#134 Chief Bizdev Officer at Uber, Jen Vescio: Buy, Build, or Partner
Grit17 Apr 2023

#134 Chief Bizdev Officer at Uber, Jen Vescio: Buy, Build, or Partner

Guest: Jen Vescio, Chief Business Development Officer at Uber and founder of Awestruck Ventures

If you were to look at Jen Vescio’s calendar, it might look like a pack of Skittles: Every single one of her meetings is color-coded according to the Insights Color Focus system, which assigns the colors red, blue, yellow, and green based on what methods they emphasize in their work. As the chief business development officer of Uber, Jen has to work with people across that spectrum, and preps for each meeting accordingly.

In this episode, Jen and Joubin discuss the pros and cons of media training, Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, “semi-pro” soccer, how to ruin your Uber rating, the “fluorescent light” journey, working at “it” companies before they were disrupted, the art and science of business development, self-awareness vs. understanding others, Sean Bratches, what is your motive?, side letter PTSD, “speed and silence are your two worst enemies,” forced time off, getting buy-in, and why “Uber is wired for trauma.”

In this episode, we cover:

  • “Dancing in the moment” (00:54)
  • The Olympic Development Program (03:22)
  • Jen’s parents (08:15)
  • DJing and music in Ubers (10:40)
  • Talking to Uber drivers (12:48)
  • Retiring from soccer (15:04)
  • “The big transition” (17:22)
  • The dotcom boom and Jen’s first jobs (20:04)
  • Innovation and disruption (22:15)
  • Buy, build, or partner (27:24)
  • Understanding the “color” of others (35:27)
  • How to talk to a “double red” (38:38)
  • Insights Color Focus and the color of companies (41:16)
  • The Trust Quotient (46:45)
  • The biggest deal Jen has brokered (50:17)
  • The pressure of big deals (51:46)
  • The $350 million deal she botched (55:14)
  • Getting burned out on corporate jobs (58:22)
  • Big, shiny brands like Uber (01:00:38)
  • Mental contracts and taking time off (01:05:07)
  • Tough feedback (01:08:24)
  • Developing trust internally vs. externally (01:09:48)
  • How COVID impacted Uber (01:13:08)
  • Where Uber is hiring and what Jen thinks of when she hears the word “Grit” (01:18:16)

Links:

Episoder(281)

CMO TripActions, Meagen Eisenberg: The Joy of Living in Awkward

CMO TripActions, Meagen Eisenberg: The Joy of Living in Awkward

There is a litany of analogies for marketing. An art, a technique, a skill. Yet few strive to combine a multitude of approaches. For Meagen Eisenberg, Chief Marketing Officer at TripActions, she synth...

13 Des 20211h 12min

CRO Unqork, Philip Lacor: Playing the Infinite Game

CRO Unqork, Philip Lacor: Playing the Infinite Game

For some, expanding their horizons is something that they, as individuals, strive to do. Fortunately, Philip Lacor, CRO at Unqork, takes those expansions to another level. Philip thrives as a cross-fu...

6 Des 20211h 8min

CBO Duolingo, Bob Meese: Carrying Culture Through Language

CBO Duolingo, Bob Meese: Carrying Culture Through Language

Language is without doubt the single most valuable tool we use, and in its use, it ironically builds barriers. Fortunately in recent years with the rise of companies like Duolingo, those barriers are ...

29 Nov 202155min

CRO Pendo, Jennifer Brannigan: Un-designing Your Leadership Path

CRO Pendo, Jennifer Brannigan: Un-designing Your Leadership Path

To make the leap from HR to sales may seem like a significant obstacle to surmount. For Jennifer Brannigan, CRO at Pendo, it was an easy choice to make. Her decision to pursue her own interests and pa...

22 Nov 20211h 7min

CRO Rubrik, Brian McCarthy: Embedding Missionary Values Into Company Culture

CRO Rubrik, Brian McCarthy: Embedding Missionary Values Into Company Culture

Integrity and humility barely begin to describe Brian McCarthy, CRO at Rubrik. Brian’s story is one of hard-won progress that is bound to inspire anyone who listens. Coming from a blue-collar househol...

15 Nov 20211h 7min

President and COO Coinbase, Emilie Choi: Rising Through the Crypto Ranks

President and COO Coinbase, Emilie Choi: Rising Through the Crypto Ranks

"Crypto" is a term that has recently re-shaped the way the world thinks about money. For Emilie Choi, President and COO at Coinbase, it has been at the forefront of her work and mind for quite some ti...

8 Nov 20211h 4min

COO Bloomreach, Christy Augustine: Thin Mints and Company Building

COO Bloomreach, Christy Augustine: Thin Mints and Company Building

Carving her own path is certainly one way to describe how Christina Augustine, COO at Bloomreach, has chosen to do her work. With a distinct set of experiences, beginning with a unique college thesis,...

1 Nov 202159min

CEO Alteryx, Mark Anderson: Transformation Starts with Leadership

CEO Alteryx, Mark Anderson: Transformation Starts with Leadership

Mark Anderson, CEO at Alteryx, joins Joubin to talk about how he crafted his leadership ethos, which he often compares to a great game of golf. While Mark is currently at Alteryx, it is his foundation...

25 Okt 202153min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
finansredaksjonen
pengepodden-2
pengesnakk
utbytte
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-sunn-okonomi
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
liberal-halvtime
rss-politisk-preik
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse