Goodfin Futures: The Founder-Investor Playbook with Yana Welinder
What does it take to build a company, sell it, and then fund the next generation of founders?
Join us for a Goodfin Fireside Chat with Yana Welinder, Head of AI at Amplitude, a16z Scout, and Senior VP at Pioneer Fund. She built Kraftful to 50,000+ product teams, sold it to Amplitude in 2025, and now invests in YC companies at the earliest stages. Fast Company named Kraftful one of 2024's Most Innovative Companies.
We'll unpack:
How founders who also invest should think about both sides of the table
The a16z scout framework—what signals matter before anyone else sees them
Behind the scenes of selling Kraftful to Amplitude—timing, process, what founders miss
AI's role in investing—from someone leading AI at a public company
Her framework for evaluating AI startups as a scout
About the Guest:
Yana Welinder is Head of AI at Amplitude, joining through the acquisition of Kraftful where she was Founder & CEO. She's an a16z Scout and Senior Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund.
Before Kraftful, she led product at IFTTT and Carbon. She's a YC and Harvard alum, Stanford fellow, and co-founded GenAI Founders—a community uniting founders building in generative AI. She received the 2025 Top CPO Award from Products That Count.
Disclaimer:
The information presented during this event is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or investment products. Nothing discussed should be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Any views expressed by speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host organization or its affiliates.