Flex Capital Journal

Conversations, essays & announcements.

Long-form interviews with founders and operators, plus our own thinking on company-building and venture capital.

From Near-Shutdown to $40M ARR in Five Months: Eric Simons on Building Bolt.new
Conversations November 11, 2025

From Near-Shutdown to $40M ARR in Five Months: Eric Simons on Building Bolt.new

By Auren Hoffman
Clay COO Varun Anand: Why Cutting-Edge GTM Teams Are Moving Away From Traditional CRMs
Conversations October 14, 2025

Clay COO Varun Anand: Why Cutting-Edge GTM Teams Are Moving Away From Traditional CRMs

By Auren Hoffman
OpenGov CEO Zac Bookman: Govtech, Data Access, and AI Transformation
Conversations September 30, 2025

OpenGov CEO Zac Bookman: Govtech, Data Access, and AI Transformation

By Auren Hoffman
OpenAI CSO Jason Kwon: The Real Bottlenecks in AI
Conversations September 23, 2025

OpenAI CSO Jason Kwon: The Real Bottlenecks in AI

By Auren Hoffman
Beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk on Why Email Still Beats Every Social Platform
Conversations September 16, 2025

Beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk on Why Email Still Beats Every Social Platform

By Auren Hoffman
Gokul Rajaram on Building Ad Platforms, AI's Impact, and the Venture Transition
Conversations September 9, 2025

Gokul Rajaram on Building Ad Platforms, AI's Impact, and the Venture Transition

By Auren Hoffman
Zip CEO Rujul Zaparde on Enterprise Workflows, AI Agents, and Why Everyone Hates Procurement
Conversations August 19, 2025

Zip CEO Rujul Zaparde on Enterprise Workflows, AI Agents, and Why Everyone Hates Procurement

By Auren Hoffman
Airtable CEO Howie Liu: The Next Generation of No-Code
Conversations August 5, 2025

Airtable CEO Howie Liu: The Next Generation of No-Code

By Auren Hoffman
Why AI Capabilities Are Overestimated: A Conversation with Dwarkesh Patel
Conversations July 29, 2025

Why AI Capabilities Are Overestimated: A Conversation with Dwarkesh Patel

By Auren Hoffman
Crunchbase CEO Jager McConnell: How Data Companies Can Survive AI
Conversations June 3, 2025

Crunchbase CEO Jager McConnell: How Data Companies Can Survive AI

By Auren Hoffman
Building the Nervous System for AI with LiveKit CEO Russ d'Sa
Conversations May 27, 2025

Building the Nervous System for AI with LiveKit CEO Russ d'Sa

By Auren Hoffman
Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll: Modernizing the Military
Conversations May 20, 2025

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll: Modernizing the Military

By Auren Hoffman
Hello Patient CEO Alex Cohen on SaaS Sprawl, Epic Systems, and Health Optimization
Conversations May 11, 2025

Hello Patient CEO Alex Cohen on SaaS Sprawl, Epic Systems, and Health Optimization

By Auren Hoffman
Revolutionizing Defense Tech with Anduril's Trae Stephens
Conversations April 22, 2025

Revolutionizing Defense Tech with Anduril's Trae Stephens

By Auren Hoffman
a16z's Martin Casado: AI Economics and Model Architecture
Conversations April 8, 2025

a16z's Martin Casado: AI Economics and Model Architecture

By Auren Hoffman
Announcing Our New GP — Paul Johnson
Announcements February 18, 2025

Announcing Our New GP — Paul Johnson

By Auren Hoffman
Mark Pincus on Product Frameworks, Platform Risk, and Public Market Investing
Conversations January 28, 2025

Mark Pincus on Product Frameworks, Platform Risk, and Public Market Investing

By Auren Hoffman
Qualia CEO Nate Baker: The Hidden Infrastructure of Real Estate Tech
Conversations December 17, 2024

Qualia CEO Nate Baker: The Hidden Infrastructure of Real Estate Tech

By Auren Hoffman
Trust, Technology and the Future of Family Safety: Life360 CEO Chris Hulls
Conversations December 12, 2024

Trust, Technology and the Future of Family Safety: Life360 CEO Chris Hulls

By Auren Hoffman
Building Modern Data Infrastructure: Fivetran CEO George Fraser
Conversations December 3, 2024

