Playbook: Ben Boyer – Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of R-Zero

“I don't think you can over-network. I think it is very much a club, and that's good and bad, but there's a lot of flow of information that happens amongst friends. And so to the extent you can build a network of people to share information, I think you're at an advantage to others.” – Ben Boyer 

Ben Boyer is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of R-Zero, which designs hospital-grade disinfection solutions utilizing UV-C light. Ben is also Managing Director at Tenaya Capital, a leading early-growth stage venture capital firm. He has served on the board of numerous companies, including Smartling, TruSignal, and PlanGrid.

For more, explore the transcript of this episode.

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Topics discussed with Ben Boyer

• 00:01:37 – Ben’s start in venture capital
• 00:08:04 – Transitioning from the public market to venture capital
• 00:16:53 – Working with Chinese companies
• 00:21:25 – Advice for new venture capitalists
• 00:22:40 – Recommended books
• 00:24:58 – Defining success

Ben Boyer Resources

• Wharton
• Vanderbilt
• William Morris Agency
• Merrill Lynch
• Prudential
• Lehman Brothers
• Nasdaq
• Stanford
• Tenaya Capital
• Rivian
• Bessemer Emerging Cloud Index
• Alibaba
• Tencent

Books Recommended by Ben Boyer

• Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity by Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber
• The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Colli