Getting to know Boris Wertz, Founding Partner at Version One Ventures
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I grew up in the South of Germany, in a small town close to Stuttgart. My parents were both pharmacists and I was the oldest of four boys. Somehow my parents were able to build their own business and still be there for us whenever we needed them. Now I’m a father of four, and see how incredibly hard it is to find that kind of balance.
How old are you?
42, but I feel much younger. As they say, forty (or maybe fifty) is the new thirty.
What was your first job?
Working on a farm in the summer. It was tough, tough work… from dawn until dusk. But, we were a bunch of teenagers all working there at the same time, so as you can imagine, we definitely had a good time. Work hard, play hard in a very unique context.
What are you working on and why?
I am the founding partner of Version One Ventures. We are a seed-stage firm that invests in companies with potentially large network effects built around people and/or data. Think marketplaces, social platforms, or companies built around AI/machine learning. As for why, I can’t imagine anything better than being involved with dozens of fast-growing tech start-ups on a daily basis.
Before starting Version One, I was an entrepreneur. After we sold my company AbeBooks to Amazon in 2008, I started angel investing to help other entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale. After a few years, this morphed into being a full-time VC.
What’s a typical day like for you?
I’m on the road a lot. We have investments in the Bay Area, NYC, Toronto, Seattle, and LA and I try to be on the ground in these cities on a regular basis.
Whenever I travel, I’m meeting with as many people as possible. A typical day could start with an 8 am breakfast meeting and end with a late dinner. Meeting with a dozen smart entrepreneurs and investors in a single day is never boring. I always come away with new insights and inspiration.
When I’m working from my home office in Vancouver, the typical day is mostly split between calls, email, and blogging/thinking time.
Favorite Gadget/App of the moment?
I love devices and apps that make me more productive. Right now, it’s the combo of a MacBook Air, Samsung S7 and Google Apps. Yeah, I know that’s a boring answer.
What startup do you wish existed?
I can’t wait for someone to finally make it easy to store personal healthcare data. I’m genetically predisposed for high cholesterol, so I track my cholesterol numbers very closely. In this day and age, it’s crazy to be using paper records. A personal healthcare manager app would help millions of people coping with chronic diseases, but unfortunately, it’s not easy to get data out of today’s healthcare IT systems.
Anything you want to plug?
Our blog. This is where we share (almost) everything that we learn ourselves.
Previous interviews: Brad Feld, Hunter Walk
