The underdog Jerry Yang told to stay hungry

Bill Tai agreed to put a few hundred thousand dollars into Treasure Data before the company had much of anything. Tai had backed Zoom. He would later back Canva. He listened to the pitch from three Japanese founders and said yes.

Kazuki Ohta, the company's co-founder, sat through the meeting and did not catch it. Afterward, he asked his co-founder how it had gone. His co-founder explained that Tai had just agreed to invest.

Ohta was 25 and had been in Silicon Valley for only a few months. He was afraid to pick up the phone. He could not call the power company to set up service. He spent the next several years taking English lessons for an hour and a half every day.

"I couldn't speak any English but had nothing to lose," he told the CEO.com Podcast on December 20, 2022.

By that point, Treasure Data had passed $100 million in annual recurring revenue and had more than 700 employees.

Ohta grew up in Japan, where his parents ran a small pharmacy. It was always profitable. He studied computer science at the University of Tokyo, and his professor built the world's fastest supercomputer at the time. Ohta worked on the team that wrote its file system. The machine could only be used by the government. Data, meanwhile, was piling up everywhere else.

"That gave me an opportunity to, one, realize the power of data and two, democratize the power of the data," he said.

He started his first company at 21. It grew from five people to 40 in five years. Then he worked with a Silicon Valley company that went from five people to 500 in three or four years, and he decided he was in the wrong place. "When you play baseball, you want to play in MLB. If you are a software guy, you have to be in Silicon Valley, especially an entrepreneur."

Treasure Data was founded in 2011 by Ohta, Hironobu Yoshikawa, and Sadayuki Furuhashi. Yoshikawa was CEO. Ohta was chief technology officer, responsible for product, engineering, and customer support, by his own account. Sierra Ventures led the Series A in 2013. The idea was that companies should not have to buy hardware, expensive software, and a room full of PhDs to analyze their data. They could rent an analytics stack in the cloud and start that afternoon.

"We pitched this idea to many of the investors, they thought it's a bad idea because they're like, 'Okay, who will throw away the data to the cloud?' But I guess now everyone does."

Jerry Yang, Yahoo's co-founder, came in as an angel investor. Ohta remembers the advice more than the check. Yang told the founders they were nobody in Silicon Valley. Competitors were coming out of Google, Facebook, and Stanford with track records and networks. Treasure Data had neither. They would have to be the underdog and hungry about it.

Ten years later, Ohta said, most of those competitors were gone. "We really focus on customers. We listened to what they wanted; they guided and navigated us in the market, and we really built our product and business for them."

Ohta also co-founded the Japanese Hadoop User Group, the largest in the world, and was one of the main developers behind Fluentd, the open-source data collector the company built, according to Treasure Data. When he needed the best database mind he knew, he went back to the university and spent three years recruiting a professor. The professor eventually joined and now works on the engineering team that processes trillions of records a day.

In August 2018, Arm bought the company and made it part of its Pelion IoT platform, Arm announced at the time. Terms were not disclosed. TechCrunch cited Bloomberg reporting that put the price around $600 million. Ohta became vice president of technology in Arm's data services unit and spent his time on post-merger integration: culture, HR, engineering, support, IT.

The company separated from Arm on June 25, 2021, and became part of SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Treasure Data announced that July. Ohta came back as CEO. Yoshikawa came back as executive chairman. Dan Weirich, who had been CFO from 2014 to 2018, came back as COO and CFO. That November, the company raised $234 million led by SoftBank Corp., the largest single round for a customer data platform to that point.

The recession

Ohta spoke to CEO.com as 2022 was ending. He had just come from a company all-hands, where he told employees that Google and Amazon survived the dot-com crash and that many good companies were built in 2008.

"It's not like Charles Darwin, but the strongest species is someone who can adjust."

His read on the market was that money had become a commodity. Everyone could raise. Everyone became a unicorn. Companies priced at 100 times revenue were being repriced at eight, and the founders behind them now had to grow 10 or 12 times over or become profitable. "For a lot of CEOs and companies, all of a sudden, it's like, 'Oh, okay, let's focus on it.'"

The pharmacy came up here. "I was like, 'Okay, those Silicon Valley companies were always losing money but still getting a lot of valuation.'" Treasure Data, he said, had always been frugal. One line of business is profitable. The other is not, and that is the one the company is investing in.

Treasure Data was also cutting its own software vendors, from 180 tools down to 130. "If your tool or business is not providing the actual business value, you will be consolidated or getting rid of it."

On going public: "IPO is just a milestone, not the goal. The company has to build a long-term sustainable growth engine rather than, 'Okay, we'll make up some number for the IPO and be done.'"

Consent

Ten years ago the goal in Ohta's business was to collect everything about everyone. Then Europe passed GDPR, California passed CCPA, and by his count 150 of 200 countries now have consumer data protection laws.

"It's not a big data era anymore. You have to get the consent from the users, how the data gets collected and used, and use the data along with it."

Treasure Data's customers are large brands, and through them the company handles data on a majority of the world's internet users. Ohta does not describe that as an asset. "We need to be a custodian of that data. We don't want our customers and brands to abuse the consumer data."

Silicon Valley

Asked whether a founder still has to be in Silicon Valley, Ohta gave two answers.

For money and for executives, yes. Investors are more willing to fund remotely than they were, but the Bay Area still has the highest odds. And the people who know how to take a software company from $10 million to $100 million to $1 billion, the ones who did it at Salesforce and Adobe and LinkedIn and Dropbox, mostly still live there.

For engineers, no. Treasure Data's engineering team is distributed and asynchronous, with hubs in Silicon Valley, Tokyo, London, and Vancouver. "The best talent is everywhere."

The chance

Every CEO.com Podcast episode ends with the same question: who gave you a chance?

Ohta was the only one in his graduating class who went to a startup. Everyone else joined a large company. He had no one to ask about business. A group of executives in the Japanese software industry, 10 or 20 years older, started inviting him to their meetups. One of them, Masaki, became something like a teacher and introduced him to the country's technology leaders. He is now, Ohta said, chief technology officer for the Japanese government.

Then Tai, who funded a founder who could not understand the word yes. Then Yang, who told him the truth when he was, in Ohta's words, no one.

Since then

At the time of the interview, Treasure Data had about 50 of the Global 2000 as customers. Ohta counted that as 1,950 to go.

On April 20, 2026, the company became Treasure AI and launched a platform in which AI agents build customer segments and run campaigns, with humans reviewing the output before anything goes live. The announcement positions it against what it calls legacy marketing clouds. Ohta is still CEO. Yoshikawa is still chairman. Weirich is still COO and CFO.

00:00:00 Kaz Ohta's Journey From Japan to Silicon Valley
00:01:40 What It Means to Democratize Data
00:03:12 Arriving in the US Without Speaking English
00:05:43 Scaling From 3 People to $100 Million ARR
00:07:25 Building Great Companies in Difficult Times
00:09:58 Why Focus Matters More Than Ever
00:13:13 Data Privacy and the End of Big Data Era
00:15:21 Thinking About Exits and IPO Timing
00:17:01 How Kaz's Leadership Style Evolved
00:19:06 Is Silicon Valley Still Essential Today
00:22:47 The People Who Gave Kaz a Chance
00:25:31 The Future Growth Opportunity for Treasure Data

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So<00:03:42.707> calling<00:03:43.109> with<00:03:43.269> PG&E,<00:03:45.099> open<00:03:45.291> up<00:03:45.436> the<00:03:45.596> internet,<00:03:46.559> I<00:03:46.703> had<00:03:46.816> a<00:03:47.041> lot<00:03:47.378> of<00:03:47.442> struggle,<00:03:48.806> right?

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And,<00:03:50.154> uh,<00:03:50.411> but<00:03:50.908> at<00:03:50.972> the<00:03:51.053> same<00:03:51.293> time,<00:03:51.839> I<00:03:52.000> was<00:03:52.481> really<00:03:52.898> inspired<00:03:53.701> of<00:03:53.925> building,<00:03:54.327> you<00:03:54.824> know,<00:03:55.145> global<00:03:55.546> software<00:03:55.947> company.

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Um,<00:03:57.938> I<00:03:57.970> started<00:03:58.435> my<00:03:58.660> first<00:03:58.981> company<00:03:59.382> when<00:03:59.542> I<00:03:59.558> was<00:03:59.799> 21.

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And<00:04:01.821> it<00:04:01.886> was<00:04:02.110> all<00:04:02.528> like<00:04:02.993> in<00:04:03.250> Japan,<00:04:04.116> right?

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So<00:04:04.774> we<00:04:04.871> scaled<00:04:05.400> from<00:04:05.657> 5<00:04:05.818> people<00:04:06.363> to<00:04:06.444> 40<00:04:06.941> people<00:04:08.049> within<00:04:08.305> 5<00:04:08.626> years.

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You<00:04:09.429> know,<00:04:09.525> it<00:04:09.589> was<00:04:09.750> okay.

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But<00:04:11.018> then<00:04:11.194> I<00:04:11.339> had<00:04:11.451> an<00:04:11.580> opportunity<00:04:12.318> to<00:04:12.462> work<00:04:12.639> with<00:04:12.799> Silicon<00:04:13.265> Valley-based<00:04:13.826> company<00:04:14.404> who<00:04:14.501> scaled<00:04:14.950> from<00:04:15.287> 5<00:04:15.528> people<00:04:15.849> to<00:04:16.089> 500<00:04:16.892> people<00:04:17.454> in<00:04:17.550> 3,<00:04:17.855> 4<00:04:18.080> years.

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And<00:04:19.315> I<00:04:19.444> was<00:04:19.604> like,<00:04:19.765> okay,<00:04:21.065> I<00:04:21.290> need<00:04:21.546> to<00:04:21.707> be<00:04:22.012> here<00:04:22.830> to<00:04:23.007> start<00:04:23.890> scaling<00:04:24.901> the<00:04:25.061> global<00:04:25.623> software<00:04:26.120> company.

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So,<00:04:27.388> you<00:04:27.469> know,<00:04:27.661> it's<00:04:27.870> like,<00:04:28.046> okay,<00:04:28.287> when<00:04:28.432> you<00:04:28.592> play<00:04:28.913> baseball,<00:04:29.812> you<00:04:29.892> want<00:04:30.021> to<00:04:30.117> play<00:04:30.374> in<00:04:30.615> MLB.

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It's<00:04:31.900> like<00:04:32.125> if<00:04:32.286> you're<00:04:32.527> a<00:04:32.543> software<00:04:33.025> guy,<00:04:33.346> you<00:04:33.426> have<00:04:33.651> to<00:04:33.731> be<00:04:33.764> in<00:04:33.892> Silicon<00:04:34.294> Valley,<00:04:34.631> especially<00:04:35.193> entrepreneur,<00:04:35.916> right?

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So,<00:04:37.346> without<00:04:37.763> thinking<00:04:38.165> too<00:04:38.342> much<00:04:38.647> deeply,<00:04:39.514> I<00:04:39.691> came<00:04:40.012> here<00:04:41.201> and<00:04:42.888> we<00:04:43.064> pitched<00:04:43.386> a<00:04:43.530> lot<00:04:43.723> of<00:04:43.803> investors.

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They<00:04:45.217> all<00:04:45.474> first<00:04:45.795> realized<00:04:46.759> I<00:04:47.000> cannot<00:04:47.417> speak<00:04:47.803> English.

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In<00:04:49.088> fact,<00:04:49.554> one<00:04:49.650> of<00:04:49.747> our<00:04:49.972> angel<00:04:50.229> investors,<00:04:50.759> Bill<00:04:51.000> Tai,<00:04:52.044> actually<00:04:52.381> said<00:04:53.007> yes<00:04:53.987> to<00:04:54.614> our<00:04:54.935> pitch<00:04:55.513> and<00:04:55.819> he<00:04:55.915> decided<00:04:56.477> to<00:04:57.184> put<00:04:57.682> couple<00:04:58.067> hundreds<00:04:58.403> of<00:04:58.596> thousands<00:04:58.900> of<00:04:59.077> dollars.

