5 Questions with Pedro Sorrentino, Cofounder & General Partner @ ONEVC
5 Questions is a series where we ask CMCI Studio alumni to share insights about the future of design and how to grow as a creative. To learn more about the Studio masters program check the details at the end of this story or visit our website. Enrollment is now open for fall 2019.
This week we’re featuring Pedro Sorrentino, Cofounder & General Partner at ONEVC.
Pedro completed the Studio program in 2011. During his time in the program he cofounded and built a startup that had a successful exit shortly after he graduated. His next role was as the 11th employee at SendGrid in Boulder, CO where he focused on business development. SendGrid went on to a successful IPO and $2B acquisition. Pedro then relocated to San Francisco and took a position at FundersClub, where he was able to invest in hundreds of startups. In 2017 Pedro cofounded ONEVC, a Silicon Valley and Brazil-based seed-stage VC firm focused on investing in remarkable companies founded by 1st and 2nd generation immigrants.
5 Questions with Pedro
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career so far?
[Pedro] It pays to have long-term thinking with a daily sense of urgency.
When you look at the current landscape of design and technology what are you most excited about and most concerned about?
[Pedro]I’m excited about what’s happening in startup markets outside of Silicon Valley. There is so much activity, but one concern is that valuations are too high at the moment. There is an argument in which they won’t come down since there is so much capital in VC right now.
When you think about the designers of the future, what do you see as the most critical skills they will need in order to be successful?
[Pedro] They must be able to keep things simple and human. This is very, very hard because it commands that you edit your own work to a certain extent.
How did your experience in the Studio graduate program impact your ability to be successful in your career?
[Pedro] It provided me with the right amount of independent thinking and free time to work on side projects and experiments that could fail spectacularly. I’m grateful for that opportunity to take risks in a “safe” environment.
What are some of the most important tools and processes you use in your job right now?
[Pedro] Superhuman, Pipefy, Wunderlist, GSuite, Outlook for Mobile, Fantastical, Airtable.
You can follow Pedro on Twitter.
Follow the rest of our “5 questions” series here.
About CMCI Studio
CMCI Studio is a design graduate program at CU Boulder. Driven by a culture of collective creativity and fueled by design thinking, our mission is to transform our students into design professionals capable of leading us into the future and solving problems in a rapidly changing world. Our graduates have gone on to design and lead teams at Google, Apple, Spotify, Uber, Pinterest, Dropbox, Airbnb, Wieden+Kennedy, R/GAand many more.
We are currently accepting applications for our 2019–2020 school year. The application deadline is February 15th. Get more details and apply at our website.
