VCs, founders and grit

So many VCs started as founders.

I did the opposite.

I’m a founder who started as a VC.

And looking back, I can’t help but laugh. I invested in startups for a living. I knew, intellectually, what to expect out of the early days of building a startup.

I knew it would be a roller coaster. I knew there’d be setbacks.

And even still, after seeing and advising countless startups previously, you don't really understand the journey until you do it yourself.

More specifically, I guess I didn’t fully internalize how you need to prepare to be “wrong” for a long, long time. Myself and Paul Blankley spent years cheering on language-based BI. Convincing others the technology would catch up before it actually did.

The hardest part isn't disagreement. At that stage, actually not that many people will hard disagree. But you have to dedicate a ton of time and energy to making people care.

That's why—and I know it's a cliche at this point - founders need to be gritty.

Now that I've been on both sides of the fundraising table, I see a very clear pattern emerge:

→ VCs who’ve never been a founder look for big markets and unfair advantages.

→ VCs who’ve been founders look for grit and perspicacity.

We've got a pretty gritty team - including our investors. And I'll always be grateful to everyone who got through the early days with us.