Small Features Can Evolve Into Industry‑Changing Startups
I took a break from recording The Pitch Show to record a new episode of The Learning Corner by Precursor Ventures . This week, Mia and I found a few articles that our team found interesting, and we wanted to spend some time discussing them on the podcast. We started off with a conversation around a post by Manny Medina about killing the competition. I read it a few times before I shared it with the group and it just reinforced for me this tension between making sure none of your competitors get the oxygen they need to grow and having your own lane and plan that you follow. He cited a few companies in the salestech/martech space that at first felt more like features or small products that eventually became important. Part of what makes the startup ecosystem so interesting, and at times frustrating, is that things that are initially dismissed as features or small ideas turn out to be much more impactful companies over time. Samir Kaji has had a number of great posts about the current state of venture, and his recent post, "Fundamentals Truths in VC today" did a really great job of summarizing what the market feels like to me in this moment - bifurcated strategies for large and small VC firms, concerns about ARR reporting and revenue quality, and when and how entry prices matter for firms pursuing different strategies at seed. We closed with a brief chat about the SpaceX and Cursor deal - I'm very curious to see whether we end up at the $60B or $10B number when the dust settles. As always, you can find links to the articles we discussed as well as places to listen to the podcast.
Evolving as a VC: Lessons in Firm Building
I've been thinking a lot about where I am as a VC in terms of firm building and what feels different now than when I first got started and put together some thoughts - a lot of this was inspired...
Sign up for the VC AI Show & Tell
I got so much positive response to my previous post about hosting a VC AI tool show and tell that I created a form to capture interest - if you'd like to stay in the loop please fill this out...
VC‑Only AI Hackathon in SF: Share, Build, Connect
I've had a lot of fun sharing AI-powered tools I've built to help us run Precursor, and I have learned a lot from folks like Sarah Smith and Chang Xu based on what they are doing. I am thinking of...
Call Boardy for Year-End Term Sheet Guidance
If you're a founder trying to make a term sheet decision before year's end, give Boardy a call to check in!
Rethinking Burnout: Rest Isn't the Whole Solution
We took a week off to celebrate Thanksgiving, but we are back with a new episode of The Learning Corner by Precursor Ventures . We are thankful for all of your who have listened, liked, and subscribed to episodes this...
AI Sets New Fundraising Bar; VC Returns Evolve
We had our annual general meeting right before Thanksgiving, and every year I share some of what we covered. Last year, I shared a post about three potential states of the venture capital world, as I felt we were in...
One Week Left: Apply for Impactful Graduate Internship
One week left to apply to our graduate internship program! I love working with our interns and they get to work on projects that directly impact the direction of our firm! https://lnkd.in/g6A7_phA
Celebrating a Near‑Miss Investment in Interface’s Vision
Congrats to Thomas Lee Young , Aaryan Mehta , and the whole Interface team on today's announcement! This is an investment that almost didn't happen - thankfully, a friend nudged me to meet with them before the round closed. I've...
Founder Update Discipline ≠ Success; Execution Drives Results
We had our Precursor Ventures AGM this week in SF, so Mia and I were able to record in person! The first topic we covered was founder update emails, specifically how valuable they are for both founders and investors, especially...
LPs Struggle with Large, Non‑Concentrated Portfolios
It's rare that I see spicy quotes from Limited Partners, but Ben Choi had a great quote at the most recent Kauffman Fellows Summit about why becoming and remaining a venture capitalist can be hard. It sparked a conversation between...
AI Momentum Rounds Thrive on Early Revenue-Driven Usage Growth
One conversation I keep having with founders is about how and why these AI momentum rounds keep happening. A few of them have asked me why Company X was able to raise a big round based on a short window...
Learning From Peer VCs Elevates My Fund Management
I've really enjoyed my time serving as a GP Advisor and an IC member at Screendoor . One of the best parts of the experience has been getting to meet great fund managers like Ashley Smith and Liu Jiang ,...
Empowering Debt Relief: Partnering with Ava’s Impactful Team
Really proud to have the opportunity to work with Reza Rahman Omar Sinno Abed L. and the team at Ava. They’ve been pretty quiet about the work they’ve been doing for the past few years but they’re making a really...
Navigating Friend Investments and Staying Top‑of‑Mind
I've certainly had the experience of opening LinkedIn, TechCrunch, Axios, or Term Sheet, only to read that someone I know well has started a new company or raised a round that I wish I had seen. It never feels great,...