Finding new opportunities from second order effects
Over the past decade, new platforms have driven down the cost of starting a tech business. For example, you don’t need to buy servers anymore – you can just host your site on AWS. And distribution has become immediate, efficient, and highly targeted thanks to Google and Facebook. The impact extends beyond technology companies too. […]
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 […]
What’s our NPS as investors?
A few weeks ago, Forbes released their annual Midas List of Top Tech Investors, recognizing those investors who have backed unicorns and seen strong returns for their funds. For these investors, their success is partly due to the fact that they are good pickers and can see opportunities like Uber and Airbnb. But there’s more to […]
The most important lesson learned in early-stage investing
Sean Silcoff had a thoughtful article in Saturday’s Globe & Mail on my path from entrepreneur to investor. It is a well-written piece with many great quotes and anecdotes and included the most important lesson about early-stage investing that I learned over the past 8 years: “If the fail rate of our companies is not high enough, it’s […]
Entrepreneur-investor relationships
The relationship between entrepreneurs and investors is never an easy one – like in a marriage, you have to work every day on making it better and more productive for both sides. So it put a real smile on my face when I got this email from an entrepreneur this morning whose company we just […]