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He's<00:05:00.007> actually<00:05:00.328> angel<00:05:00.713> investor<00:05:01.354> for<00:05:01.546> Zoom,<00:05:02.156> for<00:05:02.236> example,<00:05:02.990> or<00:05:03.070> Canva,<00:05:03.920> right?

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Really<00:05:05.299> well-known<00:05:05.780> angel<00:05:06.020> investor.

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But<00:05:07.544> then<00:05:08.362> I<00:05:08.506> actually<00:05:09.292> couldn't<00:05:10.575> understand<00:05:11.553> what<00:05:11.874> he<00:05:12.034> said,<00:05:12.740> but<00:05:12.980> my<00:05:13.140> co-founder<00:05:14.119> did.

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And<00:05:15.305> after<00:05:15.562> the<00:05:15.642> meeting,<00:05:16.123> I<00:05:16.364> asked<00:05:16.588> my<00:05:16.749> co-founder,<00:05:17.326> hey,<00:05:17.887> it<00:05:17.951> looks<00:05:18.128> like<00:05:18.352> the<00:05:18.432> meeting<00:05:18.689> went<00:05:18.849> well.

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How<00:05:19.330> was<00:05:19.555> it?

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And<00:05:20.453> my<00:05:20.693> co-founder<00:05:21.094> here<00:05:21.319> is<00:05:21.479> like,<00:05:21.880> you<00:05:21.992> know,<00:05:22.137> because<00:05:23.019> he<00:05:23.099> actually<00:05:23.404> said<00:05:23.885> yes<00:05:24.061> to<00:05:24.302> our<00:05:24.879> investment,<00:05:26.210> right?

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So<00:05:27.508> there's<00:05:27.813> a<00:05:27.829> lot<00:05:27.990> of<00:05:28.070> funny<00:05:28.326> story,<00:05:29.112> but<00:05:30.298> long<00:05:30.475> story<00:05:30.715> short,<00:05:31.277> for<00:05:31.341> the<00:05:31.501> first<00:05:31.758> few<00:05:32.062> years,<00:05:32.704> I<00:05:32.880> took<00:05:33.185> English<00:05:33.682> lesson<00:05:34.227> for<00:05:34.467> almost<00:05:35.365> an<00:05:35.510> hour<00:05:35.686> and<00:05:35.750> a<00:05:35.927> half<00:05:36.488> every<00:05:36.664> single<00:05:37.049> day.

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So<00:05:38.508> spend<00:05:39.117> a<00:05:39.294> lot<00:05:39.631> of<00:05:39.759> time<00:05:40.031> just<00:05:40.416> to<00:05:40.657> catch<00:05:40.977> up<00:05:41.138> the<00:05:41.218> life<00:05:41.458> here.

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What<00:05:43.238> has<00:05:43.383> it<00:05:43.463> been<00:05:43.687> like<00:05:43.928> to<00:05:43.960> scale<00:05:44.746> from<00:05:45.627> just<00:05:46.108> 2<00:05:46.269> to<00:05:46.413> 3<00:05:46.590> people<00:05:46.910> in<00:05:46.990> the<00:05:47.071> company<00:05:47.536> to<00:05:47.632> as<00:05:47.872> big<00:05:48.049> as<00:05:48.177> you<00:05:48.417> are<00:05:48.738> now?

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$100<00:05:50.438> million<00:05:50.999> ARR<00:05:51.159> is<00:05:51.496> no<00:05:51.721> joke.

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Yeah,<00:05:54.193> I<00:05:54.209> mean,<00:05:55.414> don't<00:05:55.655> know,<00:05:55.816> of<00:05:55.976> course<00:05:56.282> we<00:05:56.362> had<00:05:56.539> a<00:05:56.683> lot<00:05:56.924> of<00:05:57.101> luck,<00:05:57.743> right?

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A<00:05:58.370> lot<00:05:58.562> of<00:05:58.691> people<00:05:59.269> ended<00:05:59.526> up<00:05:59.687> supporting<00:06:00.217> us.

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For<00:06:01.116> example,<00:06:01.695> Jerry<00:06:02.080> Yang,<00:06:02.707> who<00:06:02.803> is<00:06:03.044> the<00:06:03.365> founder<00:06:03.767> of<00:06:04.008> Yahoo<00:06:04.425> search<00:06:04.891> engine,<00:06:06.256> actually<00:06:06.738> helped<00:06:07.124> us<00:06:08.120> scaling<00:06:08.650> the<00:06:08.730> company.

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We<00:06:09.855> had<00:06:09.967> an<00:06:10.128> amazing<00:06:10.818> investor<00:06:11.718> too.

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I<00:06:13.244> think<00:06:13.549> what<00:06:13.790> worked<00:06:14.111> out<00:06:14.352> really<00:06:14.609> well<00:06:15.075> is<00:06:16.440> when<00:06:16.537> we<00:06:16.681> started<00:06:17.002> the<00:06:17.083> company,<00:06:18.047> Every<00:06:18.384> day<00:06:18.770> they<00:06:18.866> are<00:06:18.946> like,<00:06:19.348> oh,<00:06:20.055> there<00:06:20.167> is<00:06:20.296> a<00:06:20.392> competitor<00:06:21.099> coming<00:06:21.501> out<00:06:21.678> from<00:06:21.999> like<00:06:22.304> ex-Google<00:06:22.963> employee,<00:06:23.670> ex-Facebook<00:06:24.490> employee.

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Oh,<00:06:25.855> the<00:06:26.096> group<00:06:26.482> of<00:06:26.643> computer<00:06:26.996> scientists<00:06:27.783> from<00:06:29.005> Stanford<00:06:29.696> came<00:06:30.017> out<00:06:30.338> and<00:06:30.499> then<00:06:30.917> pursuing<00:06:31.334> similar<00:06:31.800> idea.

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And<00:06:33.552> we<00:06:33.728> were<00:06:33.969> a<00:06:34.114> group<00:06:34.355> of<00:06:34.435> people<00:06:34.934> who<00:06:35.158> come<00:06:35.560> from<00:06:35.978> nowhere.

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We<00:06:37.424> didn't<00:06:37.810> have<00:06:38.067> a<00:06:38.211> lot<00:06:38.404> of<00:06:38.549> background<00:06:39.175> working<00:06:39.657> for<00:06:40.075> like<00:06:40.537> a<00:06:40.557> large<00:06:40.959> tech<00:06:41.200> company,<00:06:42.164> right?

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So<00:06:43.064> no<00:06:43.289> track<00:06:43.530> record.

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And,<00:06:45.455> you<00:06:45.552> know,<00:06:45.920> after<00:06:46.241> 10<00:06:46.498> years,<00:06:47.156> a<00:06:47.220> lot<00:06:47.444> of<00:06:47.541> competitors<00:06:48.118> are<00:06:48.262> gone,<00:06:49.546> right?

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And<00:06:51.134> I<00:06:51.390> think<00:06:51.952> when<00:06:52.176> it<00:06:52.353> comes<00:06:52.690> to,<00:06:53.957> you<00:06:54.053> know,<00:06:54.502> why<00:06:54.839> this<00:06:55.144> is<00:06:55.401> happening,<00:06:56.507> we<00:06:56.748> really<00:06:57.085> focus<00:06:57.550> on<00:06:57.710> customers,<00:06:59.331> right?

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We<00:07:00.678> listen<00:07:01.095> what<00:07:01.336> they<00:07:01.480> want.

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They<00:07:03.325> guided<00:07:03.902> and<00:07:04.063> navigated<00:07:04.929> us<00:07:05.410> in<00:07:05.506> the<00:07:05.667> market,<00:07:06.854> right?

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And<00:07:08.073> we<00:07:08.233> really<00:07:08.714> build<00:07:09.180> our<00:07:09.340> product<00:07:09.934> and<00:07:10.158> business<00:07:10.720> for<00:07:10.960> them.

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Not<00:07:12.083> like<00:07:12.404> we're<00:07:12.644> trying<00:07:13.045> to<00:07:13.206> build<00:07:13.671> ourselves<00:07:14.329> and<00:07:14.473> then<00:07:14.714> let<00:07:15.035> them<00:07:15.291> use<00:07:15.612> it,<00:07:16.157> right?

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So<00:07:17.778> the<00:07:17.938> customer<00:07:18.564> obsession<00:07:19.542> really<00:07:19.927> mattered<00:07:20.569> last<00:07:20.842> 10<00:07:21.146> years,<00:07:22.013> and<00:07:22.269> it<00:07:22.430> will<00:07:22.670> be<00:07:23.055> for<00:07:23.135> the<00:07:23.167> next<00:07:23.472> 10<00:07:23.713> years<00:07:24.034> too.

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How<00:07:25.798> do<00:07:25.943> you—<00:07:26.985> how<00:07:27.178> are<00:07:27.386> you<00:07:27.627> preparing<00:07:28.910> for,<00:07:29.472> you<00:07:29.568> know,<00:07:29.728> just<00:07:29.953> the<00:07:30.113> economic<00:07:30.835> uncertainty<00:07:31.717> that,<00:07:32.038> you<00:07:32.070> know,<00:07:32.295> we're—<00:07:32.696> everyone's<00:07:33.097> talking<00:07:33.418> about<00:07:33.642> heading<00:07:33.899> into<00:07:34.124> 2023?

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And<00:07:35.968> also,<00:07:36.305> like,<00:07:36.706> what<00:07:36.851> advice<00:07:37.348> would<00:07:37.508> you<00:07:37.733> have<00:07:38.857> for<00:07:39.585> other<00:07:39.909> companies<00:07:40.410> and<00:07:40.556> other<00:07:40.734> tech<00:07:40.961> companies<00:07:41.381> on<00:07:41.608> kind<00:07:41.770> of<00:07:41.802> how<00:07:41.948> to<00:07:42.029> future-proof<00:07:43.243> their<00:07:43.485> business?

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Yeah,<00:07:45.694> that's<00:07:45.904> a<00:07:45.921> great<00:07:46.099> point.

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You<00:07:46.990> know,<00:07:47.719> I<00:07:47.800> just<00:07:48.042> had<00:07:48.188> a<00:07:48.204> company<00:07:48.836> all-hands<00:07:49.581> and<00:07:49.727> I<00:07:49.905> was<00:07:50.148> telling<00:07:50.472> this<00:07:50.699> story.

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Great<00:07:52.134> companies<00:07:53.018> are<00:07:53.260> building<00:07:54.610> or<00:07:54.787> gets<00:07:55.029> built<00:07:55.447> in<00:07:55.511> the<00:07:55.672> difficult<00:07:56.267> times,<00:07:57.344> right?

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Google,<00:07:58.953> Amazon<00:07:59.695> survived<00:08:00.332> this<00:08:00.577> dot-com<00:08:01.067> bubble.

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A<00:08:02.389> lot<00:08:02.715> of<00:08:02.781> company<00:08:03.205> gets<00:08:03.532> built<00:08:03.923> during<00:08:04.266> 2008<00:08:05.229> recession.

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What<00:08:07.091> we're<00:08:07.412> doing<00:08:08.295> is<00:08:09.050> it's<00:08:09.339> just<00:08:09.580> like<00:08:09.837> adapting<00:08:10.560> to<00:08:10.656> the<00:08:10.801> change,<00:08:11.684> right?

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You<00:08:12.423> know,<00:08:12.568> it's<00:08:12.793> not<00:08:12.969> like<00:08:13.210> Charles<00:08:13.612> Darwin,<00:08:14.174> but<00:08:14.752> you<00:08:14.832> know,<00:08:15.603> the<00:08:15.684> most<00:08:15.973> strongest<00:08:16.342> species,<00:08:17.290> it's<00:08:17.547> someone<00:08:17.949> who<00:08:18.109> can<00:08:18.511> adjust,<00:08:19.394> right?

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And<00:08:20.824> what<00:08:20.936> we're<00:08:21.161> doing<00:08:21.418> is,<00:08:21.627> for<00:08:21.691> example,<00:08:22.285> we're<00:08:22.526> selling<00:08:22.847> the<00:08:23.008> product<00:08:23.394> into<00:08:23.667> mostly<00:08:24.132> the<00:08:24.293> marketing<00:08:24.855> division,<00:08:26.445> and<00:08:26.686> obviously<00:08:27.248> for<00:08:27.329> the<00:08:27.361> next<00:08:27.730> year<00:08:28.293> they<00:08:28.453> got<00:08:28.774> a<00:08:28.790> lot<00:08:29.128> of<00:08:29.272> budget<00:08:29.818> cut,<00:08:31.184> right?

