Scaling from Startup to $15B – The Compaq Case Study with Karen Walker

In this episode of the Extraordinary Pursuits podcast from BIP Ventures, strategic advisor and executive coach Karen Walker talks with host Rachelle Kuramoto about navigating hypergrowth. An early executive at Compaq, Karen had a direct role in one of the biggest success stories in American business. She played a direct role in scaling the company from startup to $15B in revenue in a matter of years – navigating the infrastructure, talent, and other operational details that come with the opportunity. 

In this discussion, Karen taps into experience from Compaq and years of consulting to offer counsel on product market fit, cross-team alignment, and maintaining a strong culture as a company is enduring growth and change. She emphasizes the need for curiosity, effective communication, and decision-making in the midst of ambiguity.  

This is an episode for startup leaders, founders, and growth-stage operators looking to build a resilient and high-performing organization. 

Timestamps

• [05:32] Understanding Hypergrowth and Product Market Fit
• [09:52] The Importance of Alignment and High-Performance Teams
• [12:52] Navigating Growth vs. Scale
• [16:00] Building a Healthy Company Culture
• [19:32] Key Considerations for Startup Leaders
• [22:49] Common Issues in Leadership and Communication
• [24:56] Decision-Making in Ambiguous Situations
• [30:02] Summary of Key Insights and Closing Remarks 

Points of Wisdom

• "Your most precious resource is your time."
• "You have to figure out how to carve out time."
• "The culture is the action to reward and tolerate."
• "Over-communicate to keep alignment."
• "You have to be comfortable with ambiguity."
• "Curiosity is a skill to hire for." 

About Karen Walker 

Karen Walker is an executive coach, consultant, and board advisor who helps CEOs and senior leaders navigate hyper-growth with clarity and confidence. A former executive at Compaq, where she helped scale the company from startup to $15 billion in revenue, Karen now advises global enterprises like AWS, Pfizer, JPMorganChase, and Aetna, as well as high-growth Inc. 5000 startups. She is the author of No Dumbing Down: A Guide for CEOs on Organization Growth and a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. Karen serves on the board of Mosaic and draws on her engineering background from Texas A&M, along with executive education from Columbia and Stanford. 

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