I started working in venture capital in 2020, running operations for an early-stage VC firm focused on fintech. In 2021, I started learning about angel investing and now in 2022 I’m excited to have made my first personal investment.
At VC firms, memo writing is a best practice, forcing each investor to articulate their thoughts about a startup and investment decision that’s tangible and shareable with the rest of the team for discussion and consensus. As I sharpen my skills as an investor, I’ve decided to write memos about each of the companies I personally support and share them to this blog as both a catalogue of my thought process and an investing track record.
One of my goals in writing these memos is to become a better thinker about the future and the tech that will build it so that I can make better bets over time. If improving is the goal, it also means that at some point if I reach that goal I’ll look back on these initial memos and realize just how much I didn’t know. On one hand, that’s great! It will provide proof that I’ve grown, matured, and learned. But it’s also embarrassing to think of all the investors out there far more advanced in their journey than I am who might happen across this thing that I’ve put my name on and think “this girl has no idea what she’s talking about.”
And maybe they’re right, and maybe that’s ok. It’s scary, but it’s also reality. While plenty of memos written by venture capitalists have proven true (for example, you can read some of the most legendary ones from Bessemer Venture Partners here), the vast majority of startups ultimately fail. So it’s a bit like setting myself up for failure to post my optimism about them so publicly. But it’s also the most natural and enjoyable way for me to keep doing what I love: thinking deeply about how to make the world a better place, supporting people doing that work, and writing about it.
If you’re a fellow angel investor or VC (or are otherwise connected to the entrepreneurial ecosystem), I’d love your feedback on how I can improve these memos and my investment thought process more broadly. If you’re a founder building something that fits my thesis (which right now, very broadly, is making the world a better place), leave a comment and let’s connect!
The first investment memo will drop in August. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure you’re subscribed to the blog.
*Note: these memos and the investments I describe reflect my personal opinions and are not associated with my day job or company. This is in no way, shape, or form, investment advice. I’m not a professional investment advisor, nor do I play one on the internet.