The Investor With Joel Palathinkal

The Investor with Joel Palathinkal is a global omni channel show which highlights institutional investors from all walks of life and supports the continuing education for the next generation of allocators

Balaji Krishnan: Displace

S1 E49 • May 10, 2025 • 47 mins

Joel Palathinkal chats with Balaji about his journey from founding Snapstick to its acquisition by TiVo. Balaji delves into career transitions, CEO roles, and tech industry compensation, sharing lessons from Vinod Khosla and Larry Ellison. They discuss Snapstick's scaling, CES success, and investor relations. Balaji offers book recommendations, discusses valuations, and the value of advisory boards and mentorship. He shares insights on starting a new venture, overcoming challenges, and transitioning to a venture studio model. The episode wraps up with thoughts on future tech, wearables, and the venture studio approach.

Key Points

Balaji's first company, Snapstick, pioneered mobile-to-TV casting technology, similar to modern casting devices, and was eventually acquired by TiVo.
Balaji emphasizes the importance of bootstrapping and using personal funds initially to maintain control and flexibility before seeking external investments.
The venture studio model at Kija Lab involves Balaji using his own capital to take ideas from inception to seed stage, thereby de-risking investments for LPs and ensuring significant ownership and returns for the studio.

Speakers

Balaji

Guest • 62%

Dr. Joel Palathinkal

Host • 38%

Chapters

0:00	Introduction to The Investor podcast and guest Balaji's background
2:27	Early life, family influences, and career beginnings
5:36	Founding Snapstick, acquisition by TiVo, and career transition
7:04	CEOs, product people, and tech industry compensation
11:15	Lessons from Vinod Khosla, Larry Ellison, and Snapstick's origin
20:33	Scaling Snapstick, CES success, and entrepreneurship journey
24:11	Building a company, investor relations, and exits
27:08	Book recommendations and valuation discussions
31:09	The role of advisory boards and mentorship
32:27	Starting a new venture and overcoming personal challenges
37:21	Description of the second startup and innovation
40:12	Transition to venture studio model and company management
41:38	Future tech products, wearables, and industry insights
44:49	Conclusion and venture studio model reflections

Transcript

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