A Spark of Something New

Three and half years ago I made the transition from product builder to investor. It has been an amazing and humbling experience to meet, invest and work with some of the most innovative and visionary founders in technology. As I said in July, being an investor is a privilege and one that I am grateful to have. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve decided to dive deeper by joining Spark Capital as a general partner, and the first GP for the fund in Silicon Valley focused on growth stage investing.

Just as I took my time deciding to move into venture capital, I’ve been talking with Spark for nearly a year now. I first met Jeremy Philips last fall as he was getting the firm’s inaugural growth fund off the ground. I have followed the fund’s progress as they have invested in a series of amazing companies with a very, very small and nimble team. After getting to know the rest of the venture fund partners, and learning a bit more about the vision for the firm and this new growth practice, it became clear that it was ultimately a good fit.

I’m joining at a unique time in the firm’s history. Spark has ten years of profound success in venture investing, but our growth fund is only a year old. The firm is well established in Boston and New York, but our physical footprint in Silicon Valley is still fresh.

When thinking about what I wanted to do next, I knew that being a part of a smaller team starting something new was important to me. Starting from scratch is hard, certainly in venture capital, but the ability to be nimble and agile cannot be overstated. The fact that Spark is doing this in growth from an already established base of excellent venture investments is the best of both worlds.

The broader Spark team knows how to help companies at various stages, and now we have the fuel to accelerate growth as well. While there’s a lot of money flowing around out there, I think we’re positioned to be a very attractive partner to any accelerating startup. And if you’re one of those, I’d love to hear from you.

I am excited and energized by the opportunity to help shape the future of the firm and expand our reach in Silicon Valley. So excited, in fact, that I started yesterday.