Alex MacCaw (Clearbit & Reflect): Everything I’ve Learned as Startup Founder

This is a podcast episode titled, Alex MacCaw (Clearbit & Reflect): Everything I’ve Learned as Startup Founder. The summary for this episode is: <p>Alex MacCaw is the founder of Clearbit and Reflect, and his journey with each company has been wildly different. Clearbit took more of a “classic” startup approach—raising VC money, hiring hundreds of people, and working from an office in SF.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In 2020, he charted a new course by replacing himself as CEO at Clearbit, selling all his possessions and living full-time on a sailboat in the Atlantic. </p><p><br></p><p>And now he’s building his new company Reflect in with a totally different approach —building a fully remote &amp; asynchronous “lifestyle” company that decidedly eschews VC money and the other common hallmarks of a tech startup.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Alex shares everything he’s learned as a founder and why he believes building startups should not be one-size-fits-all. </p><p><br></p><p>Blake and Alex talk through: </p><p>(7:07) Pros/Cons of being asynchronous by design</p><p>(09:01) Why Alex doesn’t believe in remote work for large companies</p><p>(10:11) Remote work pitfalls</p><p>(14:21) When to replace yourself as CEO</p><p>(15:52) How to find your zone of genius</p><p>(18:31) When do startups hire a CFO or COO?</p><p>(21:14) #1 piece of advice for founders</p><p>(24:14) Things to know before you found a startup (B2B vs. B2C)</p><p>(27:27) Why not raise venture capital</p><p>(28:28) When startups should (or shouldn’t) raise venture capital</p><p>(29:40) How Reflect started crowdfunding</p><p>(39:14) What AI and ChatGPT is good for</p><p>(44:13) Best time to start a company</p><p>(46:20) Not all startups need VC funding</p><p>(47:16) Advice for VCs from a founder</p>