The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this role-reversal episode of GRYT, Mamoon Hamid interviews Joubin Mirzadegan for the first time in over 270 episodes. The conversation traces Joubin's journey from Iranian immigrant family dynamics to becoming a sales leader, building Kleiner Perkins' portfolio operations team, and ultimately founding Roadrunner, KP's first incubation since Glean. (01:29)
- Key themes include the evolution from sales professional to VC partner to entrepreneur, the importance of building authentic relationships through consistent effort (like the podcast and weekly dinners), and how early hardships can forge resilience and drive.
Speakers
Joubin Mirzadegan
Partner at Kleiner Perkins and CEO/Co-founder of Roadrunner. Joubin built his career in enterprise sales, starting as a BDR at Bracket Computing and becoming a top-performing AE at Evident.io before leading Central US sales at Palo Alto Networks. At Kleiner Perkins since 2019, he hosts the GRYT podcast with over 270 episodes and leads the firm's portfolio operations team. He recently co-founded Roadrunner, an AI-powered CPQ platform, as KP's first incubation since 2019.
Mamoon Hamid
Partner at Kleiner Perkins conducting this special role-reversal interview. Mamoon has been working closely with Joubin for over six years and provides insight into both Joubin's professional development and the evolution of KP's portfolio operations approach.
Key Takeaways
Building Consistent Systems Creates Compound Value
Joubin's approach to the weekly Bavette's dinners and the GRYT podcast demonstrates how consistent, systematic relationship-building compounds over time. (29:56) He established a standing reservation every Wednesday at 6:30 PM, using it as a platform to build authentic relationships with senior leaders. This evolved into his podcast strategy, where he systematically interviewed 270+ executives, creating an unparalleled network. The key insight is that consistency in relationship-building, even when the immediate ROI isn't clear, creates exponential value over time. Rather than sporadic networking, building predictable, high-quality touchpoints allows for deeper connections and trust-building that becomes invaluable for career advancement and business development.
Early Constraints and Rejection Fuel Long-term Success
Throughout Joubin's career, being told he was "too young" or "not ready" became fuel for proving doubters wrong. (09:59) When Bracket Computing rejected him 16 times before finally hiring him, and when multiple companies questioned his leadership capabilities due to age, these constraints forced him to develop creative solutions and work harder. This pattern continued at Evident.io and Palo Alto Networks, where age-based skepticism motivated him to exceed expectations dramatically. The lesson is that early career constraints, rather than being limitations, can become powerful motivators that drive exceptional performance and resilience-building. The key is channeling rejection and limitations into fuel for over-achievement rather than accepting them as permanent barriers.
Cross-Functional Excellence Enables Strategic Leadership
Joubin describes the ideal operator as a "dolphin" - someone who can operate at 10,000 feet strategically, 5,000 feet tactically, and 1,000 feet in detailed execution. (47:11) This multi-altitude capability became the core hiring criterion for KP's portfolio operations team. Rather than specialists who only operate at one level, the most valuable leaders can seamlessly shift between strategic vision and tactical execution. This skill became crucial for helping early-stage founders who need both high-level guidance and hands-on operational support. The insight is that developing competence across multiple organizational altitudes - from strategy to execution - creates unique value and positions leaders to be indispensable in dynamic, resource-constrained environments.
Authentic Problem Obsession Beats Market Timing
Roadrunner's origin story demonstrates how authentic problem obsession often matters more than perfect market timing. (55:02) Joubin had been "haunted" by CPQ problems throughout his sales career, experiencing firsthand how broken software systems prevented deals from closing. When CIOs uniformly identified the same pain point, it validated his personal experience at scale. The key insight is that the best entrepreneurs often solve problems they've personally experienced and been obsessed with for years, rather than chasing trendy markets or technologies. This authentic connection to the problem provides sustained motivation through inevitable challenges and creates genuine credibility with customers who recognize that the founder truly understands their pain.
Consistent Discipline Creates Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Joubin credits his mother's "extreme discipline" and daily consistency as foundational to his success across multiple transitions. (13:03) From working out daily to maintaining structured approaches to relationship-building and content creation, this disciplined consistency became his sustainable competitive advantage. The insight is that while talent and intelligence are important, the ability to execute consistently over long periods often determines success more than raw capability. This discipline manifested in everything from his 270+ podcast episodes to building KP's portfolio operations team systematically over six years. The lesson is that sustainable success comes from building disciplined systems and executing them consistently, even when immediate results aren't visible.
Statistics & Facts
- Joubin sent 16 job offer letters to Bracket Computing over three months before they finally hired him as a BDR. (09:59) This demonstrates his persistence in pursuing opportunities and willingness to systematically prove his worth to skeptical employers.
- At Evident.io, Joubin closed 16 deals in his first full quarter, doubling the company's entire logo count from their previous 15 closed deals. (25:30) This showcases his immediate impact and ability to execute at scale in early-stage environments.
- At Palo Alto Networks, Joubin built the Central US region from $100K in renewals to $56 million ARR within four quarters, making it the top district in the company. (28:28) This demonstrates his ability to build and scale sales operations in new territories.