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Which<00:08:32.308> puts<00:08:32.549> our<00:08:32.726> business<00:08:33.128> into<00:08:33.353> a<00:08:33.449> little<00:08:33.642> bit<00:08:33.835> of<00:08:33.931> risk.

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But<00:08:35.217> what<00:08:35.377> is<00:08:35.458> happening<00:08:35.940> interestingly<00:08:36.968> is<00:08:37.691> they're<00:08:37.948> also<00:08:38.511> increasing<00:08:39.941> the<00:08:40.102> investment<00:08:40.857> into<00:08:41.098> data<00:08:41.741> and<00:08:42.030> analytics<00:08:42.689> because<00:08:43.637> every<00:08:43.894> CEO<00:08:44.858> now<00:08:45.163> is<00:08:45.565> asking<00:08:45.919> about,<00:08:46.529> okay,<00:08:47.815> how<00:08:48.056> is<00:08:48.152> our<00:08:48.313> marketing<00:08:48.795> campaign<00:08:49.197> going,<00:08:49.904> right?

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Is<00:08:51.044> it—<00:08:51.671> is<00:08:51.928> any<00:08:52.250> campaign<00:08:52.973> providing<00:08:53.599> positive<00:08:54.178> ROI<00:08:55.126> or<00:08:55.383> negative<00:08:55.929> ROI,<00:08:56.829> right?

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So<00:08:57.777> everything<00:08:58.275> needs<00:08:58.516> to<00:08:58.660> be<00:08:58.757> measured.

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So<00:09:00.267> I<00:09:00.427> actually<00:09:00.989> think<00:09:01.953> the,<00:09:02.290> for<00:09:02.387> the<00:09:02.451> technology,<00:09:03.254> recession<00:09:04.041> actually<00:09:04.683> helped<00:09:05.422> drive<00:09:05.824> the<00:09:06.547> growth.

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At<00:09:08.217> the<00:09:08.297> same<00:09:08.554> time,<00:09:08.956> it's<00:09:09.100> also<00:09:09.422> true<00:09:09.743> that<00:09:10.064> many<00:09:10.241> of<00:09:10.337> CEO<00:09:10.739> is<00:09:10.867> actually<00:09:11.188> also<00:09:11.670> consolidating<00:09:12.570> a<00:09:12.634> lot<00:09:12.875> of<00:09:13.003> technologies,<00:09:13.678> right?

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Okay.

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For<00:09:15.268> example,<00:09:15.782> in<00:09:15.942> Treasure<00:09:16.328> Data,<00:09:16.649> I<00:09:16.810> have<00:09:16.954> 180<00:09:18.030> SaaS<00:09:18.593> tools<00:09:18.994> available,<00:09:20.359> you<00:09:20.456> know,<00:09:20.680> or<00:09:21.002> using,<00:09:22.672> and<00:09:23.090> we're<00:09:23.315> actually<00:09:23.652> consolidating<00:09:24.455> into<00:09:24.599> 130,<00:09:25.740> right?

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So<00:09:26.928> if<00:09:27.088> your<00:09:27.409> tool<00:09:27.826> or<00:09:27.987> business<00:09:28.468> is<00:09:28.629> not<00:09:29.495> providing<00:09:30.715> the<00:09:31.100> actual<00:09:31.598> business<00:09:31.999> value,<00:09:32.785> you<00:09:32.882> will<00:09:33.042> be<00:09:33.203> consolidated<00:09:34.149> or<00:09:34.246> getting<00:09:34.631> rid<00:09:34.791> of<00:09:34.888> it,<00:09:35.514> right?

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So<00:09:37.215> focus<00:09:37.760> on<00:09:37.937> what<00:09:38.242> matters,<00:09:38.900> bringing<00:09:39.445> in<00:09:39.622> customer<00:09:40.103> value.

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That<00:09:41.066> really<00:09:41.451> matters<00:09:42.093> in<00:09:42.190> this<00:09:42.350> recession.

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And<00:09:44.340> the<00:09:44.420> stronger<00:09:45.078> company<00:09:46.025> or<00:09:46.924> companies<00:09:47.502> solving<00:09:48.031> core<00:09:48.432> problems<00:09:49.331> or<00:09:49.556> core<00:09:50.037> hardcore<00:09:50.535> business<00:09:51.000> problem<00:09:51.481> will<00:09:51.818> only<00:09:52.075> survive.

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In<00:09:53.102> this<00:09:53.423> incoming<00:09:54.306> economic<00:09:54.852> uncertainty<00:09:55.751> and<00:09:55.831> then<00:09:56.216> possible<00:09:56.554> recession.

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Do<00:09:58.127> you<00:09:58.159> feel<00:09:58.319> like<00:09:58.480> we're<00:09:58.624> in<00:09:58.704> a<00:09:58.785> period<00:09:59.266> where<00:10:00.390> focus<00:10:00.823> is<00:10:00.968> going<00:10:01.064> to<00:10:01.273> really,<00:10:01.610> really<00:10:01.867> matter<00:10:02.332> for<00:10:02.557> companies<00:10:03.054> and<00:10:03.215> leaders,<00:10:04.258> whereas<00:10:04.579> previously<00:10:05.302> we<00:10:05.542> had<00:10:06.345> the<00:10:06.586> luxury<00:10:07.934> of<00:10:08.095> maybe<00:10:08.913> being<00:10:09.138> able<00:10:09.347> to<00:10:09.459> try<00:10:09.876> various<00:10:10.358> things<00:10:10.663> within<00:10:11.321> our<00:10:11.482> companies<00:10:11.947> or<00:10:12.429> within<00:10:12.926> our<00:10:13.087> various<00:10:13.472> organizations?

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But<00:10:14.933> now<00:10:15.816> it<00:10:15.976> seems<00:10:16.377> like<00:10:16.763> focus<00:10:18.368> is<00:10:18.769> the<00:10:18.801> name<00:10:19.122> of<00:10:19.202> the<00:10:19.347> game,<00:10:19.829> and<00:10:19.909> if<00:10:20.133> you're<00:10:20.294> not<00:10:20.760> focused<00:10:21.995> and<00:10:22.139> really<00:10:22.380> focus,<00:10:22.861> you<00:10:22.941> know,<00:10:23.198> internally<00:10:23.904> on,<00:10:24.144> you<00:10:24.176> know,<00:10:24.385> your<00:10:24.545> operations<00:10:25.364> and<00:10:25.508> also<00:10:25.765> like<00:10:25.989> how<00:10:26.230> you're<00:10:26.326> serving<00:10:26.727> your<00:10:26.871> customer,<00:10:27.866> you<00:10:28.107> know,<00:10:28.315> I<00:10:28.331> don't<00:10:28.556> think<00:10:28.716> you<00:10:28.813> get<00:10:28.973> away<00:10:29.358> with,<00:10:29.839> uh,<00:10:30.160> what<00:10:30.337> was<00:10:30.497> previously<00:10:30.962> happening.

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Yeah,<00:10:33.465> I<00:10:33.481> mean,<00:10:33.625> I<00:10:33.769> would<00:10:33.882> say<00:10:34.347> focus<00:10:34.892> has<00:10:35.293> been<00:10:35.775> the<00:10:35.951> most<00:10:36.352> important<00:10:36.914> thing<00:10:37.235> for<00:10:37.379> a<00:10:37.475> startup<00:10:38.181> because,<00:10:39.545> you<00:10:39.625> know,<00:10:40.042> big<00:10:40.266> companies<00:10:40.748> are<00:10:40.988> everywhere,<00:10:41.951> but<00:10:42.673> you<00:10:42.833> can<00:10:43.074> only<00:10:43.555> win<00:10:43.748> if<00:10:43.908> you<00:10:44.036> have<00:10:44.133> a<00:10:44.357> focus<00:10:44.854> and<00:10:45.079> win<00:10:45.320> the<00:10:45.480> niche<00:10:45.801> market<00:10:46.362> and<00:10:46.459> then<00:10:46.619> start<00:10:47.100> expanding.

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I<00:10:49.411> think<00:10:49.571> what<00:10:49.844> has<00:10:50.069> happened<00:10:50.951> for<00:10:51.128> the<00:10:51.336> last<00:10:51.577> 20<00:10:51.994> years<00:10:52.299> or<00:10:52.331> so<00:10:52.636> for<00:10:52.781> the<00:10:52.877> tech<00:10:53.182> company<00:10:53.904> is<00:10:54.883> sometimes<00:10:55.444> money<00:10:55.765> becomes<00:10:56.166> commodity.

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Everyone<00:10:57.530> could<00:10:57.755> have<00:10:57.996> raised<00:10:58.894> a<00:10:59.135> ton<00:10:59.376> of<00:10:59.408> money<00:11:00.499> and<00:11:00.643> then<00:11:01.767> everyone<00:11:02.104> is<00:11:02.248> becoming<00:11:02.585> unicorn.

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But<00:11:04.591> what<00:11:04.816> we're<00:11:04.928> seeing<00:11:05.698> is<00:11:06.597> because<00:11:07.142> of<00:11:07.383> inflation,<00:11:08.683> federal<00:11:09.084> rate<00:11:09.469> going<00:11:09.950> up,<00:11:10.929> we're<00:11:11.170> seeing<00:11:11.427> a<00:11:11.571> lot<00:11:11.956> of<00:11:12.694> compression<00:11:13.577> in<00:11:13.657> the<00:11:13.802> company's<00:11:14.379> valuation.

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Some<00:11:16.612> companies<00:11:17.174> actually<00:11:18.138> raised<00:11:18.540> the<00:11:18.716> valuation<00:11:19.745> for<00:11:19.889> more<00:11:20.082> than,<00:11:20.243> let's<00:11:20.404> say,<00:11:20.645> $1<00:11:20.789> billion,<00:11:21.335> 100x<00:11:22.958> of<00:11:23.296> your<00:11:23.681> revenue<00:11:24.019> size.

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And<00:11:25.143> now<00:11:25.368> it's<00:11:25.545> corrected<00:11:26.252> into<00:11:26.814> 8x,<00:11:28.357> which<00:11:28.678> puts<00:11:28.984> us<00:11:29.160> into<00:11:29.899> a<00:11:29.964> very<00:11:30.365> difficult<00:11:30.928> position<00:11:31.554> for<00:11:31.651> them<00:11:32.454> that<00:11:33.322> you<00:11:33.418> have<00:11:33.659> to<00:11:33.820> grow<00:11:34.447> additional<00:11:35.378> 10x<00:11:35.893> or<00:11:36.069> 12x<00:11:36.792> to<00:11:36.937> sustain<00:11:37.435> your<00:11:37.596> valuation,<00:11:39.106> or<00:11:40.151> you<00:11:40.311> become<00:11:40.552> profitable.

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Right?

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Right.

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And<00:11:43.293> a<00:11:43.859> lot<00:11:44.133> of<00:11:44.295> CEOs<00:11:45.086> and<00:11:45.247> companies,<00:11:45.958> all<00:11:46.136> of<00:11:46.297> a<00:11:46.378> sudden<00:11:47.266> it's<00:11:47.427> like,<00:11:47.686> oh,<00:11:47.815> okay,<00:11:48.542> let's<00:11:48.865> focus<00:11:49.268> on<00:11:49.365> it.

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I<00:11:50.060> think<00:11:51.940> for<00:11:52.116> someone<00:11:52.823> I<00:11:52.984> actually<00:11:53.450> came<00:11:53.852> from<00:11:54.414> like,<00:11:54.752> uh,<00:11:55.314> the,<00:11:55.941> the<00:11:56.037> foreign<00:11:56.744> countries,<00:11:57.548> or<00:11:58.367> my<00:11:58.689> parents<00:11:59.155> was<00:11:59.316> actually,<00:12:00.040> uh,<00:12:00.781> running<00:12:01.038> the<00:12:01.248> little<00:12:01.666> pharmacy<00:12:02.149> business,<00:12:03.437> they<00:12:03.582> have<00:12:03.759> been<00:12:04.146> always<00:12:04.709> profitable,<00:12:05.772> right?

