An Amazing Decade Long Run and a Time to Stretch Before The Next One
Nearly a decade ago, I packed up my NYC apartment, flew cross-country with two suitcases, and took a leap of faith in myself as I moved to the west coast in the hopes of breaking into venture capital. Today, I’m in my tenth year investing with Uncork Capital, one of my first Uncork portfolio companies, Poshmark, has successfully completed its IPO, and the time has come to take the lessons I learned as part of the firm’s tremendous growth story and embark on a new adventure.
A lot has changed in ten years. The venture industry, especially at seed stage, looks very different from when Uncork Capital was SoftTech VC and I could count on two hands the number of ‘micro VC’ firms. These pioneers paved the way for 100s of emerging managers and unlocked unprecedented access to early-stage institutional capital for a new generation of entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, a spotlight has exposed our ecosystem’s challenges with diversity, equity, and inclusion. While change has not happened overnight, important conversations and movements are underway. As for me? I’m now happily married, the mother of twiblings, and have spent as much time on the West Coast as I did in NYC (though I still refuse to eat the “bagels” here).
It’s been an extraordinary learning opportunity. I joined Jeff and Charles (now the founder of Precursor Ventures) in 2011 when they were in the midst of raising Fund III, was part of raising $435M across three more seed funds and two opportunity funds, rose to General Partner, and eventually joined Uncork’s management company. I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with dozens of founders starting in the early days of their startups all the way through to IPO in the case of Poshmark. I am proud of contributing to their successes as they innovate across diverse sectors, including health, education, transportation, financial services, human capital, commerce, sustainability, and more. I’ve also been a vocal advocate for encouraging venture capital to change and embrace greater diversity, equity, and inclusion; I’m especially proud of my work as a Founding Member of All Raise, where I spearheaded the initiative to provide visibility into open roles in venture firms to women and other underrepresented aspiring VCs.
This brings me to today. I’m hitting pause to reflect and contemplate how I want to spend my next decade or two. What I do know is that I love investing, working with founders to bring their visions to life, and being a coach and a confidant through the highs and lows of growing startups. In the interim, I’ll be transitioning to a Venture Partner role with Uncork, where I’ll focus on my boards and ensure a smooth transition over the coming months while freeing myself up to look at things outside of the Uncork umbrella.
I’m extremely grateful to all the founders, co-investors, LPs, and the Uncork team, who have been such an important part of my professional (and, often, personal) life the past ten years. Thank you for the successes and challenges we’ve shared, the opportunities to learn and grow together, and for your friendship. As I look forward to what’s next, I’m honored to carry these lessons and friendships along with me.
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