Wolf Starr: CEO at Atlas Venture Partners in Columbus
We are simultaneously creating funds for traditionally overlooked communities, and helping to build a more diverse, fair, and open community of both investors and managers.
Twitter: @TWStarr
This interview is part #EVOLve Series with one of our @posi2ive community members. Interviewees have been active in our weekly *VC Impact* community roundtables on Twitter Spaces [each Friday 3:30pm PT] and community. In each self-paced and self-authored interview, we ask impact Founders / Investors what they are doing to change the world, and why they’re motivated to focus on their area of impact. Hope you all enjoy!
The Interview
Top Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
3: Good Health / Well Being
5: Gender Equality
8: Decent Work / Economic Growth
Impact verticals your venture focuses on:
- Diversity / Equity / Inclusion (DE&I)
- Financial Access / Democratization
- Sustainability
Please share what you’re building, your professional background, and what inspired this venture.
Our firm works to empower and uplift underrepresented communities through Venture. Once the funds are established, we work with members from within the communities, leading to specific funds while we provide back-end services, connections, and resources.
What’s the impact focus of your venture? And how do you plan to measure impact?
We are simultaneously creating funds for traditionally overlooked communities, and helping to build a more diverse, fair, and open community of both investors and managers.
What’s driving your impact focus?
The extreme imbalance, and insular nature of our industry.
What are some obstacles standing in the way of the impact you have planned?
Traditional constructs of supporting different Founders.
How do you stay motivated?
An amazing team of partners, entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors.
Tell us about your market, customers, and team.
Most of our funds are industry agnostic but impact focused. Our funds are JVs with more traditional funds, and we build the teams together.
How do you keep yourself healthy — e.g., mentally, physically, emotionally?
Music, hobbies, friends, and family… and the friends/connections that become family.
What are you currently educating yourself on?
Crypto, NFTs, metrics, Family Offices.
What books, podcasts, or newsletters should our community read — to better understand your area of impact?
A-List Angels, It’s About Damn Time, Venture Deals
What do you do outside of work, that you like to brag about?
I play bass in a Jay Z tribute band in a Darth Vader mask, and I collect 2-dollar bills.
How can the @posi2ive community support your efforts? (*Not public solicitation, nor securities offerings)
Connections, idea exchanges, and radical collaborations.
Copyright 2022, all rights reserved. If you’re a Founder / Investor focused on VC Impact, we’d love to invite you to share your story here (#EVOLve) with the posi2ive community. If you’re an LP or GP in venture, we’d also love to have you apply to our private VC Impact Capital Community.