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So<00:12:07.608> I<00:12:07.785> was<00:12:08.187> like,<00:12:08.880> okay,<00:12:09.156> those<00:12:09.481> Silicon<00:12:09.872> Valley<00:12:10.132> companies<00:12:10.392> are<00:12:10.474> always<00:12:10.571> losing<00:12:10.685> the<00:12:10.766> money<00:12:10.832> but<00:12:10.897> still<00:12:11.189> getting<00:12:13.240> a<00:12:13.256> lot<00:12:13.577> of<00:12:13.914> valuation.

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And<00:12:15.039> it's<00:12:15.280> also<00:12:15.585> true<00:12:15.906> that<00:12:16.243> investors<00:12:17.047> liked<00:12:17.769> the<00:12:18.010> growth<00:12:19.360> and<00:12:19.601> fastest<00:12:20.243> pace<00:12:20.805> of<00:12:21.223> acquiring<00:12:21.930> the<00:12:22.026> market.

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But<00:12:22.813> the<00:12:22.910> climate<00:12:23.456> changes<00:12:24.339> and<00:12:24.436> now<00:12:24.677> it's<00:12:24.902> different.

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They<00:12:25.946> want<00:12:26.347> profitability,<00:12:27.391> right?

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So<00:12:28.644> for<00:12:29.319> Treasure<00:12:30.058> Data's<00:12:30.540> case,<00:12:30.941> we've<00:12:31.086> been<00:12:31.407> always<00:12:31.745> about<00:12:32.291> frugal.

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And<00:12:33.351> then,<00:12:33.897> you<00:12:33.993> know,<00:12:34.700> one<00:12:34.877> part<00:12:35.134> of<00:12:35.262> our<00:12:35.439> business<00:12:35.841> is<00:12:35.985> actually<00:12:36.323> profitable,<00:12:37.045> one<00:12:37.270> part<00:12:37.463> of<00:12:37.592> our<00:12:37.768> business<00:12:38.106> is<00:12:38.314> not,<00:12:38.796> where<00:12:39.455> we<00:12:39.760> think<00:12:40.033> it's<00:12:40.258> the<00:12:40.419> growth<00:12:40.804> area.

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Right?

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So<00:12:42.907> I<00:12:43.083> think<00:12:43.725> it's<00:12:43.870> a<00:12:44.030> business<00:12:44.495> practice<00:12:44.993> where<00:12:45.314> you<00:12:45.410> spend<00:12:45.795> $1,<00:12:46.357> you<00:12:46.501> need<00:12:46.678> to<00:12:46.758> make<00:12:47.063> more,<00:12:47.881> right?

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And,<00:12:49.486> you<00:12:49.582> know,<00:12:50.753> it<00:12:50.850> was<00:12:51.235> not<00:12:51.476> the<00:12:51.572> case<00:12:51.973> because<00:12:52.679> investors<00:12:53.481> all<00:12:53.802> wanted<00:12:54.123> the<00:12:54.220> growth,<00:12:55.246> but<00:12:55.359> now<00:12:55.600> it's<00:12:55.824> profitability.

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But<00:12:57.573> it<00:12:57.670> will<00:12:57.830> flip<00:12:58.456> also,<00:12:59.338> uh,<00:12:59.435> probably<00:13:00.060> after<00:13:00.237> the,<00:13:01.023> um,<00:13:01.424> recession,<00:13:02.227> you<00:13:02.323> know,<00:13:02.628> we<00:13:02.724> come<00:13:02.949> out<00:13:03.125> from<00:13:03.286> recession,<00:13:03.912> right?

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So<00:13:04.971> I<00:13:05.131> think<00:13:05.292> CEO<00:13:05.853> needs<00:13:06.174> to<00:13:06.479> adjust,<00:13:06.976> like,<00:13:07.137> how<00:13:07.458> much<00:13:07.699> you're<00:13:07.923> investing<00:13:08.918> in<00:13:09.062> the<00:13:09.784> circumstance<00:13:11.228> of<00:13:11.373> the<00:13:11.405> economy.

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I<00:13:13.218> think<00:13:13.378> one<00:13:13.491> of<00:13:13.555> the<00:13:13.651> things<00:13:14.116> that<00:13:14.261> must<00:13:14.501> be<00:13:14.614> interesting<00:13:15.063> for<00:13:15.304> you<00:13:15.961> being<00:13:16.346> in<00:13:16.443> the<00:13:16.683> data<00:13:17.068> business<00:13:18.368> is<00:13:19.090> the<00:13:19.331> risk<00:13:19.651> of<00:13:19.812> data<00:13:20.117> breaches,<00:13:20.935> data<00:13:21.400> privacy,<00:13:23.085> and<00:13:23.245> all<00:13:23.406> of<00:13:23.486> those<00:13:23.678> types<00:13:23.903> of<00:13:23.983> things.

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How<00:13:24.384> do<00:13:24.609> you<00:13:24.850> think<00:13:25.203> about<00:13:25.507> data<00:13:25.732> privacy<00:13:26.310> and<00:13:26.454> what<00:13:26.614> would<00:13:26.775> you<00:13:26.871> have<00:13:27.770> our<00:13:27.914> listeners<00:13:28.395> and<00:13:28.540> viewers<00:13:29.117> know<00:13:29.374> about<00:13:29.599> it?

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Sure.

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So,<00:13:32.791> uh,<00:13:33.112> 10<00:13:33.369> years<00:13:33.706> ago<00:13:34.653> We<00:13:34.878> have<00:13:35.135> a<00:13:35.359> lot<00:13:35.761> of<00:13:35.825> evolution<00:13:36.757> in<00:13:36.901> the<00:13:37.062> big<00:13:37.463> data<00:13:37.720> technologies,<00:13:38.989> ability<00:13:39.711> to<00:13:39.952> collect<00:13:40.514> and<00:13:40.819> process<00:13:41.462> ton<00:13:41.783> of<00:13:41.960> data<00:13:42.907> by<00:13:43.084> using<00:13:44.128> thousands<00:13:44.770> or<00:13:44.850> sometimes<00:13:45.396> millions<00:13:46.119> of<00:13:46.456> cheap<00:13:46.841> machines,<00:13:48.126> right?

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And<00:13:49.652> then<00:13:51.033> the,<00:13:51.820> um,<00:13:52.301> I<00:13:52.462> think<00:13:53.265> the<00:13:53.442> sentiment<00:13:54.084> gets<00:13:54.389> changed<00:13:55.064> last<00:13:55.594> few<00:13:55.850> years.

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Um,<00:13:57.071> so<00:13:57.360> consumers<00:13:58.243> are<00:13:58.404> now<00:13:58.821> really<00:13:59.207> worried<00:13:59.544> about<00:13:59.945> how<00:14:00.267> their<00:14:00.572> data<00:14:00.829> gets<00:14:01.214> used.

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Yeah,<00:14:03.173> so<00:14:03.382> Europe<00:14:03.880> has<00:14:04.185> implemented<00:14:04.763> this<00:14:05.068> local,<00:14:05.710> um,<00:14:06.128> called<00:14:06.465> GDPR.

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California<00:14:08.777> now<00:14:09.018> has<00:14:09.323> implemented<00:14:09.757> its<00:14:10.046> own<00:14:10.367> privacy<00:14:10.849> law<00:14:11.009> called<00:14:11.202> CCPA.

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150<00:14:13.819> countries<00:14:14.462> out<00:14:14.574> of<00:14:14.719> 200<00:14:15.345> countries<00:14:15.843> now<00:14:16.630> is<00:14:16.870> now<00:14:17.192> have<00:14:17.513> like<00:14:17.593> consumer<00:14:18.171> data<00:14:18.476> protection<00:14:18.958> laws,<00:14:20.419> right?

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So<00:14:21.961> it's<00:14:22.186> not<00:14:22.667> big<00:14:22.972> data<00:14:23.695> era<00:14:24.032> anymore<00:14:24.899> where<00:14:25.381> you<00:14:25.558> collect<00:14:26.120> everything<00:14:26.585> about<00:14:26.826> your<00:14:26.987> consumers,<00:14:27.806> use<00:14:28.047> the<00:14:28.191> data<00:14:28.432> wherever<00:14:28.769> you<00:14:28.914> want.

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It's<00:14:29.813> like<00:14:30.358> you<00:14:30.455> have<00:14:30.936> to<00:14:31.097> get<00:14:31.257> the<00:14:31.482> consent<00:14:32.766> from<00:14:32.942> the<00:14:33.103> users,<00:14:33.728> how<00:14:33.905> the<00:14:34.130> data<00:14:34.386> gets<00:14:34.691> collected<00:14:35.349> and<00:14:35.510> used,<00:14:36.473> and<00:14:36.713> use<00:14:37.034> the<00:14:37.275> data<00:14:37.740> along<00:14:38.061> with<00:14:38.222> it,<00:14:39.185> right?

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Yeah.

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So<00:14:40.789> to<00:14:41.046> do<00:14:41.271> that,<00:14:41.913> you<00:14:41.993> need<00:14:42.234> to<00:14:42.330> have<00:14:42.555> a<00:14:42.587> sophisticated<00:14:43.838> management<00:14:44.801> of<00:14:45.379> the<00:14:45.604> collecting<00:14:46.326> the<00:14:46.406> consent<00:14:46.984> data,<00:14:47.850> also<00:14:48.268> customer<00:14:48.893> data,<00:14:49.375> and<00:14:49.471> then<00:14:49.776> consumer<00:14:50.338> data<00:14:50.980> merging<00:14:51.477> together.

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And<00:14:53.403> that's<00:14:53.868> also<00:14:54.430> what<00:14:54.606> we<00:14:54.847> do<00:14:55.312> as<00:14:55.409> a<00:14:55.489> company,<00:14:55.970> Treasure<00:14:56.291> Data.

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We<00:14:56.853> provide<00:14:57.254> CDP,<00:14:58.137> customer<00:14:58.763> data<00:14:59.003> platform,<00:15:00.211> On<00:15:00.389> one<00:15:00.777> end,<00:15:01.440> we<00:15:01.602> will<00:15:02.168> democratize<00:15:03.041> the<00:15:03.203> use<00:15:03.461> of<00:15:03.607> customer<00:15:04.108> data<00:15:04.432> in<00:15:04.512> the<00:15:04.593> enterprise.

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Two,<00:15:06.666> we<00:15:06.747> will<00:15:06.973> provide<00:15:07.377> a<00:15:07.393> tool<00:15:07.959> and<00:15:08.104> we<00:15:08.201> need<00:15:08.362> to<00:15:08.524> be<00:15:08.605> a<00:15:08.685> custodian<00:15:09.574> of<00:15:09.735> that<00:15:09.978> data<00:15:10.301> as<00:15:10.462> well.

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We<00:15:11.205> don't<00:15:11.496> want<00:15:11.900> our<00:15:12.142> customers<00:15:12.740> and<00:15:12.950> brands<00:15:13.370> to<00:15:13.677> abuse<00:15:14.096> the<00:15:14.242> consumer<00:15:14.630> data,<00:15:15.307> right?

00:15:15.872 --> 00:15:19.971
So<00:15:16.663> you<00:15:16.905> always<00:15:17.228> need<00:15:17.405> to<00:15:17.567> think<00:15:17.809> about<00:15:18.132> this<00:15:18.519> ethical<00:15:19.084> use<00:15:19.358> of<00:15:19.503> the<00:15:19.665> data.

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Being<00:15:21.780> a<00:15:21.845> venture-backed<00:15:22.399> company,<00:15:22.807> how<00:15:22.986> do<00:15:23.051> you<00:15:23.231> think<00:15:23.801> about<00:15:24.355> exits?

