Scrappy by Design: Victoria Ransom on turning grit into a startup superpower

In this episode, Victoria Ransom, founder of Wildfire (acquired by Google) and Prisma, shares the scrappy, principled, and deeply human approach that shaped her startup journey - from asparagus farming in rural New Zealand to building and selling a high-growth tech company.

Victoria opens up about how she scaled Wildfire from a humble tool to 400 employees, maintained a strong culture during hypergrowth, and navigated an acquisition without losing the soul of the company. She also shares the realities of co-founding with her husband and raising three kids while running startups — without burning out or burning bridges.

You’ll learn

• How to scale without diluting culture or values

• Why scrappiness can be a superpower in startup execution

• How to navigate acquisitions while keeping your team engaged

• What it takes to co-found a company with your life partner

Victoria’s story is proof that you don’t need a Silicon Valley pedigree to build something world-class — just grit, clarity, and a whole lot of heart.

Get bonus insights from Victoria that didn’t make it into the episode at ⁠followthegradient.io⁠.