Today, Marc Lore is synonymous with eCommerce. He is known for translating his bold visions into trailblazing companies like Diapers.com and Jet.com. As a serial entrepreneur, there are consistencies in Marc’s companies: they were born out of his own needs and focused on how we consume goods. But perhaps most notably – they are ideas so daring that some would call him crazy.
His latest endeavor, Wonder, is no different.
In this episode of Spotlight On, Marc joins Accel’s Sameer Gandhi to reflect on their long-standing partnership and Marc’s bold yet methodical approach to company growth. They unpack Marc’s vision for Wonder to become an AI-powered personal chef and, along the way, share lessons for new and seasoned founders on stage-by-stage growth, scaling a team, and building investor trust. The conversation offers an open look into Marc’s ambition and unshakable belief in the importance of founder naïveté when challenging new markets that nobody believed could be disrupted before.
Conversation highlights:
00:00 – Recounting Marc’s and Sameer’s partnership over the years
04:00 – Marc’s early interest in entrepreneurship and atypical first investor
09:16 – Strategies for doubling the valuation of companies at each round
12:11 – Advice for new entrepreneurs on the power of naïveté
14:43 – How Diapers.com transformed e-commerce by redefining customer expectations
24:12 – Overview of Wonder and how it is redesigning the food supply chain
30:59 - Marc’s rubric for growth and the necessity of capital burn
35:10 – How Marc’s approach to interviewing and building a team has evolved
45:50 – Marc’s reflection on how to gain an advantage in the early days of your career
Featured: Marc Lore, CEO of Wonder, and Sameer Gandhi, Partner at Accel
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