Building Modern Data Infrastructure: Fivetran CEO George Fraser

By Auren Hoffman
From College Newsletter to $75M Exit: Inside Morning Brew with Alex Lieberman
Conversations November 19, 2024

From College Newsletter to $75M Exit: Inside Morning Brew with Alex Lieberman

By Auren Hoffman
Altana CEO Evan Smith: The Data Behind Global Trade's Big Shift
Conversations November 12, 2024

Altana CEO Evan Smith: The Data Behind Global Trade's Big Shift

By Auren Hoffman
Ramp CEO Eric Glyman: Decoding the Hidden Forces in Banking and Fintech
Conversations October 15, 2024

Ramp CEO Eric Glyman: Decoding the Hidden Forces in Banking and Fintech

By Auren Hoffman
People.ai CEO Oleg Rogynskyy: How AI is Replacing Sales Teams
Conversations August 19, 2024

People.ai CEO Oleg Rogynskyy: How AI is Replacing Sales Teams

By Auren Hoffman
The Evolution of Fintech: Trends, Trust, and Democratization with Adam Nash
Conversations July 30, 2024

The Evolution of Fintech: Trends, Trust, and Democratization with Adam Nash

By Auren Hoffman
Chris Best: How Substack is Building a New Engine for Culture in 2024
Conversations July 15, 2024

Chris Best: How Substack is Building a New Engine for Culture in 2024

By Auren Hoffman
Anand Sanwal: Data Driven Decision Making in Tech and VC
Conversations May 21, 2024

Anand Sanwal: Data Driven Decision Making in Tech and VC

By Auren Hoffman
Compute And Data: Groq CEO Jonathan Ross's Roadmap for the Generative Future
Conversations April 30, 2024

Compute And Data: Groq CEO Jonathan Ross's Roadmap for the Generative Future

By Auren Hoffman
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen: Bringing Tech to Global Shipping and Logistics
Conversations April 9, 2024

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen: Bringing Tech to Global Shipping and Logistics

By Auren Hoffman
Modern Customer Engagement: Insights from Braze CEO Bill Magnuson
Conversations April 2, 2024

Modern Customer Engagement: Insights from Braze CEO Bill Magnuson

By Auren Hoffman
Benchmark Capital GP Sarah Tavel: How AI Will Transform SaaS Business Models
Conversations February 27, 2024

Benchmark Capital GP Sarah Tavel: How AI Will Transform SaaS Business Models

By Auren Hoffman
CEO Perspectives for 2024
Insights February 12, 2024

CEO Perspectives for 2024

By Auren Hoffman
RewindAI CEO Dan Siroker: AI Wearables & Fundraising in Public
Conversations February 6, 2024

RewindAI CEO Dan Siroker: AI Wearables & Fundraising in Public

By Auren Hoffman
Insights from SlowVC's Sam Lessin: Navigating the Evolving Venture Landscape
Conversations December 12, 2023

Insights from SlowVC's Sam Lessin: Navigating the Evolving Venture Landscape

By Auren Hoffman
Boardroom Wisdom & Next Gen Marketing: A Conversation with HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan
Conversations December 5, 2023

Boardroom Wisdom & Next Gen Marketing: A Conversation with HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan

By Auren Hoffman
Amjad Masad: AI-Enabled Software Development
Conversations November 26, 2023

Amjad Masad: AI-Enabled Software Development

By Auren Hoffman
Michael Seibel: Investing in 1,000+ Startups
Conversations October 31, 2023

Michael Seibel: Investing in 1,000+ Startups

By Auren Hoffman
Ben Horowitz: The Wartime CEO Playbook
Conversations October 24, 2023

Ben Horowitz: The Wartime CEO Playbook

By Auren Hoffman
AI Is Booming. This Is How CEOs Are Actually Using It.
Insights October 18, 2023

AI Is Booming. This Is How CEOs Are Actually Using It.

