The NFX Podcast

We believe creating something of true significance starts with seeing things others do not. NFX is a venture firm exclusively focused on pre-seed & seed stage startups.

How Tracy Young Sold PlanGrid for $875M and Navigated Tragedy

S1 E1 • Jun 11, 2025 • 56 mins

Tracy Young, co-founder of PlanGrid, shares how her background in construction led to building one of the most successful startups in the space—culminating in an $875M acquisition by Autodesk. She dives into lessons learned on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, and navigating founder relationships as the company scaled. Tracy also reflects on her time at Y Combinator, the fundraising process, and the emotional challenges of selling a company. Post-acquisition, she transitioned into coaching before founding her new startup, TigerEye. She discusses how AI, core values, and leadership growth are shaping this next chapter—and what she wishes more founders knew about resilience and reinvention.

Key Points

Seeing the hard work and perseverance of her immigrant parents inspired Tracy Young to build a career and ultimately co-found successful startups like PlanGrid and TigerEye.
Tracy Young emphasizes the importance of hiring the right people and maintaining strong core values, including the need for honesty and a no-jerks policy, to create a productive and positive work environment.
The decision to sell PlanGrid to Autodesk was driven by a combination of financial prudence, market dynamics, and the realization that scaling further might require a different leadership approach.

Speakers

Tracy Young

Guest • 70%

Pete Flint

Host • 30%

Chapters

0:00	Introduction to Tracy Young
0:04	Tracy Young's background and early career
2:39	Lessons learned from construction industry
5:33	Founding of PlanGrid
8:03	Experience with Y Combinator and early product market fit
13:18	Sales strategies and early adoption
18:23	Fundraising advice and managing executive leadership
22:42	Focus areas and executive relationship red flags as PlanGrid scaled
25:11	Importance of firing quickly and Tracy stepping down
26:46	M&A with Autodesk and growth challenges
31:00	Board's perspective on acquisition and independence
35:20	Leadership changes and maximizing M&A options
41:40	Post-acquisition experience and transition to coaching
44:12	Founding Tiger Eye and establishing core values
47:36	Balancing work and family with wholeheartedness
49:01	Adhering to core values during financial stress
51:10	Future of TigerEye and AI's impact
52:44	Reflections on leadership growth and redefining success
55:13	Closing remarks

Transcript

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