Stride.VC — Dissenters welcome.
We exist to arm founders with the fundamentals to create their own ‘dent in the universe’. The DIY, anti-establishment visionaries who see the future and are already building it. The upstarts, non-conformists and rule breakers. The ones that can truly go all the way.
We don’t shy away from backing founders that are dogged, difficult and maybe even downright scary. Those with an axe to grind and a point to prove. Those that are self-made, self-possessed, self-disciplined and selfless.
Whether you’re an extreme introvert or come from the wrong side of the tracks, we’re not asking you to fit in a box. Whether you’re young or seasoned, we look at where you can go, and not where you came from.
We’re non-conformists ourselves and we are hunting for founders who share that state of mind. Our people, our faction.
Artisans.
Stride backs teams at the time when it matters most; we write meaningful cheques early to turn real potential into real companies. This is what conviction investing is all about.
By nature, the kind of founders we favour are a rarity, and that’s fine with us. We’ll take our time to seek them out and move quickly to bring them in. It also means we’re easy to approach but consistently tough to get money from. We are artisans; we back few projects, exceptional ones.
Our mission is to give founders the freedom to be themselves and the focus to build companies they can be proud of. And we’ve spent our entire careers building the understanding, skillset, track record and relationships to do exactly that. Our team mixes the young guns and the OGs. The new wave and the hardened veterans. Raw talent and hard-earned expertise.
We are laser focused on doing a few things really well. It enables us to consistently raise the bar on hiring talent, designing product, building brand and refining leadership. It also means being hands on where it really counts and keeping our distance when the time is right.
Leaders.
Whilst you may well fail, to us, you are not an experiment, or an option. We put our name on the line.
We take meaningful stakes, but that’s because we are a meaningful partner. We don’t overprice, but we don’t low ball you either. You, the founder, should think that the tradeoff will work for you.
We’re paranoid about the impact of bad investors, obsessive about establishing transparency and fanatical about creating an exceptional experience for founders.
Lean in, don’t lean back.
We favour prototypes and proof over patter and powerpoint, yet we know the future is by nature unpredictable. Certainties and assumptions don’t survive the test of reality. We understand that chaos is part of the journey, and we embrace our own ignorance. We look at every circumstance with a fresh set of eyes. For us, every board meeting is a whiteboard meeting.
We don’t expect a straight line to success. Our job is not to focus on hitting plan but on figuring the path to success together. We will be there for the high highs and the lows lows.
It means applying a beginners mind, our depth of experience and an unparalleled network to help Founders build the foundations for scale and avoid life threatening mistakes.
Be humble, stay humble.
Perhaps most importantly, we respect the journey, and we remember who we serve. And in our own small way, we hope to contribute to a future where venture capital as a product has been positively transformed by the way we go about our work. You’re part of that mission too.
In fact, you’re front and centre.