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Going<00:15:26.006> public,<00:15:27.279> all<00:15:27.376> of<00:15:27.601> those<00:15:27.859> types<00:15:28.262> of<00:15:28.343> things<00:15:28.649> that<00:15:28.746> were<00:15:28.826> just<00:15:29.052> happening<00:15:29.487> at<00:15:29.567> such<00:15:29.809> an<00:15:29.938> insane<00:15:30.357> pace,<00:15:30.679> maybe<00:15:30.921> like<00:15:31.146> 3<00:15:31.308> years<00:15:31.630> ago.

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How<00:15:32.371> do<00:15:32.435> you<00:15:32.597> think<00:15:32.838> about<00:15:33.161> all<00:15:33.241> of<00:15:33.338> that<00:15:33.579> now?

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Yeah,<00:15:35.911> that's<00:15:36.105> a<00:15:36.186> great<00:15:36.363> question.

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So<00:15:37.799> as<00:15:37.944> a<00:15:38.041> venture-backed<00:15:38.670> company,<00:15:39.396> you<00:15:39.428> know,<00:15:39.815> VC<00:15:40.057> is<00:15:40.154> a<00:15:40.283> business.

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They<00:15:41.106> want<00:15:41.816> outcome,<00:15:42.477> they<00:15:42.703> want<00:15:43.106> exit,<00:15:43.994> right?

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Right.

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But<00:15:45.430> there<00:15:45.559> are<00:15:45.786> certain<00:15:46.353> things<00:15:46.741> you<00:15:46.919> can't<00:15:47.389> really<00:15:47.648> control,<00:15:48.458> which<00:15:48.701> is<00:15:48.863> macroeconomy,<00:15:49.996> right?

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So<00:15:51.766> IPO<00:15:52.332> window<00:15:52.672> got<00:15:52.915> shut<00:15:53.239> down.

00:15:55.003 --> 00:15:59.957
Last<00:15:55.343> year,<00:15:55.861> more<00:15:56.217> than<00:15:56.379> 100+<00:15:57.382> or<00:15:57.625> maybe<00:15:58.159> hundreds<00:15:58.726> of<00:15:58.968> companies<00:15:59.470> went<00:15:59.600> public.

00:16:01.646 --> 00:16:04.747
In<00:16:01.824> tech<00:16:02.003> sector,<00:16:02.701> like<00:16:02.815> software,<00:16:03.529> there's<00:16:03.675> only<00:16:04.016> 2<00:16:04.341> this<00:16:04.569> year.

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Yeah.

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And<00:16:07.200> it's<00:16:07.362> been<00:16:07.604> rumored<00:16:08.089> that<00:16:08.477> IPO<00:16:08.979> window<00:16:09.366> will<00:16:09.544> be<00:16:09.625> shut<00:16:09.949> down<00:16:10.337> for<00:16:10.417> the<00:16:10.450> next<00:16:10.822> year,<00:16:11.177> or<00:16:11.323> at<00:16:11.484> least<00:16:11.678> like<00:16:11.872> 6<00:16:12.131> months<00:16:12.406> to<00:16:12.519> 9<00:16:12.632> months.

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Right.

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But<00:16:15.491> obviously<00:16:16.072> VC<00:16:16.540> wants<00:16:16.863> to<00:16:16.976> have<00:16:17.121> an<00:16:17.347> exit<00:16:17.686> at<00:16:17.782> some<00:16:18.154> point.

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Right.

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So<00:16:20.445> I<00:16:20.479> mean,<00:16:20.664> for<00:16:20.799> the<00:16:20.884> CEO,<00:16:22.685> it's<00:16:23.010> really,<00:16:25.202> you<00:16:25.283> know,<00:16:25.446> you<00:16:25.608> have<00:16:26.030> to<00:16:26.193> create<00:16:26.534> a<00:16:26.664> roadmap<00:16:27.183> and<00:16:27.476> outcome<00:16:27.882> for<00:16:28.076> investor.

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But<00:16:29.299> at<00:16:29.364> the<00:16:29.428> same<00:16:29.751> time,<00:16:30.412> I<00:16:30.493> feel<00:16:30.638> like<00:16:30.977> we<00:16:31.074> need<00:16:31.364> to<00:16:31.525> create<00:16:31.929> like<00:16:32.122> a<00:16:32.187> mid-term,<00:16:32.913> long-term<00:16:33.477> thinking,<00:16:33.945> right?

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If<00:16:35.010> the<00:16:35.155> company<00:16:35.655> grow<00:16:36.059> like<00:16:36.462> 10x<00:16:37.010> from<00:16:37.252> now,<00:16:37.591> let's<00:16:37.865> say,<00:16:38.317> you<00:16:38.414> know,<00:16:38.850> we<00:16:38.962> become<00:16:39.284> like<00:16:39.462> a<00:16:39.687> billion-dollar<00:16:40.476> ARR<00:16:40.653> company<00:16:41.136> at<00:16:41.233> some<00:16:41.539> point,<00:16:42.409> IPO<00:16:43.085> is<00:16:43.391> just<00:16:43.649> a<00:16:43.713> milestone,<00:16:44.519> not<00:16:44.680> the<00:16:44.712> goal.

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Yeah,<00:16:45.978> that's<00:16:46.205> right.

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So<00:16:47.193> company<00:16:47.760> has<00:16:48.408> to<00:16:48.651> build<00:16:49.056> the<00:16:49.299> long<00:16:49.720> time,<00:16:50.514> you<00:16:50.611> know,<00:16:51.421> sustainable<00:16:52.458> growth<00:16:52.863> engine<00:16:53.817> rather<00:16:53.993> than,<00:16:54.331> okay,<00:16:55.118> we'll<00:16:55.279> make<00:16:55.585> up<00:16:55.697> some<00:16:55.922> number<00:16:56.404> for<00:16:56.485> the<00:16:56.645> IPO<00:16:57.208> and<00:16:57.449> done,<00:16:57.931> right?

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That<00:16:58.574> doesn't<00:16:59.394> happen.

00:17:01.226 --> 00:17:10.052
How<00:17:01.451> has<00:17:01.692> your<00:17:02.013> leadership<00:17:02.576> changed<00:17:04.042> from<00:17:04.590> when<00:17:04.767> you<00:17:04.912> were<00:17:05.009> an<00:17:05.154> early<00:17:05.412> stage<00:17:06.395> startup<00:17:06.846> with<00:17:06.942> just<00:17:07.103> like<00:17:07.265> a<00:17:07.329> few<00:17:07.506> employees<00:17:07.925> to<00:17:08.054> now<00:17:08.618> where<00:17:08.714> you're<00:17:08.876> such<00:17:09.117> a<00:17:09.520> big<00:17:09.681> company?

00:17:10.648 --> 00:17:13.306
How<00:17:10.809> does<00:17:10.970> that<00:17:11.683> How<00:17:11.779> has<00:17:11.924> your<00:17:12.084> leadership<00:17:12.550> style<00:17:12.888> changed?

00:17:13.354 --> 00:17:15.186
How<00:17:13.466> has<00:17:13.611> your<00:17:13.772> culture<00:17:14.174> changed<00:17:14.559> within<00:17:14.800> the<00:17:14.881> company?

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Yeah,<00:17:16.889> I<00:17:17.050> learned<00:17:17.372> a<00:17:17.468> lot.

00:17:17.966 --> 00:17:30.104
You<00:17:18.046> know,<00:17:18.095> obviously<00:17:18.577> I<00:17:18.689> was,<00:17:19.220> you<00:17:19.300> know,<00:17:19.637> 25,<00:17:20.441> and<00:17:20.570> then<00:17:21.073> I<00:17:21.333> never<00:17:21.803> ever<00:17:22.128> worked<00:17:22.534> for<00:17:23.508> larger<00:17:23.849> company<00:17:24.255> than<00:17:24.482> Treasure<00:17:24.758> Data,<00:17:25.229> and<00:17:25.473> that<00:17:26.025> will<00:17:26.203> be<00:17:26.365> true<00:17:27.080> for<00:17:28.070> the<00:17:28.882> future,<00:17:29.669> right?

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And<00:17:31.197> I<00:17:31.277> would<00:17:31.374> say<00:17:31.535> my<00:17:31.856> biggest<00:17:32.322> learning<00:17:33.207> is<00:17:33.946> just<00:17:34.332> having<00:17:34.831> many,<00:17:35.860> you<00:17:35.956> know,<00:17:36.342> great<00:17:36.680> talent,<00:17:37.270> Right.

00:17:37.558 --> 00:17:43.542
So<00:17:38.344> my<00:17:38.649> leadership<00:17:39.082> style<00:17:39.547> is<00:17:39.772> like<00:17:40.253> having,<00:17:41.376> you<00:17:41.408> know,<00:17:41.874> someone<00:17:42.515> who<00:17:42.676> is<00:17:42.836> better<00:17:43.077> than<00:17:43.317> you.

00:17:44.601 --> 00:17:56.279
And<00:17:44.681> the<00:17:44.841> best<00:17:45.018> scenario<00:17:45.948> is<00:17:46.670> they<00:17:46.927> are<00:17:47.167> bringing<00:17:47.713> in<00:17:47.825> lots<00:17:48.290> of<00:17:48.435> ideas<00:17:49.237> and<00:17:49.429> I'll<00:17:49.814> just<00:17:50.135> pick<00:17:50.360> it<00:17:50.440> up<00:17:50.697> because<00:17:51.178> based<00:17:51.515> on<00:17:51.739> the<00:17:52.381> market,<00:17:53.584> you<00:17:53.664> know,<00:17:53.969> the<00:17:54.130> trend<00:17:54.691> and<00:17:55.012> customers,<00:17:56.135> right.

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Yeah.

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Instead<00:17:57.434> of<00:17:57.579> I'm<00:17:57.835> telling<00:17:58.316> them<00:17:58.621> what<00:17:58.894> to<00:17:59.038> do.

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Right.

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And<00:18:02.263> I<00:18:02.407> think<00:18:02.632> it's<00:18:02.792> just<00:18:02.969> a<00:18:03.113> realization.

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And,<00:18:04.637> uh,<00:18:05.294> you<00:18:05.390> know,<00:18:06.497> I<00:18:06.577> had<00:18:06.802> a,<00:18:07.058> let's<00:18:07.331> say,<00:18:07.619> interesting<00:18:08.036> story<00:18:08.566> where,<00:18:09.367> you<00:18:09.399> know,<00:18:09.464> I<00:18:09.624> graduated<00:18:10.265> the<00:18:10.586> University<00:18:11.163> of<00:18:11.308> Tokyo,<00:18:13.216> and<00:18:13.456> when<00:18:13.617> I<00:18:13.713> started<00:18:14.034> this<00:18:14.258> company,<00:18:15.220> who<00:18:15.461> actually<00:18:15.862> has<00:18:16.118> the<00:18:16.199> highest<00:18:16.984> knowledge<00:18:17.401> of<00:18:17.562> database<00:18:18.187> in<00:18:18.283> my<00:18:18.524> network?

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And<00:18:19.983> it<00:18:20.127> was<00:18:20.432> a,<00:18:20.993> uh,<00:18:21.170> you<00:18:21.266> know,<00:18:21.635> professor<00:18:22.517> at<00:18:22.677> the<00:18:23.158> university.

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So<00:18:24.441> I<00:18:24.681> actually<00:18:25.162> asked<00:18:25.419> him<00:18:25.660> to<00:18:25.820> join<00:18:26.077> the<00:18:26.205> company<00:18:26.686> for<00:18:26.862> 3<00:18:27.103> years,<00:18:27.424> and<00:18:27.488> then<00:18:27.808> later<00:18:28.145> on<00:18:28.450> he<00:18:28.610> joined,<00:18:30.053> and<00:18:30.150> he's<00:18:30.406> now<00:18:30.727> a<00:18:31.000> core<00:18:31.513> engineering,<00:18:32.621> um,<00:18:33.504> he's<00:18:34.306> a<00:18:34.387> part<00:18:34.628> of<00:18:34.708> a<00:18:34.788> core<00:18:35.045> engineering<00:18:35.526> team<00:18:36.409> to<00:18:36.875> process<00:18:37.373> like<00:18:37.678> trillions<00:18:38.256> of<00:18:38.400> records<00:18:38.898> every<00:18:39.138> day,<00:18:40.487> right?

