Ep 46 - VC Rob Leclerc on HIMS: the ultimate venture-style 10X opportunity in the public markets
Description
In Episode 46 of Hims House, Jonathan Stern and Patrick Lester (Bayside) sit down with Rob Leclerc, founder of AgFunder and one of TIME Magazine’s Top 100 VCs. Rob explains why he believes Hims is a category-defining company -- comparing it to Nvidia in 2016 -- and weighs in on the company’s high-profile engineering/AI hires from Cruise. The discussion covers Rob’s own experience as a Hims customer, Hims’ push into AI and tech leadership, the ZAVA acquisition and global expansion, and emerging frontiers like testosterone, diagnostics, and wearables. They also dig into public-market pressures, regulatory challenges, and how Hims might stack new S-curves to fuel growth over the next decade.
00:00 Intro
01:15 Rob’s background + AgFunder
02:21 Why Hims?
03:37 Rob as a Hims customer
06:55 Ex-Cruise tech leadership
11:04 AI, robotics & safety mindset
16:46 Is AI a bubble?
21:41 Core growth slowdown
27:45 Acquisition of ZAVA: how to evaluate
28:56 The $1B raise
31:17 Diagnostics, wearables, & home testing
35:12 Emerging healthcare trends
39:10 Regulation and patents
44:37 Public markets
50:27 Valuation
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