Introduction
Pete Flint is a 2-time unicorn founder. He’s a co-founder and former CEO of Trulia, one of the internet’s most successful marketplaces, and is a Founding Partner at NFX. He led Trulia from inception to one of the largest and fastest-growing real estate brands in the U.S. with more than 50 million monthly unique users and a merger with Zillow in 2015 that valued Trulia at $3.5 billion.
Prior to starting Trulia, Pete was part of the founding team of lastminute.com, a leading European online travel site with >2000 employees, >$1bn transactions, and operations in 12 countries. Lastminute.com was acquired in May 2005 by Travelocity (Sabre Holdings) for $1.1bn in cash.
Topics to discuss
✅ Startup Journey. From founding Trulia to founding NFX.
✅ Investment Focus. Prioritizing network effects and understanding AI's role in startups.
✅ AI's Market Impact. Changing consumer behavior with personalized AI.
✅ Growth Strategy. Does a solid growth plan trump a great product for startups?
✅ Entrepreneur Advice. Nuggets of wisdom for new entrepreneurs drawn from personal experience.
Potential questions
1. The growth of Trulia seems meriotic to the outside world. What was the toughest part of taking it from an idea during your Stanford days by two Europeans to a publicly listed US-focused company?
2. The transition from a founder / CEO of Trulia to an active investor at NFX must have been quite the journey. How has your experience as a founder influenced your approach to investing in startups and building a product-driven platform at NFX?
3. Venture firms often look for the next big thing. NFX seems to be particularly focused on "network effects." What drove you to prioritize these effects, and why do you think they're crucial for startup success?
4. You say in your recent LinkedIn post: “AI-First marketplaces are coming. But we're only in the opening moments of this shift. But if you trace how these enabling technologies change marketplace architecture, you can predict what might emerge.” With AI in the driver's seat, how might consumers behave differently in these marketplaces? And what does that mean for businesses trying to keep up?
5. I liked the phrase you kept repeating at the Vamos Latam Summit: “Play to win — don’t play “not to lose.” Is this still true in the current, challenging environment. If someone wants to switch from a defensive strategy to a more assertive "play to win" mindset, what advice would you give them?
6. You wrote in your The AI Spectrum for Founders article: “Another area we’re looking hard at is new consumer companies that are likely to emerge from AI.” How do you think AI will actually change what consumers buy or the services they use?
7. According to your article The AI-First Marketplace: “All software and digital experiences are going to be infused with AI. This is a rare moment where unique opportunities for marketplace startups open up.” In your view, what's so special about this moment for marketplace startups with AI in the mix compared to other types of startups?
8. In this article (The AI-First Marketplace), you also mention the concept of reimagining the search box in marketplaces with AI. How do you see that shift from keyword-based to smart, personalized guide mechanisms playing out in real life?
9. Quoting what you said in the article for Founders Factory: “Your product is only as good as your distribution strategy... if you don’t get your growth and distribution strategy right, then it really doesn’t matter how good your product is.” Can you tell us why getting your product out there matters more, especially in a startup's early days?
10. Given your role as a guest lecturer at Stanford, what nuggets of advice do you give to up-and-coming entrepreneurs that you wish someone had given you when you were starting out?
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