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So<00:18:41.723> just<00:18:42.253> hiring<00:18:42.927> and<00:18:43.152> building<00:18:43.553> great<00:18:43.858> talent,<00:18:44.661> you<00:18:44.741> know,<00:18:45.800> gathering<00:18:46.282> the<00:18:46.523> best<00:18:46.924> mind<00:18:47.711> of<00:18:47.807> the<00:18:47.952> world,<00:18:48.995> that's<00:18:49.332> my<00:18:49.557> job,<00:18:50.038> rather<00:18:50.440> than,<00:18:50.937> you<00:18:51.034> know,<00:18:51.644> I'm<00:18:51.820> trying<00:18:52.206> to<00:18:52.382> do<00:18:52.543> by<00:18:52.719> myself,<00:18:53.265> right?

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So<00:18:53.602> that's<00:18:53.971> quite<00:18:54.309> a<00:18:54.373> lot<00:18:54.630> of<00:18:54.710> change<00:18:55.175> from<00:18:55.352> just<00:18:56.010> 3<00:18:56.235> people<00:18:56.941> do<00:18:57.182> everything<00:18:57.503> by<00:18:57.583> yourself<00:18:58.642> And<00:18:58.722> then<00:18:58.883> now<00:18:59.043> 700<00:18:59.524> people.

00:19:00.069 --> 00:19:05.006
My<00:19:00.245> job<00:19:00.550> is<00:19:00.726> just<00:19:01.063> to<00:19:01.608> really,<00:19:02.393> you<00:19:02.425> know,<00:19:03.035> attract<00:19:03.756> the<00:19:03.852> right<00:19:04.157> talent,<00:19:04.814> right?

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Yeah.

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Speaking<00:19:06.561> of<00:19:06.657> talent<00:19:07.058> and<00:19:07.202> recruiting,<00:19:07.763> you<00:19:07.860> mentioned<00:19:08.325> like,<00:19:08.581> hey,<00:19:08.902> if<00:19:09.062> you<00:19:09.206> want<00:19:09.415> to<00:19:10.104> build<00:19:10.649> a<00:19:10.809> world-class<00:19:11.306> tech<00:19:11.466> company,<00:19:11.803> you<00:19:11.883> have<00:19:12.108> to<00:19:12.188> be<00:19:12.348> in<00:19:12.428> Silicon<00:19:12.829> Valley<00:19:13.791> when<00:19:13.935> you<00:19:14.015> first<00:19:14.272> moved<00:19:14.432> to<00:19:14.496> the<00:19:14.576> United<00:19:14.913> States.

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I<00:19:15.458> wonder<00:19:15.634> if<00:19:15.779> you<00:19:15.859> still<00:19:16.115> think<00:19:16.340> that<00:19:16.500> is<00:19:16.676> true,<00:19:17.478> if<00:19:17.638> being<00:19:18.023> in<00:19:18.135> Silicon<00:19:18.600> Valley<00:19:19.706> is<00:19:20.123> still<00:19:20.427> helpful<00:19:20.748> on<00:19:20.844> the<00:19:20.908> recruiting<00:19:21.405> front,<00:19:21.966> because<00:19:22.271> as<00:19:22.367> you<00:19:22.527> know,<00:19:22.928> like,<00:19:23.152> you<00:19:23.184> know,<00:19:23.329> there's<00:19:23.729> so<00:19:23.874> much<00:19:24.114> migration<00:19:24.691> away<00:19:24.916> from<00:19:25.076> Silicon<00:19:25.429> Valley,<00:19:25.717> or<00:19:25.797> at<00:19:25.878> least<00:19:26.214> it's<00:19:26.374> talked<00:19:26.631> about<00:19:26.839> a<00:19:26.855> lot,<00:19:27.240> going<00:19:27.481> to<00:19:27.561> like<00:19:27.737> Miami<00:19:28.458> or<00:19:28.683> Austin<00:19:29.035> or<00:19:29.180> these<00:19:29.340> other<00:19:29.564> places.

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Um,<00:19:30.944> how<00:19:31.185> do<00:19:31.345> you<00:19:31.570> think,<00:19:32.292> uh,<00:19:32.549> Silicon<00:19:33.014> Valley<00:19:33.817> is<00:19:34.314> changing,<00:19:35.518> and<00:19:35.662> what<00:19:35.775> do<00:19:35.903> you<00:19:36.000> think<00:19:36.240> the<00:19:36.320> future<00:19:37.027> of<00:19:37.283> what<00:19:37.508> was<00:19:37.925> for<00:19:38.086> sure<00:19:38.407> the<00:19:38.551> mecca<00:19:38.824> of,<00:19:39.434> uh,<00:19:39.835> technology—<00:19:41.039> where<00:19:41.151> do<00:19:41.280> you<00:19:41.376> think<00:19:41.601> that<00:19:41.777> stands<00:19:42.114> now?

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Yeah,<00:19:43.783> so<00:19:44.104> 10<00:19:44.409> years<00:19:44.746> ago<00:19:45.131> when<00:19:45.308> we<00:19:45.468> started<00:19:45.950> raising<00:19:46.351> the<00:19:46.447> money,<00:19:46.977> a<00:19:47.314> lot<00:19:47.860> of<00:19:48.020> capital<00:19:48.742> for<00:19:48.839> the<00:19:48.919> tech<00:19:49.641> is<00:19:50.283> really<00:19:50.588> centralized<00:19:51.326> here.

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Yeah,<00:19:52.193> right,<00:19:52.466> in<00:19:52.594> Silicon<00:19:53.012> Valley.

00:19:53.589 --> 00:19:56.783
So<00:19:54.616> it<00:19:54.697> was<00:19:55.082> almost<00:19:55.499> a<00:19:55.660> must<00:19:56.270> to<00:19:56.382> be<00:19:56.607> here.

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Yeah,<00:19:57.586> for<00:19:57.683> sure.

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And<00:19:58.438> then<00:19:58.871> as<00:19:59.032> you<00:19:59.176> talk,<00:19:59.594> like,<00:19:59.979> after<00:20:00.301> pandemic,<00:20:01.120> a<00:20:01.264> lot<00:20:01.505> of<00:20:01.602> people<00:20:02.003> gets<00:20:02.244> decentralized,<00:20:03.432> right?

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So<00:20:04.396> there's<00:20:04.653> a<00:20:04.733> few<00:20:04.974> perspectives.

00:20:06.661 --> 00:20:11.382
First<00:20:06.901> of<00:20:07.046> all,<00:20:07.287> investors<00:20:08.090> are<00:20:08.186> more<00:20:08.588> willing<00:20:08.909> to<00:20:09.150> invest<00:20:09.776> remotely,<00:20:11.077> right?

00:20:12.201 --> 00:20:22.400
Although,<00:20:12.683> of<00:20:12.988> course,<00:20:14.835> recently<00:20:15.494> it<00:20:15.879> kind<00:20:16.040> of<00:20:16.136> shifted<00:20:16.779> back<00:20:17.036> to<00:20:17.501> the<00:20:17.662> point<00:20:17.983> where<00:20:19.429> they<00:20:19.573> want<00:20:19.750> to<00:20:19.910> meet,<00:20:20.697> right?

00:20:22.882 --> 00:20:34.667
We<00:20:22.978> see<00:20:23.299> more<00:20:23.588> opportunity<00:20:24.391> abroad,<00:20:25.290> but<00:20:25.467> it's<00:20:25.692> also<00:20:26.013> true<00:20:26.414> that,<00:20:26.960> you<00:20:27.040> know,<00:20:27.153> Silicon<00:20:27.618> Valley<00:20:28.405> in<00:20:28.501> San<00:20:28.726> Francisco<00:20:29.224> area<00:20:30.043> still<00:20:30.492> has<00:20:30.910> the<00:20:31.054> highest<00:20:31.777> probability<00:20:33.142> of<00:20:33.463> getting<00:20:33.720> the<00:20:33.945> investment.

00:20:35.502 --> 00:20:44.397
So<00:20:35.887> if<00:20:36.112> I<00:20:36.353> were<00:20:36.530> a<00:20:36.674> founder<00:20:37.734> desperately<00:20:38.521> wants<00:20:38.858> to<00:20:39.019> build<00:20:39.259> something<00:20:39.821> with<00:20:40.046> the<00:20:40.207> VC-backed<00:20:41.026> model,<00:20:42.069> I<00:20:42.230> would<00:20:42.390> be<00:20:42.615> here<00:20:42.936> because<00:20:43.274> it<00:20:43.434> has<00:20:43.675> a<00:20:43.739> higher<00:20:44.076> chance.

00:20:45.361 --> 00:20:47.689
Now,<00:20:45.602> when<00:20:45.762> it<00:20:45.923> comes<00:20:46.244> to<00:20:46.388> the<00:20:46.485> talent,<00:20:46.950> there's<00:20:47.207> two<00:20:47.512> points.

00:20:48.637 --> 00:21:04.235
Um,<00:20:48.974> for<00:20:49.118> the<00:20:49.359> business<00:20:49.777> side,<00:20:50.179> right,<00:20:50.516> sales,<00:20:51.528> marketing,<00:20:52.428> operation,<00:20:53.247> G&A,<00:20:54.339> there's<00:20:54.596> a<00:20:54.901> lot<00:20:55.239> of<00:20:55.464> talent<00:20:55.881> here<00:20:56.909> who<00:20:57.006> scale<00:20:57.552> the<00:20:57.713> business<00:20:58.275> to<00:20:59.078> $0<00:20:59.576> to<00:21:00.122> $10<00:21:00.363> million<00:21:00.861> to<00:21:01.247> $30<00:21:01.520> million<00:21:01.857> to<00:21:01.986> $100<00:21:02.387> million<00:21:02.789> and<00:21:02.885> a<00:21:03.110> billion,<00:21:03.897> right?

00:21:05.022 --> 00:21:11.945
And<00:21:05.086> then<00:21:05.600> for<00:21:05.986> each<00:21:06.162> stage,<00:21:07.030> you<00:21:07.190> actually<00:21:07.672> need<00:21:08.090> different<00:21:08.652> set<00:21:09.520> of<00:21:09.937> skill<00:21:10.259> set<00:21:10.580> and<00:21:10.821> people,<00:21:11.624> right?

00:21:12.668 --> 00:21:21.059
People<00:21:13.632> who<00:21:13.873> really<00:21:14.194> likes<00:21:14.740> figuring<00:21:15.222> out<00:21:15.560> first<00:21:16.010> product-market<00:21:16.763> fit<00:21:17.244> to<00:21:17.340> scaling<00:21:18.350> to<00:21:18.847> like<00:21:19.472> managing<00:21:19.969> multiple<00:21:20.530> business<00:21:20.915> lines.

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That's<00:21:21.412> a<00:21:21.652> very<00:21:22.037> different<00:21:22.390> skill<00:21:22.694> set,<00:21:24.201> but<00:21:24.939> there's<00:21:25.179> a<00:21:25.323> lot<00:21:25.596> of<00:21:25.724> people<00:21:25.997> in<00:21:26.077> Silicon<00:21:26.478> Valley<00:21:26.846> who<00:21:27.007> has<00:21:27.327> done<00:21:27.503> that<00:21:27.920> in<00:21:28.129> the<00:21:28.305> previous<00:21:28.786> generations,<00:21:29.892> right?

00:21:30.565 --> 00:21:47.160
So<00:21:31.191> if<00:21:31.271> you<00:21:31.367> look<00:21:31.591> at<00:21:31.671> the<00:21:31.752> SaaS<00:21:32.233> industry,<00:21:32.890> software<00:21:33.355> as<00:21:33.435> a<00:21:33.515> service,<00:21:34.076> I'm<00:21:34.381> in,<00:21:35.038> for<00:21:35.118> example,<00:21:35.823> like<00:21:35.936> someone<00:21:36.192> like<00:21:36.417> Salesforce,<00:21:37.523> Adobe,<00:21:38.485> LinkedIn,<00:21:39.671> you<00:21:39.703> know,<00:21:39.991> Dropbox,<00:21:40.889> those<00:21:41.130> type<00:21:41.450> of<00:21:41.594> talent<00:21:42.188> especially<00:21:42.656> on<00:21:42.737> the<00:21:42.898> business<00:21:43.302> side<00:21:43.786> and<00:21:43.948> executive,<00:21:45.078> they're<00:21:45.304> all<00:21:45.497> in<00:21:45.643> Silicon<00:21:46.111> Valley,<00:21:46.934> right?

