The Playbook: Lessons from 200+ Company Stories

When Patrick O'Shaughnessy and Brent Beshore asked us to give a talk at their incredible Capital Camp conference, we knew we had to bring something special. So we spent months combing through the Acquired back catalog and cataloged our 12 favorite lessons from the 200+ stories we’ve told over the past 7 years. From Sequoia through Sony, TSMC, Nvidia, The New York Times, the NBA and Oprah - we revisited all the classics and pulled out the common threads that weave the tapestry of great companies we’ve covered on Acquired. This episode was truly a joy to put together… huge thank you to Patrick and Brent for giving us the perfect stage on which to present it!
Sponsors:
Thanks to the Solana Foundation for being our presenting sponsor for this special episode. Solana is the world’s most performant blockchain, the BEST place for developers to build Web3 applications, and of course very near & dear to the Acquired community’s heart. You can get in touch with them at the link below. Just tell them them Ben and David sent you!
bit.ly/acquiredsolana
Thank you as well to Modern Treasury and to Mystery.
bit.ly/acquiredmoderntreasury
bit.ly/acquiredmystery
Register here for the Acquired Mystery on July 7th 2022 at 3pm PT!
forms.trymystery.com/acquired
Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

[@WarbossPepe]

1. Optimism always wins 2. Mike Moritz corollary to Moore's law: cheaper compute -> larger markets -> bigger outcomes 3. Let your winners ride 4. Nothing can stop a will to survive 5. Strength leads to strength. Reflexivity 6. Its never too late 7. Don't mistake buying options for investing in cash flow (and vice versa) 8. Focus on what makes your beer taste better 9. Scale up or niche down 10. Don't be talent. Own your business 11. You'll get the partners you ask for 12. Truly having fun is the ultimate competitive advantage

[@s.a.m.6993]

Thank you.

[@midnight-matches]

These episodes deserve way more views. Amazing lessons guys

[@arjandenijs6134]

Love the show and have listened to all episodes and this is a great recap for everybody, not just the tech space but life!

[@RaisedMedia]

So many stories in one episode. Probably one of their best!

[@ivananastasi3408]

Guys, I really love your podcast, and even use it as starting point (and inspiration :) ) for my research whenever I have to crack a case. This episode is a brilliant summary of a huge lot of great content. Thanks for it!

[@jatingupta4708]

Just discovered this channel a week ago and now it is my favourite business related channel. Would like to work with you guys someday. Great insights in video

[@ReasonableHuman1]

Amazing context

[@MrArtist1971]

7:40

[@paverartenterprises7361]

When did Kylo Ren enter the VC world?

[@togoni]

Arguments are such a BS. Looking back on success stories is easy. Why don't you tell stories of thousands of companies that got or didn't got funded.

[@WarbossPepe]

Great point, its definitely riddled with survivorship bias. Still lessons to be gained though

[@kusibrempong8885]

That's their niche and Ben & David have mastered this. Since it's such a good idea why don't you start your platform and talk about that

[@davidashcroft5602]

Who wants stories about how to lose? People want stories how to win.

[@johnduncan9036]

So funny to think Elon is a badass haha