10/08/2026
Brian Unesky co-roundea Airono in zuu witn nis two cofounders Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk, growing the company from renting air mattresses into a business worth more than $80 billion. Through that journey, Chesky realized that building a startup isn't one continuous process and it evolves through distinct stages that require founders to think and operate differently as the company grows.
According to Chesky, every successful startup goes through three phases. First, founders build a product until they reach product-market fit. Next, they build the company by hiring talent, raising capital, and creating systems that can scale.
Finally, they build an executive team capable of running the business, allowing founders to return to building the company's next product or growth engine.
Chesky's point is that great founders don't just build products and build organizations capable of repeatedly creating them. The companies that endure for decades are often the ones that successfully reinvent themselves before the market forces them to.
