New Chance. So good.
Month: July 2018
Do no harm
In the venture capital world, there is a lot of movement happening. VCs are leaving firms at a rate that feels unprecedented — sometimes to start a new one and often leaving for greener pastures at an existing firm.
Either is fine with me although I have a soft spot for the former.
But here’s the thing, most VCs that leave a firm have been thinking about it for a long time. They don’t just wake up one morning and walk out the door without a lot of consideration.
So with this context, I have some advice. If you are seriously thinking about leaving your firm avoid making new investments and taking on new board seats. And if at all possible, be open with your existing partners your current state of mind.
It’s very painful & disruptive for the startup to have a new investor leave their post. I’ve seen firms abandon these startups when the person who led the investment leaves the firm, even if it was mere months after the investment. And an entrepreneur often chooses a firm based on his/her relationship with a particular investor as an individual. The entrepreneur is making a long term bet that you are going to be there in good time and in bad over a long period of time for their company.
I’ve written a few posts about what makes a great venture capitalist.
The bare minimum is that a VC should do no harm. At least not intentionally.
Philipsburg, Montana, Part II
Philipsburg, Montana, Part I
After we left Yellowstone, we took the park’s west exit and drove about 4 hours to Philipsburg, Montana. The rain was pouring down for the entire drive but we could still appreciate the beauty along the way.
Philipsburg is a town with less than 900 residents. The town center has a candy store that is over a hundred years old. There is a local brewery that makes this delicious craft beer called Razzu. The main street is about 4 blocks but you can spend a whole day there eating and talking to folks if you wanted to.
We stayed at a ranch about 30 minutes outside of town. It was our first time in Montana and we fell in love with the whole place. The food, people, countryside, pace of life. Everything.
Cosmic, Love. Florence + The Machine
unplugged, and beautiful
Yellowstone National Park, Part II
Yellowstone National Park, Part I
Yellowstone National Park, June 2018 (part 1)
Last month we made a family trip to Yellowstone.
The park is incredibly vast and so beautiful. It was our very first trip and we spent 5 days exploring as much as we could. The landscape changes dramatically from epic canyons, to open valleys, to lush forests to open lakes and streams. The hiking trails are wonderful.
I loved the eastern part of the park the best, especially Lamar Valley. There was so much wildlife around each corner and seeing all the bear cubs playing in the meadow was something I will not forget.