Maxwell Cummings

Building the AI General Manager for Consumer Brands | a16z speedrun 007

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

Baro is out of stealth! Thrilled to announce that @brianyoungilcho and I have joined a16z @speedrun to build Baro - the AI general manager for consumer brands.

As brands grow, they add teams, agencies, software, and vendors across growth, logistics, compliance, and retail. each owns a piece, but someone still has to connect them all and make the whole business work together. 

Baro is that general manager. It sees the whole business, sets priorities, and coordinates people, software, and vendors to get it done.

We saw it first with Korean brands entering the US. then larger US brands came to us with the same problem.

Incredibly grateful to @emilybenn12 , @andrewchen @Chen , @jonathan lai @_CallMeMacy , @tmhammer, @justmazer, @nazzari, and the full a16z speedrun team.

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@kapoor015 now the world knows that I’m your ghost writer

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@brianyoungilcho @speedrun 1+1=google

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

Brian forgot to mention he is also a product visionary

[Brian Cho @brianyoungilcho]

My cofounder and I are complete opposites.

Under normal circumstances, we probably would have never crossed paths. But that is exactly why we make such a good team, and why a16z @speedrun funded us.

He is ex-McKinsey, ex-private equity, top of his class, good-looking, and the type you cannot hate. Think of the guy every parent hopes their daughter brings home. That is @maxcummings.

I am a third-time founder who never really had a real job, other than my time at @flocksafety. I am an average-looking guy who can make an Irish exit at a party and nobody would notice. That is me.

He is a very structured thinker, a great communicator, remembers everything (literally), and is the person who keeps the whole team moving toward the same goal.

My superpower is selling. I get scrappy. I am the first person to knock on a customer’s door to get a meeting. I am also not afraid to camp outside until I can get five minutes with the owner and convince them to give us a shot.

He makes sure we know where we are going. I make sure we find a way to get there.

Baro is the combination of both of our superpowers.

We are building the kind of partner every CPG brand owner wishes they had. Someone who always has a plan, but is also willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.

We are building Baro in the image of ourselves.

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@AnthropicAI your move 👀

[Edison @edisonydlee]

felt like payday thanks @OpenAI

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@emilybenn12 @tkexpress11 glad my banana peel made it into the pic

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

new digs

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@Zelja__ @emilybenn12 @custo_lejla @_CallMeMacy @andrewchen @Chen @justmazer @tmhammer @nazzari @speedrun dont you mean faster and more efficient?

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@rayandabbagh dw you haven’t aged a day

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@daimacedoa @balovespizza @speedrun Let’s goo!!!

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@davidfromkansas @TwitterShopping thank you man! 🐐

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@emilybenn12 @brianyoungilcho @speedrun so great to be working with you!!

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

Baro is out of stealth! Thrilled to announce that @brianyoungilcho and I have joined a16z @speedrun to build Baro - the AI general manager for consumer brands.

As brands grow, they add teams, agencies, software, and vendors across growth, logistics, compliance, and retail. each owns a piece, but someone still has to connect them all and make the whole business work together. 

Baro is that general manager. It sees the whole business, sets priorities, and coordinates people, software, and vendors to get it done.

We saw it first with Korean brands entering the US. then larger US brands came to us with the same problem.

Incredibly grateful to @emilybenn12 , @andrewchen @Chen , @jonathan lai @_CallMeMacy , @tmhammer, @justmazer, @nazzari, and the full a16z speedrun team.

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@JoshLu @brianyoungilcho @speedrun thank you Josh - thrilled to be working together

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@shivamp @brianyoungilcho @speedrun thank you man!! 🐐

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

having made this jump I could not agree more - there is no better way to get a taste of what it is like to run an early stage company

[Jon Lai @Tocelot]

chief of staff at an early-stage, post-PMF startup might be one of the best career launchpads for a smart young person right now. if you're a few years out of school / mba and are high hustle, high autonomy, excited about startups - DM me. we have several portfolio companies hiring

forget big tech / finance / consulting - an AI startup today moves at 100x the speed of a traditional company. you'll learn faster and your scope will grow (if you're good) into responsibilities your FANG peers won't touch until 10 years in

i know CoS who've built global sales orgs from scratch, stood up 8-figure data centers, run Series B fundraises. the trust & opportunities you get as a CEO's right-hand is immense - many CoS get promoted to lead entire functions as the company scales

finally, shadowing a strong founder is one of the best ways to learn to be one yourself. you're in the room when the most important decisions are made & touch every part of the business - product, sales, recruiting etc. you'll also build your network across customers, engineers, investors

if this sounds exciting to you, shoot me a DM!

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@edisonydlee @daytonaio @UseCorgi good to know I have brutal sitting posture

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

brevity is still undefeated

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

most interesting hiring filter I've heard recently: look for people who have 2 superpowers that aren't supposed to exist in the same person (eg, CMOs who are simultaneously ruthlessly data-driven and artistic)

I took this from Simile founder Joon Sung Park (fresh off a $200M Series B)

curious if anyone has go-to non-standard interview questions?

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@downtoad @a16z @speedrun @emilybenn12 @far33d Let's gooo! 👑

[Maxwell Cummings @maxccummings]

@CTewey @speedrun @TryKeythorn Let's goo!! congrats