00:21:48.064 --> 00:21:56.754
So<00:21:48.855> that<00:21:49.178> I'm<00:21:49.420> convinced<00:21:49.985> that,<00:21:50.308> you<00:21:50.340> know,<00:21:50.873> to<00:21:51.180> highly<00:21:51.776> attract<00:21:52.323> the<00:21:52.404> talent,<00:21:52.839> especially<00:21:53.290> on<00:21:53.387> the<00:21:53.467> executive<00:21:54.031> level,<00:21:54.579> I<00:21:54.676> think<00:21:55.159> SF<00:21:55.546> area<00:21:55.803> is<00:21:56.045> better<00:21:56.432> equipped.

00:21:57.480 --> 00:22:03.085
Now<00:21:57.658> on<00:21:57.821> the<00:21:58.324> R&D<00:22:00.761> engineering<00:22:01.265> side,<00:22:02.305> it<00:22:02.451> doesn't<00:22:02.776> matter.

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Yeah.

00:22:04.800 --> 00:22:08.498
So,<00:22:05.405> you<00:22:05.503> know,<00:22:06.141> our<00:22:06.256> engineering<00:22:06.894> team<00:22:07.140> is<00:22:07.450> highly<00:22:07.958> distributed.

00:22:09.233 --> 00:22:14.615
With<00:22:09.393> this<00:22:09.859> open<00:22:10.132> source<00:22:10.518> model,<00:22:11.305> everyone<00:22:11.803> can<00:22:12.028> contribute<00:22:12.607> to<00:22:12.992> any<00:22:13.185> software,<00:22:14.197> right?

00:22:15.177 --> 00:22:17.266
And<00:22:15.338> then<00:22:15.579> the<00:22:15.739> best<00:22:16.061> talent<00:22:16.479> is<00:22:16.848> everywhere.

00:22:17.442 --> 00:22:25.267
So<00:22:17.828> having<00:22:18.310> this<00:22:18.551> highly<00:22:19.579> remote,<00:22:20.174> asynchronous,<00:22:21.684> high-performing<00:22:22.632> engineering<00:22:23.355> team<00:22:24.239> is<00:22:24.496> really<00:22:24.817> the<00:22:24.978> trend.

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Although,<00:22:26.343> of<00:22:26.424> course,<00:22:27.066> you<00:22:27.147> might<00:22:27.371> want<00:22:27.548> to<00:22:27.612> have<00:22:27.805> some<00:22:28.271> core<00:22:28.512> locations,<00:22:29.701> right?

00:22:30.199 --> 00:22:35.501
For<00:22:30.424> us,<00:22:30.761> it's<00:22:32.432> Silicon<00:22:32.770> Valley,<00:22:33.493> Tokyo,<00:22:34.119> London,<00:22:34.778> and<00:22:34.923> Vancouver.

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Right.

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And,<00:22:37.930> uh,<00:22:38.075> but<00:22:38.545> I<00:22:38.561> mean,<00:22:38.950> my<00:22:39.112> point<00:22:39.678> is,<00:22:39.937> I<00:22:40.018> think<00:22:40.423> the,<00:22:40.974> the<00:22:41.314> engineering<00:22:41.945> talent<00:22:42.917> tends<00:22:43.257> to<00:22:43.419> be<00:22:43.581> more<00:22:43.969> distributed<00:22:44.714> than<00:22:44.876> the<00:22:45.038> business<00:22:45.330> talent.

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One<00:22:47.234> of<00:22:47.298> the<00:22:47.443> things<00:22:47.621> we<00:22:47.782> believe<00:22:48.041> at<00:22:48.121> CEO.com<00:22:49.315> is<00:22:49.541> the<00:22:49.703> chances<00:22:50.106> you<00:22:50.284> give<00:22:51.155> are<00:22:51.316> just<00:22:51.575> as<00:22:51.623> important<00:22:52.059> as<00:22:52.285> the<00:22:52.381> chances<00:22:52.849> you<00:22:53.011> take.

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And<00:22:54.187> so<00:22:54.364> many<00:22:54.623> of<00:22:54.753> us<00:22:54.931> in<00:22:54.979> our<00:22:55.173> lives<00:22:55.820> were<00:22:56.047> given,<00:22:56.856> uh,<00:22:57.179> incredible<00:22:57.826> chances<00:22:58.554> that<00:22:58.651> have<00:22:58.894> led<00:22:59.136> us<00:22:59.444> to<00:22:59.945> where<00:23:00.188> we<00:23:00.414> are<00:23:00.592> today,<00:23:00.996> and<00:23:01.061> without<00:23:01.466> which<00:23:01.724> maybe<00:23:02.048> we<00:23:02.210> wouldn't<00:23:02.452> be<00:23:02.679> where<00:23:02.857> we<00:23:03.018> are<00:23:03.051> today.

00:23:03.742 --> 00:23:08.784
Who<00:23:03.903> has<00:23:04.208> given<00:23:04.770> you<00:23:05.107> a<00:23:05.268> chance<00:23:07.339> in<00:23:07.435> your<00:23:07.676> career<00:23:08.061> and<00:23:08.158> in<00:23:08.238> your<00:23:08.463> life?

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Yeah,<00:23:10.582> so,<00:23:11.289> you<00:23:11.369> know,<00:23:12.172> a<00:23:12.396> lot<00:23:12.798> of<00:23:12.958> my—<00:23:14.034> so<00:23:14.885> it<00:23:15.062> was<00:23:15.302> interesting.

00:23:16.410 --> 00:23:20.681
I<00:23:16.491> was<00:23:16.667> a<00:23:16.731> little<00:23:17.053> bit<00:23:17.647> stranger<00:23:18.770> in<00:23:18.899> my<00:23:19.621> age<00:23:19.878> group,<00:23:20.264> I<00:23:20.360> would<00:23:20.456> say.

00:23:21.548 --> 00:23:23.780
You<00:23:21.580> know,<00:23:21.805> I<00:23:21.885> graduated<00:23:22.511> computer<00:23:22.833> science<00:23:23.170> from<00:23:23.411> Japan.

00:23:23.956 --> 00:23:27.184
I<00:23:24.037> was<00:23:24.133> the<00:23:24.294> only<00:23:24.599> one<00:23:24.839> who<00:23:24.936> has<00:23:25.578> joined<00:23:26.124> and<00:23:26.220> starting<00:23:26.686> the<00:23:26.766> startup.

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Everyone<00:23:27.970> else<00:23:28.227> joined<00:23:28.548> a<00:23:28.613> large<00:23:28.934> company.

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Right.

00:23:30.636 --> 00:23:34.458
So<00:23:30.780> I<00:23:30.796> didn't<00:23:31.102> have<00:23:31.423> anyone<00:23:32.081> who<00:23:32.386> I<00:23:32.483> can<00:23:32.868> ask<00:23:33.206> for<00:23:33.302> the<00:23:33.430> help<00:23:33.752> for<00:23:33.832> the<00:23:33.928> businesses.

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So<00:23:35.534> I<00:23:35.695> have,<00:23:36.418> you<00:23:36.514> know,<00:23:37.044> a<00:23:37.205> lot<00:23:37.702> of<00:23:38.345> executives<00:23:39.790> in<00:23:40.015> the<00:23:40.352> Japanese<00:23:40.915> software<00:23:41.493> ecosystem,<00:23:42.665> maybe<00:23:42.986> 10<00:23:43.227> years<00:23:43.548> and<00:23:43.645> 20<00:23:43.950> years<00:23:44.271> older<00:23:44.608> than<00:23:44.833> me.

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They<00:23:45.813> actually<00:23:46.777> invited<00:23:47.419> me<00:23:47.804> to<00:23:48.126> a<00:23:48.302> lot<00:23:48.607> of<00:23:48.864> groups<00:23:50.053> and<00:23:50.294> meetups<00:23:51.514> and<00:23:51.595> then<00:23:51.820> connecting<00:23:52.398> with<00:23:52.639> me<00:23:53.040> about<00:23:53.506> many,<00:23:54.004> you<00:23:54.100> know,<00:23:54.967> people,<00:23:55.594> right?

00:23:56.429 --> 00:24:07.034
So<00:23:57.120> one<00:23:57.297> of<00:23:57.377> the<00:23:57.457> people,<00:23:58.325> a<00:23:58.502> person<00:23:59.289> who<00:23:59.466> is<00:23:59.691> called<00:23:59.948> Masaki,<00:24:01.137> is<00:24:01.539> almost<00:24:01.860> like<00:24:02.422> my<00:24:02.583> teacher,<00:24:03.724> but<00:24:03.885> he's<00:24:04.110> now<00:24:04.302> a<00:24:04.367> CTO<00:24:05.250> of<00:24:05.395> the<00:24:05.556> entire<00:24:06.134> Japan<00:24:06.600> government.

00:24:08.127 --> 00:24:08.384
Oh,<00:24:08.223> wow.

00:24:08.625 --> 00:24:08.978
Right.

00:24:09.525 --> 00:24:16.032
So<00:24:10.055> he<00:24:10.296> actually<00:24:10.810> changed<00:24:11.453> my<00:24:11.742> life<00:24:12.160> where<00:24:12.481> he<00:24:12.706> actually<00:24:13.027> connected<00:24:13.509> with<00:24:13.686> many<00:24:14.008> of<00:24:14.490> technology<00:24:15.132> leaders<00:24:15.598> in<00:24:15.695> Japan.

00:24:16.096 --> 00:24:17.141
That<00:24:16.337> changed<00:24:16.723> my<00:24:16.820> life.

00:24:18.346 --> 00:24:25.687
And<00:24:18.571> Bill<00:24:18.748> Tai,<00:24:19.294> who<00:24:19.374> is<00:24:19.471> the<00:24:19.696> founder—<00:24:20.338> oh,<00:24:20.371> sorry,<00:24:20.740> investor<00:24:21.399> for<00:24:22.266> Canva<00:24:23.086> and<00:24:23.150> also<00:24:23.503> Zoom,<00:24:23.969> I<00:24:24.130> talked<00:24:24.387> about<00:24:24.692> it.

00:24:25.896 --> 00:24:30.490
He<00:24:26.041> invested<00:24:26.523> into<00:24:26.780> someone<00:24:27.647> who<00:24:27.984> even<00:24:28.225> couldn't<00:24:28.546> speak<00:24:28.948> any<00:24:29.269> English,<00:24:30.217> right?

00:24:30.731 --> 00:24:33.365
So<00:24:30.875> I<00:24:31.100> really<00:24:32.224> cannot<00:24:32.642> thank<00:24:32.947> more<00:24:33.124> enough.

00:24:34.232 --> 00:24:48.237
And<00:24:34.505> Jerry<00:24:34.890> Yang,<00:24:35.693> who<00:24:36.095> is<00:24:36.240> the<00:24:36.336> founder<00:24:36.818> of<00:24:36.978> Yahoo,<00:24:38.183> he<00:24:38.649> is<00:24:38.809> also<00:24:39.163> the<00:24:39.371> one<00:24:39.773> who<00:24:40.415> invested<00:24:41.234> into<00:24:41.620> us<00:24:42.038> as<00:24:42.198> an<00:24:42.359> angel<00:24:42.664> investor,<00:24:43.403> gave<00:24:43.788> a<00:24:44.029> lot<00:24:44.302> of<00:24:44.511> critical<00:24:45.009> business<00:24:45.475> advices<00:24:46.759> without<00:24:47.241> a<00:24:47.338> lot<00:24:47.595> of<00:24:47.803> bias.

00:24:48.942 --> 00:24:50.385
We<00:24:49.103> were<00:24:49.423> no<00:24:49.664> one,<00:24:50.048> right?

