My First 16

Building a $20B+ Open Source Business with MongoDB and Viam’s Eliot Horowitz

Seema Amble

Posted December 12, 2024

In this episode of “My First 16,” a16z Partner Seema Amble talks with MongoDB and Viam co-founder Eliot Horowitz about building sustainable open source software tools. From challenging Oracle to building the de facto cloud-based database management tool, Horowitz outlines MongoDB’s early go-to-market strategies, approach to community building, and enterprise sales motion. This episode provides detailed tips on creating solutions for the developer community, building trust amongst enterprises, and successfully scaling a business supported by the open source community.

01:18-03:42 Why open source is a strategic business decision 

3:42:6:03 Product development strategy + making developers’ lives easier

6:03-08:24 MongoDB strategy of building community through meetups

08:24-10:49 The five-second rule for developer products

10:49-13:09 How MongoDB used meetups to fuel growth

13:09-15:35 The importance of getting people excited about your product

15:35-19:29 MongoDB’s enterprise sales strategy  

19:28-20:26 MongoDB’s recruiting strategy 

20:26-25:12 Open source customers vs. users, adoption patterns 

25:12-27:35 The evolution of enterprise deals and building trust through demos

27:35-32:23 Product communication strategies and tactics 

32:23-39:37 Managing customers and building long-term relationships

39:37-40:16 Outro

More About This Podcast

In a series of interviews, a16z Partner Seema Amble talks with B2B founders and CEOs, about their first 16 big clients that helped them go to market. This series aims to be a resource for other early stage or potential founders, as well as a tool for the companies featured.

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