The famous “hockey stick graph” looks mythical and smooth from afar, but look closely, and the true story of entrepreneurship emerges. Throughout the daily mix of ups and downs, we are there with our founders, every step of the way.
Integrity, excellence, measurable performance, and hard work underlie everything we accomplish.
Growing great companies is all about people.
We believe sustainable companies and diverse founding teams make for more successful investments.
The structure and model of venture capital itself is due for a change.
Companies need more than money, especially in the early stages.
Core problems facing early stage entrepreneurs are largely the same, regardless of sector.
Most entrepreneurs – even the most brilliant – are facing challenges for the first time; we have been there before.
Unicorns are great, but not every successful company needs to follow this particular narrative.
Our involvement is designed to help increase the chances of success for our founders
We believe that impactful companies looking to solve real problems for real people make for better results. We also know that diverse founders build great companies and teams, but often lack ready access to funding and resources. For us, diversity includes underrepresented minorities in tech, including by gender, ethnicity, economic situation, LGBTQ+, and military service, among others.
In 2009, our team helped create the venture studio model. We believe that taking an active role in co-building our portfolio companies – far beyond simple funding – is crucial. Many venture firms speak of having a studio or value-added services, but to truly deliver the rarest form of venture capital – consistent support to all portfolio companies – requires the right structure. We apply these three key elements in our studio model:
Times are difficult right now, but promising signs in regard to deals terms, impact investing and engagement are boding well, writes Oliver Libby, managing partner and co-founder of venture firm Hatzimemos / Libby.
There are active communities of black founders, female founders, LGBTQ founders, angels, and team members — building really authentic partnerships and communication with these important hubs really breaks people out of the homogenous “pattern recognition” mode of supporting and investing.
Will we ever be back to our pre-February “normal?”