# 185: Nice Mahogany Table

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2017-01-25
- Length: 1h 12m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/185-nice-mahogany-table

## Summary

Debby Meredith, venture partner at Icon Ventures and interim VP of engineering, explains her role in evaluating technical diligence for Series B investments and helping portfolio companies scale. She discusses hiring strategies, emphasizing employee referrals and backchannel references to avoid cultural fit issues, and clarifies the limited but critical power of startup boards in hiring and firing CEOs. Meredith also offers career advice for engineers, stressing the importance of associating with high-caliber talent and managing the 'engineer's curse' of excessive skepticism when advising startups.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=6) Introduction and Lightning Round
- [3:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=207) The Role of a Venture Partner at Icon Ventures
- [11:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=663) Interim VP of Engineering and Hiring Strategies
- [26:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=1598) Startup Board Dynamics and CEO Oversight
- [33:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=1996) Advising Startups and Managing Engineer Skepticism
- [43:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=2586) Venture Investing Criteria and Saying No
- [52:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=3149) Crowdfunding, Angel Investors, and Career Advice
- [1:07:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table#t=4073) Computer History Museum Exhibit and Closing

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Icon Ventures (company)
- Computer History Museum (company)
- Bell Labs (company)
- Netscape (company)
- Women Who Code Radio (other)
- Kickstarter (other)
- Fry's (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S2E08 How to hire engineers, develop curiosity, and “fail fast” | Mike Reo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-02-20-s2e08-how-to-hire-engineers-develop-curiosity-and-fail-fast-mike-reo) (Being an Engineer)
- [219: Hiring Your First Team Members at a Hardware Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2024-03-28-219-hiring-your-first-team-members-at-a-hardware-startup) (Product Startup)
- [Hiring Processes with Gergely Orosz](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-11-07-hiring-processes-with-gergely-orosz) (Oxide and Friends)
- [106: Building Your Hardware Product Team Early](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-12-15-106-building-your-hardware-product-team-early) (Product Startup)
- [#043 - How to avoid mistakes when building a team - lessons from mentoring 1200+ hardware entrepreneurs, with Alan Clayton of SOSV](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-12-06-043-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200-hardw) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.