Joel Palathinkal chats with Balaji about his journey from founding Snapstick to its acquisition by TiVo. Balaji delves into career transitions, CEO roles, and tech industry compensation, sharing lessons from Vinod Khosla and Larry Ellison. They discuss Snapstick's scaling, CES success, and investor relations. Balaji offers book recommendations, discusses valuations, and the value of advisory boards and mentorship. He shares insights on starting a new venture, overcoming challenges, and transitioning to a venture studio model. The episode wraps up with thoughts on future tech, wearables, and the venture studio approach. (0:00) Introduction to The Investor podcast and guest Balaji's background (2:27) Early life, family influences, and career beginnings (5:36) Founding Snapstick, acquisition by TiVo, and career transition (7:04) CEOs, product people, and tech industry compensation (11:15) Lessons from Vinod Khosla, Larry Ellison, and Snapstick's origin (20:33) Scaling Snapstick, CES success, and entrepreneurship journey (24:11) Building a company, investor relations, and exits (27:08) Book recommendations and valuation discussions (31:09) The role of advisory boards and mentorship (32:27) Starting a new venture and overcoming personal challenges (37:21) Description of the second startup and innovation (40:12) Transition to venture studio model and company management (41:38) Future tech products, wearables, and industry insights (44:49) Conclusion and venture studio model reflections