Becky Buckman hosts David Krane, CEO and Managing Partner of the venture capital firm GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, for a discussion about the importance of thoughtful communications in the launch of any new tech company. Despite the tectonic changes in the media landscape, great comms still neesd to come directly from the founder, in his or her authentic voice, according to David. He should know: David formerly led Google’s global communications and public affairs group and served on the company’s senior leadership team before moving to GV. His insights demonstrate how useful his “Act One” career was to his success in “Act Two,” when he moved into venture capital. Storytelling has never been more important to a company’s success, and David explains why.
David goes into detail about the importance of what he calls the “Hello, world” moment for any new enterprise: The moment a founder explains “Here’s who we are, and here’s why you should care.” He talks through his experience helping iconic companies like Nest manage these moments and offers advice for founders navigating their own launches. Finally, David offers anecdotes from his days in Google’s comms and public affairs group, when he lured reporters to the Google cafeteria to celebrate the launch of the company’s first international interfaces (with international breakfasts!), and also the broader importance of internal communications to companies today. Keeping focus on the mission and purpose of a company internally is expensive but vital, according to David. David shares his comms and storytelling wisdom with the companies in which GV invests today.
“When the product kicks ass, the story kicks ass.” - David Krane
Join technology comms pros Becky Buckman and Keyana Corliss as they cut to the heart of today’s tech-news cycle and the general craziness that is high-tech corporate communications right now. With a short, not-too-serious take on the industry - with plenty of humor and irony thrown in - they’ll bring you the best in the biz, across comms and media together, for one-of-a-kind insights and perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else!
About David Krane:
David is the CEO & managing partner at GV and oversees the fund’s global activities. He invests in a wide range of technology companies including Uber, StockX, Nest, and Blue Bottle Coffee. David’s Google career began more than 20 years ago, as director of Global Communications and Public Affairs. In this role, David served as a member of the senior leadership team to grow Google from a small startup to a multibillion-dollar global enterprise.
David’s prior career experience spanned both startup and public companies, including Apple, QUALCOMM, Four11 (now Yahoo! Mail), and two computer security software developers.
David is also on the board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM), a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO), and a long-time advisor to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. David received his Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Indiana University Bloomington. As a proud Hoosier alumnus, he has served on the Dean’s advisory board for the IU School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. David resides in the Bay Area with his wife, three children, and their two labradoodles.
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