Balancing the upside and downside of data sharing
This year we have seen privacy become top of mind for the general public, the media and “big tech.” The business model of Google and Facebook (collect as much data as possible about users for highly targeted advertising) is under attack. Europe’s legislators were addressing some of these privacy concerns when they put into effect […]
“Smart SaaS” – the next generation of enterprise apps
When Angela and I were pitching our newest fund to investors, we started using the term “smart SaaS” to describe the kind of SaaS companies we like to invest in. Before the SaaS explosion, software and data were only “on premise.” Then, SaaS came along and moved everything to the cloud, boosting efficiency and collaboration […]
Data is the New Oil
In recent years “Data is the new oil” has become a frequently used phrase in tech and investor circles to describe the incredible rise in the importance of data for today’s economy. Some of the world’s most valuable tech companies are built on tremendous data network effects and access to unique data: Google, Facebook, Amazon, […]
Four years at Version One & some thoughts on “Moneyball for VC”
This week marks my fourth year at Version One. And to celebrate, I want to share the story of my interviews with Boris, my first endeavour to build a sourcing model, and his incredible leap of faith. In the summer of 2013, I was introduced to Boris by a fellow Canadian, Brendan Baker. I had […]
Recapping the Data-Driven Marketplace Meetup
A few weeks ago, we hosted our second marketplace meetup in San Francisco. The night centered around data-driven marketplaces and we connected with and learned from many smart members of the marketplace community. We had a diverse group of people attending, from founders and product and growth leaders, to data scientists, data engineers, and investors. […]