#289 How I Nearly Got Fired For Running An A/B Test with Vanessa Larco, Former Partner at New Enterprise Associates p1bm

06/03/2025

The rise of A-B testing has transformed decision-making in tech, yet its application isn't...

The rise of A-B testing has transformed decision-making in tech, yet its application isn't without challenges. As professionals, how do you navigate the balance between short-term gains and long-term sustainability? What strategies can you employ to ensure your testing methods enhance rather than hinder experience? And how do you effectively communicate the insights gained from testing to drive meaningful change within your organization?
Vanessa Larco is a partner at NEA where she leads Series A and Series B investment rounds and works with major consumer companies like DTC jewelry giant Mejuri, menopause symptom relief treatment Evernow, and home-swapping platform Kindred as well as major enterprise SaaS companies like Assembled, Orby AI, Granica AI, EvidentID, Rocket.Chat, Forethought AI. She is also a board observer at Forethought, SafeBase, Orby AI, Granica, Modyfi, and HEAVY.AI. She was a board observer at Robinhood until its IPO in 2021. Before she became an investor, she built consumer and enterprise tech herself at Microsoft, Disney, Twilio, and Box as a product leader.
In the episode, Richie and Vanessa explore the evolution of A-B testing in gaming, the balance between data-driven decisions and experience, the challenges of scaling experimentation, the pitfalls of misaligned metrics, the importance of understanding behavior, and much more.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
New Enterprise Associates
Connect with Vanessa
Course: Customer Analytics and A/B Testing in Python
Related Episode: Make Your A/B Testing More Effective and Efficient
Sign up to attend RADAR: Skills Edition - Vanessa will be speaking!

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