Index Ventures

Index Ventures has raised $2.3bn in new funds—an $800m venture fund and a $1.5 billion growth fund. This capital will be deployed at a pivotal moment for the startup ecosystem, with the rise of: 🧠 Transformative technologies: Rapid advancements in AI and beyond are reshaping industries 🌍 Global talent: Deeper, more diverse pools of expertise 📈 Proven playbooks: Established strategies for hyper-growth These factors are converging and compounding to create unprecedented opportunities for founders around the world. Our thanks go out to our LPs for their continuous support, as well as to the founders past, present and future who choose to partner with us. Your trust and success have made this possible. Here’s a taste of what you’ve achieved so far: 🚀 108 Index-backed reached a $1bn valuation 🎉 23 surpassed a valuation of $10bn 🌐 57 have IPO’d 💪 200,000 jobs created Thank you! We're excited to forge new relationships and back the next generation of iconic startups. https://lnkd.in/gAGC5sqQ

Prior to his time at Index, Partner Vlad Loktev spent a decade at Airbnb working closely with CEO Brian Chesky to scale the company through its many stages of product growth. In his recent interview on Lenny’s Podcast, Vlad shares some of the top tips he learned working with Brian that have stuck with him and become go-to advice for founders he works with today. One of those key lessons: embrace the chaos. Read more in Business Insider’s recap of the interview 👇 https://lnkd.in/gCAKMyZd 

🎟 Today is the last chance to apply to join founders and leaders Akshay Kothari from Notion, Antoine Le Nel from Revolut, Roy Reznik from Wiz and Index Partners Danny Rimer, Hannah Seal and Julia Andre for a conversation about scaling teams. Apply now to attend, from 3pm on Sept 10 in central London: https://lnkd.in/e4FvupE4 You will leave with many actionable insights that will help you figure out how to find, hire, retain and lead people. You will also get your own copy Scaling Through Chaos, the most extensive research on scaling teams ever conducted, underpinned by an analysis of 200 successful companies. Don’t want to wait? Read the Scaling Through Chaos book online (https://lnkd.in/eCMmpgBv) and dive into the data with TeamPlan (https://lnkd.in/gzs6bvCA), an org design benchmarking tool to hire the right people, in the right roles, at the right time. #scalingthroughchaos

I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Lenny Rachitsky for 5+ years and it was really fun to reminisce on some of the good ol’ times we shared at Airbnb. It’s crazy how time flies but many lessons from scaling stay with you and turn out to be applicable to just about anything you do. If you check out this episode you’ll hear just a few of the things I get to chat through with the early stage founders I’m lucky to meet every day. And if you are building and want to connect, hit me up! Thank you for having me Lenny Rachitsky. ❤️

Vlad Loktev taught me more about product management than anyone else I've ever worked with, and is responsible for the biggest inflection in my PM career. Vlad spent 10 years at Airbnb where he started as an IC PM and quickly advanced to lead product, and then GM the entire Airbnb homes business, managing over 1,000 people and reporting directly to CEO Brian Chesky. He recently left Airbnb and joined Index Ventures as their newest partner. Prior to Airbnb, Vlad spent a year at Zynga, where he helped grow Words with Friends to over 14 million daily active users. In our conversation, we discuss: 🔸 Insight into Brian Chesky’s leadership style 🔸 Why success as a PM is all about impact, impact, impact 🔸 Why chaos can be good 🔸 Why as a leader it’s OK to let some fires burn 🔸 Why you should learn to “poke the bear” 🔸 Balancing product release speed with quality 🔸 Lessons on prioritization, decision-making, and organizational design 🔸 Advice for founders on building company culture 🔸 Much more Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gMrECh5z - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gG8yRXh2 - Apple: https://lnkd.in/g8rKdAjm Some key takeaways: 1. Relentlessly focus on impact. Start by identifying the highest priorities for your organization or team. Each day, ask yourself: What are the most critical tasks or projects that align with these priorities? Ensure your efforts are directly contributing to these goals. 2. Don’t be afraid to “poke the bear”: When you have a strong opinion or concern, don’t shy away from voicing it, even if it challenges the status quo. Poking the bear means confronting difficult issues constructively and openly, which can drive meaningful change and improvements. 3. Lead with curiosity and dial down advocacy: When entering a conversation or meeting, start by asking open-ended questions to understand others’ perspectives fully. This approach shows respect for differing opinions and helps you gather important information. Only after you have actively listened and absorbed the other viewpoints should you advocate for your own perspective. 4. Let some fires burn. You can’t address everything at once, and if you feel a need to do so, that’s a sign you don’t understand what’s most important for your business. You need to be explicit with yourself and your team about what the priorities are and what you’re willing to let burn in service of them. Aligning on this in advance will help you resist the urge to put out fires as they start. 5. Two tools to help you calm your mind: a. The serenity prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” b. The shit bucket: Designate a specific place, like a physical trash can or a digital file, as your ‘shit bucket’ for frustrations and issues you can’t change.

A lesson Index Partner Vlad Loktev has carried with him throughout his career: let fires burn. “You have to be okay with things not going well so you can dedicate most of your energy on the few things that actually matter.” During his tenure at Airbnb where he quickly advanced to lead the company’s core business, Vlad’s product and leadership approach made him stand out: just ask his former colleague Lenny Rachitsky. In the latest episode of Lenny’s Podcast, Vlad and Lenny reminisce on some of the best lessons learned working at a high-growth company like Airbnb and how they’ve translated to his work guiding founders today, including: ❓ Vlad’s beliefs in “inquiry vs. advocacy”, and why questioning everything is one of the best paths towards growth 💥 Why it’s a common instinct to create chaos during moments of peace – and why this can be a helpful exercise in pushing a company forward 🔥 Distinguishing which fires are worth burning – and which ones should never slip 🤝  The role company values and culture play in every stage of a company’s lifecycle, and how to constantly evolve hiring and org design to suit any phase Catch up on their conversation below.  https://lnkd.in/gdqK44-f

Super excited to visit London (after 7 years!) If you're in the area, come by this fun event we're hosting with our friends at Index Ventures on Sept 10th: https://lnkd.in/gAV2j9SA

For Index Partner Sofia Dolfe, San Francisco has an energy unlike any other. “The mentality in the Bay Area is unique. There’s what I would call a permission to dream... That atmosphere is particularly energizing right now given everything happening with AI. We’re still in the early stages and just scratching the surface of what we can do with this powerful technology. Being in an environment that encourages big thinking at this point in time will lead to truly transformational companies being created.” Hot off her move to San Francisco, we caught up with Sofia on her approach to investing, the curiosity she has for the newest opportunities in AI, and what qualities she looks for in founders. https://lnkd.in/gSWtPWh9

Congrats, Phaidra - it's great to see another major customer leverage your tech to optimize data centers and hit sustainability goals. 👏

“Having a CISO as early as $50 million in revenue is a must. In terms of what makes a CISO the right fit, there’s no one-size-fits-all checklist. A CISO’s ideal background will depend on the business’s needs.” For many founders, focusing on their product, team, and go-to-market strategy occupy most of their mental real estate in the early days of building a company. But, as Index Partner Shardul Shah shares in today’s Fortune Term Sheet, if they dream of ever making it to the IPO milestone, security needs to be a priority from day one. That starts with the right security leadership, and only increases in importance as a company gets closer to a potential public listing. Read more of Shardul’s interview in today’s Fortune Term Sheet 📰 https://lnkd.in/grMBigk6