Erik is joined on this episode by Mike Duboe (@mduboe), investor at Greylock, Dan Hockenmaier (@danhockenmaier), of Basis One, and David Weinstein (@dw_stein), working on Special Projects at On Deck and TokenDaily. They talk about… * The history and different “eras” of growth as a standalone team. * Why there’s been a shift in mindset towards growth teams, how they will change in the next 5-10 years, and why relentless optimization has backfired for some companies. * Why you should think of user acquisition in terms of a loop rather than a funnel. * Why onboarding is the point that determines whether a user will be retained or not. * The fact that users acquired organically via word of mouth are much more likely to be retained than users that were acquired through paid channels. * Why investors should ask themselves, “if you took away any non-organic acquisition, are you still excited about the business?” * How to tell if a company’s growth is healthy and sustainable or not. * Stories from the guests’ time working at Tilt, Thumbtack and Stitch Fix. * The best structure for a growth team. * Common misconceptions about growth. Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal. Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg. Colin Campbell is our audio engineer and the show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.