Ricardo Oliveira is the Co-founder and CTO of ThousandEyes, a Cisco company providing some of the largest brands more visibility into how customers and employees use their networks. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Ricardo Oliveira about meeting his future co-founder in a research group at UCLA and developing a constructive mindset as a first-time founder. 

1. How To Turn Rejection Into Motivation [13:40-14:32] - When Ricardo and his co-founder approached a potential advisor, they were told that their idea would never get off the ground. Fast forward a few years and that same person became one of ThousandEyes’ biggest advocates. Listen to hear why Ricardo believes every rejection can be reimagined as an opportunity for improvement.
2. Measure Your Startup In Milestones [15:02-16:38] - As capital becomes more available and growth turns incessant, Ricardo advises today’s founders to focus on sustainable growth. Listen to learn why defining your startup’s milestones by number of customers or amount of revenue could save you from overblown valuations.
3. Exercise Patience For The Best Results [17:27-18:20] - Ricardo and his co-founders spent ten years growing ThousandEyes before being acquired by Cisco for nearly $1 billion. Over the years, they had to exercise extreme patience and persistence to get through all the ups and downs. Listen to learn why playing the long game is the key to success.

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