Off to the Races with Team Nextview
I am thrilled to share that I have joined friends I’ve known for a decade to become the newest partner at NextView. I’m staying in San Francisco, expanding our footprint in New York and Boston to become one of the few bi-coastal seed firms in the industry. Here’s the TL;DR: I’ll be investing from our new funds announced today in seed-stage consumer and B2B companies across North America with a focus on the ‘Everyday Economy’. I’m excited to partner early with tenacious founders who share a North Star of building exceptional end-user experiences for individuals, families, workers, and communities and to invest alongside a team of the most genuine, hardworking, and high-integrity VCs I know.
I became a venture capitalist, specifically a seed investor, to provide early support to the dreamers and builders working to positively change how we live, work, learn, play, and care for our planet and each other. I’ve spent over a decade investing in consumer and B2B companies that do things like expand access to reproductive care and childcare, support the circular economy, enable more seamless payments for small businesses and individuals, rethink mindfulness for the modern world, and champion learners from the classroom to the metaverse. At the seed stage and as companies scale, helping the founders I work with identify and reach their goals, personally and professionally, gives me energy and purpose. And I’ve been fortunate enough to witness their startups scale from ideas to $1B+ businesses (and even an IPO in the case of Poshmark).
I left Uncork Capital last year after a decade, intent on pressing pause to reflect and consciously shape how I wanted to approach venture and, more broadly, life. I’d been part of Uncork’s tremendous growth story alongside the explosive expansion of seed-focused firms, and by far, the most profound (and unbelievable) change I experienced was becoming a parent to twiblings at the start of the pandemic. I spent time talking to many mentors and friends, investors and founders alike, about what drives them, what makes an effective partnership, the evolution of early-stage investing, and what’s possible for the future of our industry. I made over a dozen angel investments and a few investments in VC funds as an LP, expanding my focus to new geographies, sectors, and stages. I became certified as a professional coach through the Hudson Institute of Coaching to be a more mindful and effective partner on a founder’s journey. These reflections, conversations, side projects, and time with my newly expanded family gave me clarity. Today, my purpose is to invest in and nurture people, ideas, and family to help them explore, grow, and reach their potential. And I can’t think of a better place in venture to work toward this than NextView.
The decision to join a partnership is a massive commitment for everyone involved. My relationship with the NextView team spans a decade, and I am grateful to have our shared history of navigating the highs and lows from ten years of collaborating as a foundation. Together, we’ve co-invested and competed, commiserated and celebrated. Along the way, I’ve admired my now partners for exemplifying the values and behaviors I believe genuinely matter in our business: thinking independently, saying “yes” early with conviction, saying “no” quickly, leaning into hard conversations with courage and authenticity, supporting founders collaboratively, staying engaged when others check out, and humbly recognizing that it is a privilege to work with founders who invite us into their board rooms and their cap tables.
As we started exploring the possibility of working together earlier this year, I was struck by Melody, Rob, Lee, and David’s genuine support for each other as partners and the ease of their teamwork. Consistent with how they approach the founders they back, they are trusted, high integrity, humble, no BS, and collaborative partners who prioritize the right things with each other too. I was energized by their proven track record of investing in underrepresented founders as well as their awareness and commitment to doing more to support founders with non-traditional backgrounds. With each interaction, my conviction in our shared values and vision for supporting founders early and for the long haul grew exponentially, as did my excitement to be part of this very special team.
As I hit the ground running, I’m cognizant that this is a time of uncertainty and turbulence for founders and investors alike. I am incredibly privileged to be entrusted by founders exceptionally early in their companies’ journeys and by LPs to be a good steward of capital — not only to produce superior returns but also to do so responsibly and ethically. And I am also bullish on the future as I firmly believe that market downturns are crucibles for the most resilient, ambitious, and creative founders to bring inspiring ideas and changes to life.
At NextView, we are very much open for business and actively supporting founders across the spectrum of seed. With our focus on the digital redesign of the Everyday Economy, I’ve found the perfect platform to continue supporting founders who are building impactful companies. In addition, I’m beyond excited to have the flexibility to support promising founders early with the right-sized checks for the stage of their companies. Simply put, we can flex our check size from $400K to $4M to invest anywhere along the pre-traction to post-revenue spectrum — an abnormality and an advantage in today’s market. Finally, while my home base is San Francisco, I am investing across North America along with the rest of our team as we believe great ideas and inspiring founders transcend geography.
It is an honor and a privilege to do work I absolutely love with humble, high-integrity teammates who have welcomed me as an equal in their partnership. I’m excited to join my partners, Rob, Lee, Melody, and David, along with Jack, Rachel, and Amanda, as the newest member of the NextView team. I’m inspired by our shared ambitions for the firm and the founders we support. I’m energized to anchor NextView’s physical presence on the West Coast and frequently return to New York and the East Coast (a place I called home for many years). If you are building something for the Everyday Economy that might be a fit for NextView and our high conviction, hands-on approach feels like a fit for you too, please reach out.