00:24:50.930 --> 00:24:56.683
He<00:24:51.090> also<00:24:51.427> admit<00:24:51.907> that,<00:24:52.308> okay,<00:24:52.629> Kaz<00:24:53.270> and<00:24:53.430> Hiro,<00:24:53.911> who<00:24:54.007> is<00:24:54.151> my<00:24:54.311> co-founder,<00:24:55.113> you<00:24:55.193> are<00:24:55.353> no<00:24:55.594> one<00:24:55.834> in<00:24:55.930> Silicon<00:24:56.395> Valley.

00:24:57.116 --> 00:24:58.014
You're<00:24:57.276> the<00:24:57.501> underdog.

00:24:58.703 --> 00:25:10.210
And<00:24:59.103> you<00:24:59.280> have<00:24:59.921> a<00:25:00.145> lot<00:25:00.386> of<00:25:00.546> people<00:25:00.882> who<00:25:01.043> comes<00:25:01.347> out<00:25:01.588> from<00:25:01.908> all<00:25:02.084> these<00:25:02.565> large<00:25:02.806> company<00:25:03.190> has<00:25:03.286> an<00:25:03.447> advantage,<00:25:04.729> but<00:25:05.450> you<00:25:05.546> have<00:25:05.851> to<00:25:06.396> act<00:25:06.636> like<00:25:06.892> an<00:25:07.053> underdog<00:25:07.630> and<00:25:07.934> be<00:25:08.239> hungry<00:25:08.880> about<00:25:09.136> the<00:25:09.216> success,<00:25:09.938> right?

00:25:11.444 --> 00:25:24.019
And<00:25:11.620> Dan<00:25:12.326> Sheinman,<00:25:13.127> who<00:25:13.383> is<00:25:13.624> on<00:25:13.784> the<00:25:13.928> board<00:25:14.201> of<00:25:14.425> Zoom<00:25:15.226> and<00:25:15.371> also<00:25:16.092> various<00:25:17.134> other<00:25:17.310> tech<00:25:17.614> companies,<00:25:18.095> has<00:25:18.320> given<00:25:18.657> us<00:25:18.914> a<00:25:19.235> lot<00:25:20.021> of<00:25:21.306> business<00:25:22.028> and<00:25:22.285> investment<00:25:22.992> advices.

00:25:24.999 --> 00:25:27.744
He<00:25:25.657> was<00:25:25.882> one<00:25:26.058> of<00:25:26.123> the<00:25:26.283> best<00:25:26.540> angel<00:25:26.781> investors<00:25:27.503> too.

00:25:27.905 --> 00:25:30.538
So<00:25:28.001> there's<00:25:28.804> a<00:25:28.852> lot<00:25:29.109> of<00:25:29.189> people<00:25:29.510> who<00:25:29.591> have<00:25:29.831> supported<00:25:30.393> us.

00:25:31.999 --> 00:25:33.524
What's<00:25:32.304> the<00:25:32.400> future<00:25:32.802> of<00:25:32.946> Treasure<00:25:33.283> Data?

00:25:34.070 --> 00:25:35.804
What<00:25:34.166> does<00:25:34.327> it<00:25:34.471> look<00:25:34.648> like<00:25:34.873> 5,<00:25:35.130> 10<00:25:35.354> years<00:25:35.595> from<00:25:35.692> now?

00:25:36.896 --> 00:25:41.118
Yeah,<00:25:37.474> so<00:25:38.261> if<00:25:38.341> you<00:25:38.501> look<00:25:38.678> at<00:25:38.822> the<00:25:38.983> potential<00:25:39.465> of<00:25:39.625> Treasure<00:25:39.882> Data,<00:25:40.203> it's<00:25:40.428> really<00:25:40.669> exciting.

00:25:41.552 --> 00:25:47.076
So<00:25:42.274> we<00:25:42.515> provide<00:25:43.302> the<00:25:43.398> solution<00:25:44.024> called<00:25:44.330> CDP,<00:25:44.988> customer<00:25:45.631> data<00:25:45.807> platform,<00:25:46.996> right?

00:25:48.201 --> 00:25:53.084
And<00:25:48.377> our<00:25:48.554> main<00:25:49.020> buyer<00:25:50.128> is<00:25:50.546> Global<00:25:51.044> 2000<00:25:51.895> or<00:25:52.072> large<00:25:52.473> enterprise.

00:25:54.304 --> 00:26:05.693
And<00:25:54.786> if<00:25:54.883> you<00:25:55.043> look<00:25:55.349> at<00:25:55.509> the<00:25:55.766> Global<00:25:56.168> 2000,<00:25:56.891> which<00:25:57.051> is<00:25:57.212> basically<00:25:58.015> top<00:25:58.320> 2,000<00:25:59.043> biggest<00:25:59.364> company<00:25:59.782> on<00:25:59.942> the<00:26:00.087> earth,<00:26:00.826> we<00:26:00.987> only<00:26:01.227> have<00:26:01.533> like<00:26:01.934> 50<00:26:02.416> of<00:26:02.512> them<00:26:02.657> right<00:26:02.834> now,<00:26:04.022> um,<00:26:04.520> somewhere<00:26:04.826> around,<00:26:05.468> right?

00:26:06.207 --> 00:26:09.837
And<00:26:06.351> we<00:26:06.512> already<00:26:06.865> achieved<00:26:07.219> $100<00:26:07.588> million<00:26:08.520> ARR,<00:26:09.018> annual<00:26:09.259> recurring<00:26:09.644> revenue.

00:26:10.062 --> 00:26:16.944
So<00:26:10.687> we<00:26:10.784> have<00:26:11.666> 1,950<00:26:13.735> to<00:26:13.896> go,<00:26:15.115> which<00:26:15.420> is<00:26:15.821> 40x<00:26:16.703> from<00:26:16.832> now.

00:26:17.521 --> 00:26:19.222
We're<00:26:17.602> gonna<00:26:17.810> have<00:26:17.939> some<00:26:18.163> work,<00:26:18.725> right?

00:26:20.313 --> 00:26:28.687
And<00:26:20.874> according<00:26:21.372> to<00:26:21.596> IDC,<00:26:22.398> 50%<00:26:22.896> of<00:26:23.152> Global<00:26:24.099> 2000<00:26:24.660> companies<00:26:25.623> will<00:26:25.880> adopt<00:26:26.281> CDP<00:26:27.371> in<00:26:27.532> the<00:26:27.564> next<00:26:27.789> 2<00:26:27.949> to<00:26:28.190> 3<00:26:28.414> years.

00:26:29.329 --> 00:26:31.960
So<00:26:29.489> it's<00:26:30.099> all<00:26:30.500> opportunity,<00:26:31.478> right?

00:26:32.986 --> 00:26:44.151
And<00:26:33.708> from<00:26:34.189> other<00:26:34.510> number<00:26:35.088> I<00:26:35.248> can<00:26:35.409> give<00:26:35.505> it<00:26:35.649> to<00:26:35.778> you<00:26:36.195> is<00:26:36.612> There's<00:26:37.398> 8<00:26:37.719> billion<00:26:38.216> people<00:26:38.697> on<00:26:38.857> the<00:26:39.082> Earth<00:26:40.461> and<00:26:40.686> 4.5<00:26:41.424> billion<00:26:41.825> people<00:26:42.771> are<00:26:43.188> internet<00:26:43.734> connected.

00:26:45.129 --> 00:26:55.379
So<00:26:46.461> through<00:26:46.862> the<00:26:47.439> brands<00:26:48.081> we<00:26:48.305> have<00:26:48.562> as<00:26:48.658> a<00:26:48.786> customer,<00:26:49.364> 450,<00:26:50.727> we<00:26:50.888> have<00:26:51.225> majority<00:26:52.235> of<00:26:52.412> that<00:26:52.877> internet<00:26:53.438> connected<00:26:54.336> population's<00:26:55.139> data.

00:26:56.245 --> 00:27:00.288
Although<00:26:56.486> we<00:26:56.646> don't<00:26:57.128> own,<00:26:57.545> we<00:26:57.705> provide<00:26:58.042> a<00:26:58.106> system<00:26:58.667> to<00:26:58.812> process<00:26:59.229> that<00:26:59.469> data,<00:27:00.031> right?

00:27:00.993 --> 00:27:11.020
You<00:27:01.090> know,<00:27:01.699> every<00:27:01.956> single<00:27:02.501> one<00:27:02.661> of<00:27:02.694> the<00:27:02.822> employee<00:27:03.239> at<00:27:03.383> Treasure<00:27:03.704> Data<00:27:04.667> have<00:27:05.004> an<00:27:05.164> impact<00:27:05.725> to<00:27:05.966> make<00:27:06.431> billions<00:27:07.009> of<00:27:07.169> people's<00:27:07.651> lives<00:27:08.036> happier,<00:27:08.790> safer,<00:27:09.335> and<00:27:09.496> more<00:27:09.736> convenient<00:27:10.362> through<00:27:10.538> the<00:27:10.699> data.

00:27:11.565 --> 00:27:15.271
But<00:27:11.645> at<00:27:11.677> the<00:27:11.758> same<00:27:12.062> time,<00:27:13.330> we<00:27:13.426> need<00:27:13.587> to<00:27:13.667> be<00:27:13.763> a<00:27:13.907> custodian<00:27:14.645> of<00:27:14.854> that<00:27:15.095> data.

00:27:15.415 --> 00:27:19.490
We<00:27:15.448> need<00:27:15.592> to<00:27:15.817> protect<00:27:16.394> the<00:27:16.619> data,<00:27:17.662> honoring<00:27:17.998> the<00:27:18.143> privacy,<00:27:19.186> right?

00:27:20.068 --> 00:27:22.378
So<00:27:20.228> that's<00:27:20.565> just<00:27:20.886> an<00:27:21.271> opportunity<00:27:22.009> we<00:27:22.154> have.

00:27:22.490 --> 00:27:30.143
So<00:27:22.715> if<00:27:22.795> you<00:27:22.972> think<00:27:23.212> about<00:27:23.533> like<00:27:23.838> 5<00:27:24.159> years<00:27:24.480> and<00:27:24.656> 10<00:27:24.881> years,<00:27:25.202> right,<00:27:25.843> we<00:27:25.924> have<00:27:26.100> 1,950<00:27:27.704> companies<00:27:28.122> to<00:27:28.266> go,<00:27:29.213> and<00:27:29.309> that's<00:27:29.549> a<00:27:29.630> lot<00:27:29.854> of<00:27:29.934> work.

00:27:30.416 --> 00:27:31.122
An<00:27:30.512> opportunity.

00:27:32.583 --> 00:27:33.450
That's<00:27:32.760> beautiful,<00:27:33.145> man.

00:27:33.578 --> 00:27:38.876
Hey,<00:27:34.349> thank<00:27:34.525> you<00:27:34.622> so<00:27:34.862> much<00:27:35.167> for<00:27:35.328> coming<00:27:35.633> on<00:27:35.874> here,<00:27:36.211> sharing<00:27:36.596> your<00:27:36.692> story,<00:27:37.254> sharing<00:27:37.656> your<00:27:37.816> advice<00:27:38.201> with<00:27:38.314> our<00:27:38.458> community.

00:27:38.924 --> 00:27:39.710
It<00:27:39.004> means<00:27:39.261> a<00:27:39.341> lot.

00:27:40.368 --> 00:27:42.263
Kaz,<00:27:41.027> what<00:27:41.187> an<00:27:41.332> honor<00:27:41.588> to<00:27:41.637> have<00:27:41.909> you<00:27:42.070> here.

00:27:42.776 --> 00:27:45.248
I'm<00:27:43.097> sure<00:27:43.274> we'll<00:27:43.434> talk<00:27:43.756> again<00:27:44.301> at<00:27:44.414> some<00:27:44.719> point.

00:27:45.762 --> 00:27:48.218
Best<00:27:46.083> of<00:27:46.163> luck<00:27:46.468> with<00:27:46.565> Treasure<00:27:46.950> Data<00:27:47.191> and<00:27:47.351> everything<00:27:47.769> else<00:27:47.929> you're<00:27:48.090> doing.

00:27:49.535 --> 00:27:52.376
Thanks<00:27:49.840> for<00:27:50.000> having<00:27:50.257> me,<00:27:50.417> Clint.