Three rules for VC-entrepreneur engagement
Recently, someone asked me about my principles for engaging with my portfolio entrepreneurs. The question was a good trigger to think about what drives my interactions with entrepreneurs and how my relationships have evolved over time. Three guiding principles provide the foundation for all my communications and engagement with entrepreneurs: 1. Listen and ask questions […]
Our latest investment: Shift Messenger, a communication tool designed for hourly workers
With more and more messaging platforms emerging, members within groups and communities are more likely to communicate across multiple platforms (SMS/iMessage, Whatsapp, WeChat, Facebook messenger, etc.), and therefore, in a less consistent and disparate manner. As a result, we feel there is a great opportunity for startups to provide a better, more targeted experience for […]
The importance of consistent messaging
You may have noticed that we recently revamped our website in conjunction with the Fund II launch. As we updated the content, we quickly discovered that many of the company descriptions on our Portfolio page were out of date. After all, startups iterate quickly, evolve, and even pivot. Without actively managing their digital presence, messaging […]
What I learned this week: Yahoo’s failed leader, characteristics of great teams
It’s Friday and time for summing up the lessons learned this week: Yahoo’s (newish) CEO Carol Bartz clearly failed as a leader this week when it became public that she apparently sold Yahoo stock cashing in close to $2 million. 2 days later she declared that the sale was purely for tax reasons and that […]