Brian Rothenberg is a general partner at Defy, an early-stage venture firm. He was the former Head of Growth at Eventbrite and has been a serial marketplace founder; starting a services marketplace that was acquired by TaskRabbit in 2011. He's also a husband and the father of four kids. In today's conversation we discussed: * Pivoting your plans to follow your future spouse * How to divide and conquer when you've got four kids * How the family dynamic changes as it grows from one to four kids * How to prioritize time with your wife amidst the "controlled chaos" of a large family * Advice he'd give younger Brian and advice he'd ignore * The wildcard of the "third child" * How to give up being self-absorbed and become more selfless as a parent * Mistakes made as a father and the most surprising aspects of becoming a dad Listen or watch Startup Dad on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Overcast. — Where to find Brian Rothenberg - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrothenberg/ - Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/bmrothenberg - Defy: https://defy.vc/ Where to find Adam Fishman - Newsletter: startupdadpod.substack.com - Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ — In this episode, we cover: [1:45] Welcome [2:06] Professional background [5:10] Childhood [6:47] His kids and how he met his partner [8:36] Dividing/conquering in the household [12:07] Managing larger households and controlled chaos [15:21] Prioritizing time with your partner [17:04] Brian’s wife stepping back from career for household [19:23] His earliest memory of being a dad [20:23] Most surprising thing about being a dad [21:17] Advice for younger Brian/Advice to ignore [24:04] His kids’ favorite book [24:57] Partnership/natural conflict [27:09] Where you don’t align with partner [29:19] Kid’s relationship to technology [31:27] How to give up self absorption [32:43] Importance of exercise [34:38] Mistake as a dad [38:03] Startup hustle culture [41:28] Where to follow along with Brian [42:10] Rapid fire — Show references: Die Hard: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/ Indiana Jones: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087469/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3 Cocomelon: https://cocomelon.com/ Blippi: https://blippi.com/ Maclaren F1: https://www.mclaren.com/racing/ Patagonia Fleece Jacket: https://www.patagonia.com/shop/category/fleece Vuori Sunday Jogger: https://vuoriclothing.com/collections/joggers Crib net: https://www.amazon.com/RUNNZER-Baby-Safety-Canopy-Climbing/dp/B08NJGZQZM/ Defy: https://defy.vc/ EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/ USC: https://www.usc.edu/ Yahoo: https://www.yahoo.com/ Skill Slate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkillSlate TaskRabbit: https://www.taskrabbit.com/ The Lorax: https://www.amazon.com/Lorax-Classic-Seuss-Dr/dp/0394823370 Dragons Love Tacos: https://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Love-Tacos-Adam-Rubin/dp/0803736800/ — For sponsorship inquiries email: [email protected]. For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com  Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com