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Straight to Why

@straighttowhy

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Conversations and insights uncovering the “why” behind the people, companies, and ideas transforming our world.

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Does the best person for the job have to be the person who’s done it before?
Gustavo Alba, Global Managing Partner of the Private Capital Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, on challenging conventional thinking about leadership, recognizing untapped potential, and knowing when to take a chance on someone new.
🎙️ Straight to Why — out now. taken in Miami, Florida by @straighttowhy

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2 days ago

The title gets bigger. So can the ego.

But Gustavo Alba and I agree that at the end of the day, senior leaders are just people.

Their feelings get hurt. They want to be heard. They disagree—sometimes adamantly. Only now, those very human reactions carry enormous consequences.

Remember that the next time someone’s title makes you question whether you belong in the room.

What’s one thing you wish you’d understood about senior leaders earlier?

#StraightToWhy #Leadership #CareerAdvice by @straighttowhy

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5 days ago

What happens when one person has the resources of an entire team at their fingertips?
Gustavo Alba, Global Managing Partner of the Private Capital Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, on how AI agents could fundamentally change the way we work—and why the next competitive advantage will be knowing how to orchestrate them.
🎙️ The latest episode of Straight to Why with Gustavo Alba — out now. taken in Miami, Florida by @straighttowhy

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They laughed when Vanessa Larco said she was becoming a venture capitalist.

She went on to become a partner and investment committee member at NEA. 🔥

People knew her as a product builder and couldn’t imagine her doing anything else. But we often confuse what someone has done with everything they’re capable of doing.

You’re allowed to grow beyond the version of you others recognize.

Has anyone ever laughed at a goal you went on to achieve? Tell me below. 👇

Full conversation with Vanessa on Straight to Why. Link in bio.

#StraightToWhy #VanessaLarco #VentureCapital #CareerChange #WomenInBusiness by @straighttowhy

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13 days ago

For a year, they thought they were toast. Then people lined up at midnight to buy what they’d built. 🥹

Vanessa Larco remembers walking into a store with her team on Xbox Kinect’s launch night—and stepping aside to watch customers go first.

After working around the clock, fearing failure, and scrambling to make it work, they finally got to see people choose it.

Imagine standing in that aisle, knowing everything it took to get there.

If you’re in the messy middle of building something, save this for the day you need a reason to keep going. ❤️

Full conversation with Vanessa on Straight to Why. Link in bio.

What was the moment you realized your hard work was paying off? 👇

#StraightToWhy #VanessaLarco #XboxKinect #BehindTheScenes #Entrepreneurship by @straighttowhy

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14 days ago

The Xbox Kinect launch came down to CD-ROMs and store employees. 🤯

Vanessa Larco reveals the scramble behind the scenes: only 20% of users had consoles connected to the internet. So how do you get a critical update to everyone else?

Put it on a disc. Include a free game. Airship the discs to stores just FOUR DAYS before launch—and have store associates slip them into the packaging.

Imagine planning a global launch around that last step. 😳

For anyone building something: this is what the polished success story leaves out.

👀Watch Vanessa’s full conversation on Straight to Why. Link in bio.

What’s the wildest last-minute fix you’ve pulled off? 👇

#StraightToWhy #VanessaLarco #XboxKinect #BehindTheScenes #StartupStories by @straighttowhy

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15 days ago

💡 Founders preparing a pre-seed pitch: the venture capitalist likely cares more about you and your accolades than your idea.

For a series B pitch, the expectations are quite different.

On the latest Straight to Why, I sit down with Vanessa, co-founder of Premise and former partner and investment committee member at NEA, to talk about building through the impossible—from helping launch Xbox Kinect when the technology barely worked to starting a company with Mercedes Bent.

🎧 Watch or listen to Vanessa’s episode—link in bio—for more.

#StraightToWhy #VanessaLarco #Entrepreneurship #PreSeed #StartupFounders by @straighttowhy

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17 days ago

Imagine getting six months to show your work to Anna Wintour, Jenna Lyons, Diane von Furstenberg, and Andrew Rosen.

Now imagine realizing you were allowed to fail in front of them, too.

When Tanya Taylor joined the Vogue Fashion Fund as a young founder, she saw the judges’ attention as a rare chance to ask questions, test ideas, and learn how to recover when something didn’t work. Years later, she has kept those relationships.

I loved hearing her describe what she made of those six months. The access was extraordinary. So was her willingness to let people see the work in progress.

More from Tanya on Straight to Why. ✨ by @straighttowhy

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21 days ago

Entrepreneurship can be lonely, as Tanya Taylor and I discuss.

Who helped you feel less alone? by @straighttowhy

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23 days ago

What happens when one of your favorite people tells you she can’t wear your clothes?

That’s what Aidy Bryant told Tanya Taylor. At SNL, Aidy watched her castmates choose from colorful racks of clothes for rehearsal while her own options were limited. Tanya’s response: “Give me that problem. I want to solve it.”

She and her small team expanded the collection to size 22, putting real care into the fit and quality along the way.

I love this story because Aidy didn’t ask for a special favor. She pointed out who was being left out—and Tanya listened.

Watch our conversation on Straight to Why. 💛

#straighttowhy #aidybryant #tanyataylor #snl by @straighttowhy

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24 days ago

Great style isn’t about age, body type, or status.
It’s about joy.

In this clip, fashion designer @tanyataylor shares why women from Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift all gravitated toward the very same piece—and what that taught her about designing clothes that make women feel like themselves.

🎙️ Watch the full conversation with Tanya Taylor, founder and Creative Director of her namesake fashion label, on Straight to Why.

@ladygaga @michelleobama @taylorswift taken in New York, New York by @straighttowhy

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25 days ago

Nobody wanted the project. Deena Shakir raised her hand.

An outsider to healthcare, she asked the “dumb questions,” connected work happening across Google and helped launch its first HIPAA-compliant product—laying the groundwork for the next Google Health.

The experience ultimately propelled her into venture capital.

Sometimes being the outsider is the advantage.

🎧Watch my full conversation with @deenashakir on Straight to Why. by @straighttowhy

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a month ago