.3B sale to Thoma Bravo. Beyond her corporate leadership, Mona is a passionate advocate for women in tech, law, and policy, having co-founded ChIPsNetwork.org and leading HiPower, a community dedicated to empowering executive women shaping the future of technology.

In this conversation, we discuss:

  • The critical mistakes startups make at different growth stages—Mona shares insights from Sail to Scale on why companies struggle to scale and how to avoid common pitfalls.
  • How founders should "fire themselves" to scale effectively—Why transitioning from founder to CEO requires a mindset shift, and the biggest mistakes leaders make in this process.
  • The AI bubble: hype vs. reality—Mona explains why overfunding in AI-first companies mirrors past tech bubbles and what it means for the future of the industry.
  • Why acquisitions should be a long-term strategy, not a last-minute decision—The importance of planning exits early and why companies that wait too long often fail to sell at the right valuation.
  • The evolving landscape of M&A and IPOs—How companies can differentiate themselves in a crowded market of late-stage startups waiting for an exit.
  • The unseen biases keeping women out of leadership—Mona’s perspective on why brand bias impacts diversity in tech and what leaders can do to create real change.

Resources:

  • Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter)
  • Connect with Mona on LinkedIn) 
  • AI fun fact article)
  • On How to how AI is changing the entertainment industry)