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Comment: No independent sources which cover the subject are present Lovelyfurball (talk contribs) 16:20, 29 May 2026 (UTC)
Frederic Kerrest is an American entrepreneur, investor, podcaster, and author, best known as the writer of the bestselling business book Zero to IPO: Over $1 Trillion of Actionable Advice from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs[1] and as the co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer of Okta, Inc.,[2] an identity and access management company.
Career
editIn 2009, Kerrest co-founded Okta alongside Todd McKinnon, another former Salesforce executive.[3] The company focuses on cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solutions.[4][5] Kerrest served as the company's Chief Operating Officer from 2009 to 2023, guiding its 2017 IPO.[6] Following his role as COO, Kerrest became Vice Chairman of the board of directors and continues to serve the company in an executive advisory role.[7]
In 2017, Kerrest founded 515 Ventures[8], an Oakland-based Venture Capital firm that also offers operating advice to its portfolio companies. Companies in its portfolio include Darktrace[9] and Carbon Health.[10]
Kerrest, along with film producer Joshua Davis, launched the Zero to IPO podcast in 2019.[11][12] The show features conversations with founders and entrepreneurs who give listeners detailed accounts of the challenges and triumphs of business creation.[13] Guests of the podcast include venture capitalists Marc Andreessen[14] and Ben Horowitz[15], Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins[16], Zoom CEO Eric Yuan[17], Slack co-founder Steward Butterfield[18], and NBA star Andre Iguodala[19].
Conversation and insights from the podcast led Kerrest to write Zero to IPO: Over $1 Trillion of Actionable Advice from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs.[1] Published in 2022 by McGraw Hill,[20] the book compiles advice from tech and business leaders and guides readers through the process of startup growth from initiation through maturity.[21] Upon publication, the book became a Wall Street Journal best seller.[22]
In May 2025, Kerrest was elected to serve a three-to-five year term on MIT's board of trustees.[23]
In 2026, Kerrest founded Windproof Partners, an advisory firm that guides startups through their rapid growth phase.[24]
References
edit- 1 2 "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Frederic Kerrest". www.okta.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Todd McKinnon". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ↑ NAGENDRAG (2023-03-13). "What is Okta and What is the Use of Okta?". CloudFoundation | Blog. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ Cloud Scholars (2024-10-01). Okta Master Course - What is Okta. Retrieved 2026-04-20 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Reuters. "Okta pops big in its IPO and hits a $2 billion valuation". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Frederic Kerrest". www.okta.com. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ↑ "About". 515 Ventures. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ "Previous Investments". 515 Ventures. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ "Portfolio Companies". 515 Ventures. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ By (2019-02-05). "This new podcast reveals the tough reality of building a business | MIT Sloan". mitsloan.mit.edu. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Slack and Pigeonly | Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Zero to IPO Podcast". www.zerotoipopodcast.com. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ Zero to IPO: Over $1 Trillion of Actionable Advice from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs. ISBN 978-1-264-27766-7.
- ↑ "Amazon.com: Zero to IPO: Over $1 Trillion of Actionable Advice from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs: 9781264277667: Kerrest, Frederic: Books". www.amazon.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ "Bestselling Books Week Ended April 23". The Wall Street Journal. 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ↑ "MIT Corporation elects 10 term members, three life members". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ↑ "Windproof Partners". www.windproofpartners.com. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
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