Creating and Defining a New Market Category

This episode is brought to you by:

Microsoft for Startups. Microsoft for Startups is a global program dedicated to helping “enterprise-ready” B2B startups successfully scale their companies. If you’re a founder running a B2B company targeting the enterprise, you should definitely check them out.

[00:02:19] – (First question) – Best slide in his presentation for starting Okta

[00:05:21] – The early days of Okta and what they were trying to do 

[00:08:36] – Challenge of building the company from an engineering perspective

[00:10:32] – First version of the Okta product

[00:11:03] – An overview on identity management 

[00:13:55] – The major innovation in the early days of the product

[00:16:11] – The early struggles of starting a company 

[00:18:49] – Becoming a default mode solution 

[00:20:39] – Most interesting ways the company has grown its services

[00:22:10] – Future of platform businesses 

[00:24:24] – Expanding into an infrastructure business

[00:25:59] – Important shifts that they are paying attention to

[00:28:21] – Future of our digital identity and Okta’s potential role

[00:32:20] – The chapters of Okta’s story so far 

[00:35:03] – Challenges they had to overcome in growing the company 

[00:37:31] – Recruiting the right talent and fostering it early on

[00:39:12] – Biggest mistakes he’s made with the business

[00:41:06] – Benefits of extreme focus vs having a broader view of the problems

[00:43:35] – Innovating within Okta

[00:46:02] – How software businesses define cost of revenue and cost of goods 

[00:48:23] – Lessons they’ve learned about selling the services of a small company into the largest companies

[00:49:54] – Lessons from working with bad clients/customers

[00:51:06] – Their inside view into the future of business today

[00:51:10] – Jeff Lawson's podcast episode

[00:52:36] – Best way to maintain the growth of Okta over the long term

[00:53:30] – Lessons he would give to business students today 

[00:54:51] – Being scared as a founder

[00:55:27] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him