By Auren Hoffman
Guillermo Rauch: Dual Threat CEOs & Modern Front End Development
Conversations October 17, 2023

Guillermo Rauch: Dual Threat CEOs & Modern Front End Development

By Auren Hoffman
Peter Thiel: The Stagnation of Science and the AI Revolution
Conversations October 3, 2023

Peter Thiel: The Stagnation of Science and the AI Revolution

By Auren Hoffman
Decoding Tech's Next Big Thing: VR vs. AI
Why now July 27, 2023

Decoding Tech's Next Big Thing: VR vs. AI

By Auren Hoffman
Immad Akhund: Crowdfunding, Angel Investors & Fintech
Conversations July 18, 2023

Immad Akhund: Crowdfunding, Angel Investors & Fintech

By Auren Hoffman
Understanding Cyber Conflict: In Conversation with Dmitri Alperovitch
Conversations July 5, 2023

Understanding Cyber Conflict: In Conversation with Dmitri Alperovitch

By Auren Hoffman
Breaking Down Founder Compensation: In Conversation with Tod Sacerdoti
Conversations June 30, 2023

Breaking Down Founder Compensation: In Conversation with Tod Sacerdoti

By Auren Hoffman
Insights from Operators: In Conversation with Romain Lapeyre
Conversations June 28, 2023

Insights from Operators: In Conversation with Romain Lapeyre

By Auren Hoffman
Investors Don't Actually Care About Stock Based Comp
Insights June 15, 2023

Investors Don't Actually Care About Stock Based Comp

By Auren Hoffman
Choosing Your Cap Table: In Conversation with Sean Thorne
Conversations June 14, 2023

Choosing Your Cap Table: In Conversation with Sean Thorne

By Auren Hoffman
The Case for Optimism: In Conversation with Packy McCormick
Conversations June 12, 2023

The Case for Optimism: In Conversation with Packy McCormick

By Auren Hoffman
Vartana raises $12m to help B2B teams close deals faster
Portfolio May 31, 2023

Vartana raises $12m to help B2B teams close deals faster

By Auren Hoffman
A Founder's Perspective: Travis May on Datavant & Venture Capital
Conversations May 24, 2023

A Founder's Perspective: Travis May on Datavant & Venture Capital

By Auren Hoffman
Incubators and Startup Studios: In Conversation with Jack Abraham
Conversations May 17, 2023

Incubators and Startup Studios: In Conversation with Jack Abraham

By Auren Hoffman
Dual Threat CEOs
Insights April 26, 2023

Dual Threat CEOs

By Auren Hoffman
Why We Invested in People Data Labs
Announcements November 2, 2022

Why We Invested in People Data Labs

By Auren Hoffman
Keith Rabois: Why Startups Need Undiscovered Talent
Conversations November 1, 2022

Keith Rabois: Why Startups Need Undiscovered Talent

By Auren Hoffman
Why We Invested in Strapi
News June 30, 2022

Why We Invested in Strapi

By Auren Hoffman
Insights from The Power Law: Sebastian Mallaby on the Evolution of Venture Capital
Conversations April 12, 2022

Insights from The Power Law: Sebastian Mallaby on the Evolution of Venture Capital

By Auren Hoffman
Flex: Flexible Capital by Founders, For Founders
Insights May 6, 2021

Flex: Flexible Capital by Founders, For Founders

By Auren Hoffman
DaaS Bible 2.0: How Standards Increase Data Flow and Benefit Everyone
News November 2, 2020

DaaS Bible 2.0: How Standards Increase Data Flow and Benefit Everyone

By Auren Hoffman
Part #2 — $100M to $1B+: Non-obvious Lessons Learned Selling to Yahoo!
Insights June 8, 2020

Part #2 — $100M to $1B+: Non-obvious Lessons Learned Selling to Yahoo!

By Auren Hoffman
Part #1 — 0 to $640M: Non-obvious Lessons Learned Building BrightRoll
Insights June 8, 2020

Part #1 — 0 to $640M: Non-obvious Lessons Learned Building BrightRoll

By Auren Hoffman
DB
Insights May 12, 2020

Data-As-A-Service Bible: Everything You Wanted To Know About Running DaaS Companies

By Auren Hoffman
Datavant: Perfect Storm of Data, Middleware and Business Friendships
News June 9, 2021 ([Flex Capital](journal/datavant-perfect-storm-of-data-middleware-and-business-friendships.html))

Datavant: Perfect Storm of Data, Middleware and Business Friendships

By Auren Hoffman ([Flex Capital](journal/datavant-perfect-storm-of-data-middleware-and-business-friendships.html))