Success Story with Scott D. Clary
Published on Mar 20, 2025, 12:00:00 AM
Total time: 01:27:24
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Tim Guleri is a seasoned venture capitalist and managing partner at Sierra Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage technology-focused venture capital firm. With over two decades of experience in the technology industry, he has a strong track record of identifying and nurturing successful startups. Before joining Sierra Ventures, he co-founded Scopus Technology, which went public in 1995 and was later acquired by Siebel Systems for $460 million, and Octane Software, which was acquired by E.piphany in 2000 for $3.2 billion.
➡️ Show Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timguleri/
➡️ Podcast Sponsors
Hubspot - https://hubspot.com/
Lingoda - https://try.lingoda.com/successstory (Code: scott25)
Vanta - https://www.vanta.com/scott
Federated Computer - https://www.federated.computer
Cornbread Hemp - https://cornbreadhemp.com/success (Code: Success)
Create Like The Greats Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/create-like-the-greats/id1653650073
FreshBooks - https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing-offer/
Bank On Yourself - https://www.bankonyourself.com/scott
Stash - https://get.stash.com/successstory
NetSuite — https://netsuite.com/scottclary/
Indeed - https://indeed.com/clary
➡️ Talking Points
00:00 - Intro
05:23 - The Common Thread in Tim’s Journey
08:01 - Born Entrepreneur or Learned Skill?
10:31 - How Entrepreneurs Find Their Focus
18:30 - Tim’s Career & Investment Philosophy
22:08 - Sponsor Break
24:46 - The Evolution of Sierra Ventures
30:27 - Founder Traps in Venture Capital
35:08 - Managing Risk at Sierra Ventures
40:57 - Finding Investors: Tips for Founders
49:50 - Sponsor Break
52:03 - The Biggest Challenge for First-Time Entrepreneurs
57:24 - Riding Trends vs. True Innovation
1:00:26 - Is There an Undiscovered Playbook for Distribution?
1:03:17 - Scaling Without Crashing
1:08:05 - Making High-Stakes Decisions with Confidence
1:12:28 - Smart Exit Strategies for Entrepreneurs
1:17:03 - Final Thoughts from Tim Guleri
Welcome to the Success Story Podcast, hosted by entrepreneur, business executive, author, educator & speaker, Scott D. Clary (@scottdclary). On this podcast, you'll find interviews, Q&A, keynote presentations & conversations on sales, marketing, business, startups and entrepreneurship. Scott will discuss some of the lessons he's learned over his own career, as well as have candid interviews with execs, celebrities, notable figures and politicians. All who have achieved success through both wins and losses, to learn more about their life, their ideas and insights. He sits down with leaders and mentors and unpacks their story to help pass those lessons onto others through both experiences and tactical strategy for business professionals, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. To get more of the Success Story podcast, go to www.successstorypodcast.com.