Greylock Partners’ Asheem Chandna on First-Check Investing, Founders, and the Age of AI

In this episode of TechnoVenture, host Peter High interviews Asheem Chandna, a general partner at Greylock Partners, a venture capital firm with a focus on early-stage investments. Chandna discusses Greylock's investment strategy, emphasizing the importance of building a strong foundation for companies and focusing on the quality of the founding team. He shares insights on mitigating risks in early-stage investments, particularly before product-market fit, and how the AI era is influencing investment decisions, including a trend toward younger founders. Chandna also reflects on his own career path, from engineering to product management and venture capital, and how his experience as an immigrant has shaped his risk tolerance and entrepreneurial mindset. The conversation explores current investment interests, including data platforms, infrastructure software, cybersecurity, and vertical applications like healthcare, as well as the impact of AI on these areas. Finally, Chandna touches on the use of AI in venture capital and the rise of agentic AI in coding, customer support, and cybersecurity, recommending resources like Ben's Bites and YouTube for staying informed.