GOAT: In Defense of the Pivot

The “pivot.” If you spend much time in the VC industry or reading tech press, it starts to sound like a cliche. Like a punchline. A last, desperate scramble to make something out of a business that, rightly or wrongly, couldn’t make their model work the way originally thought…

Announcing Upfront Ventures’ Newest Partner — Kobie Fuller

We set out to build a venture capital firm that would not only be a beacon for the rapidly growing LA tech ecosystem but also one that would compete and collaborate nationally with the best firms in the country.

DroneBase: Long Term Disruption, Immediate Business Impact

Why Solving Big Food & Healthcare Problems Will Yield Spectacular Companies

I’ve spoken before about our desire at Upfront Ventures to fund really big ideas that solve hard problems, are science led and if successful will both have a positive effect on people’s lives as well…

Happy Returns: Solving the biggest challenge facing ecommerce and omnichannel retail

If you’ve ever shopped online, you know firsthand that online returns can be a huge challenge. Unbeknownst to most outside observers, online shopping returns cause all sorts of problems…

There’s No Such Thing as an MCN. It’s a Figment of Your Imagination

Spoiler alert: MCNs don’t exist. They are a figure of your imagination.

20 months ago we sold Maker Studios to Disney for $500 million in cash plus a large earn out. From the day after we…

Bein­g an artist doesn’t have to mean starving

As long as there have been entertainers, there have been starving artists. It’s an age-old phenomenon. