Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"There's 20 fires going on at every moment in the office and you have enough water to put out four."
Mark Roberge shares what it takes to build and scale a company, from finding product-market fit to knowing when it's time to grow.
He also shares the framework behind his new book, The Science of Selling, and why founders should scale based on their own data, not another company's success.
Guest: Mark Roberge, Founding CRO of HubSpot, HBS Professor, and Co-Founder at Stage 2 Capital
Connect with Mark:
X: https://x.com/markroberge
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markroberge
Connect with Joubin:
X: https://x.com/Joubinmir
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854
Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
Follow on LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/kpgrit
Follow on X:
https://x.com/KPGrit
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins: kleinerperkins.com
00:00 Trailer
00:45 Introduction
03:23 The immense energy required to build a company
10:51 When even top founders improvise
21:43 The entrepreneurial riddle
33:15 Staying out of operating roles
40:27 The product market fit and go-to-market fit
47:26 Retention and sales compensation strategies
55:12 The "Stay, Go, or Slow" Framework for growth
1:05:42 Strategic fundraising decisions in a rapidly changing market
1:22:17 Outro
"There's 20 fires going on at every moment in the office and you have enough water to put out four."
Mark Roberge shares what it takes to build and scale a company, from finding product-market fit to knowing when it's time to grow.
He also shares the framework behind his new book, The Science of Selling, and why founders should scale based on their own data, not another company's success.
Guest: Mark Roberge, Founding CRO of HubSpot, HBS Professor, and Co-Founder at Stage 2 Capital
Connect with Mark:
X: https://x.com/markroberge
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markroberge
Connect with Joubin:
X: https://x.com/Joubinmir
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854
Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
Follow on LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/kpgrit
Follow on X:
https://x.com/KPGrit
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins: kleinerperkins.com
00:00 Trailer
00:45 Introduction
03:23 The immense energy required to build a company
10:51 When even top founders improvise
21:43 The entrepreneurial riddle
33:15 Staying out of operating roles
40:27 The product market fit and go-to-market fit
47:26 Retention and sales compensation strategies
55:12 The "Stay, Go, or Slow" Framework for growth
1:05:42 Strategic fundraising decisions in a rapidly changing market
1:22:17 Outro
