#47: George Arison - Founder and Co-CEO of Shift (NASDAQ:SFT) - Innovation Through Iteration

The Venture Brief - A podcast by Lukas Malmberg, Neal Swaelens

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George is the founder and co-CEO of Shift, an e-commerce marketplace for buying and selling cars that recently went public in the U.S. through a SPAC.He is also the co-founder of Taxi Magic (now Curb), the first on-demand mobile transportation booking technology which was ahead of both Uber and Lyft. Previously, he worked at Google, BCG, and in politics both in the U.S. and abroad. He emigrated to the US from Georgia and was the first student from the Soviet Union allowed to attend a private U.S. high school without government sponsorship.Topics:How the most disruptive parts of Shift were discovered through relentless iteration.The dangers of being a front-runner in the world of startupsThe advantages of being on the west coast and how Taxi Magic probably could've avoided some critical mistakes that way.How the pros validate products before launch.Going public through a SPAC and the benefits of PIPEs.Twitter: George ArisonLinkedIn: George ArisonGeorge's Book: Autocracy and Democracy in Eurasia: Georgia Book recommendation: The Federalist Papers Website: https://shift.com/