Meet the Collective

We’re stage-focused (seed and pre-seed), sector agnostic, and proudly anti-thematic. We lead and participate, and we don’t have rigid ownership targets.

Our Collective Wisdom

What we’ve learned and what we’re thinking

A $1B Exit Is 8x Harder Than Getting into Harvard. A $10B Exit Is 56x Harder.

The “VC view” of our top 500 value drivers list – with IPOs valued six months out, when lockups often expire – doesn’t improve the odds of outsized startup exits.

Depth Over Breadth

An n of 2 experiment on the founder journey, 2016–2026.

Talent Density Creates Gravity

Great people attract other great people, raise standards, accelerate the business, solve harder problems, and attract better customers, investors, and future teammates.

$1B Funds Require Outcomes That Are Rarer Than You Think

Funds over $1 billion took nearly three quarters of US venture dollars this year, all chasing outcomes only about a dozen companies have reached in 25 years.

Unicorn Lists Are Prediction Markets. This List Is a Scorecard.

What does success actually look like after the deal closes? Unlike paper valuations, DPI doesn’t lie.

What Do Great Founders Have in Common? Less Than Everyone Wants to Believe.

My own colleagues ask me this all the time. So I went through my whole portfolio, more than 75 companies over a dozen-plus years, and looked as hard as I could.

A Vibes-Based Founder’s Guide to Choosing a VC

I suggest evaluating investors across five dimensions: valuation, impact, brand, energy, and speed.

Craft Feels Indulgent Until It Becomes Your Moat

Mass production is faster, cheaper, and often “good enough,” which is why it caps you at average.

Your Hit Rate Is Fixed. Your Number of Shots Isn’t.

The world holds more randomness than we admit. Default Yes to showing up.

What Are Investors Really Looking for at Seed, Series A, and Series B?

You’re a different company at each round, so pitching the same story means pitching the wrong one.

We're Founders First. Investors Second.