I had a great conversation with another investor who’s had an interesting journey. He worked in corporate America learning hard skills out of undergrad. Then he joined a start-up as an early employee. His skills helped the start-up minimize painful learnings and release a superior product in less time. Equity was part of his compensation package. Eventually, he made his way to venture capital and learned how to invest in early-stage companies. The start-up he’d worked at years before went public, and his early equity turned into a significant financial windfall. He began doing personal angel investments, and now he’s planning to raise a fund to help founders in his area of expertise.  

He understands start-up life and entrepreneurship from various perspectives. Now he’s taking what he’s learned and the wealth he has amassed from his journey and using them to help more founders become successful.

People like this have a huge impact on start-up ecosystems. The combination of capital, operator knowledge, and relationships can be game-changing for early founders. I look forward to watching this investor transition to fund manager. I’m sure he and his team will move his space forward!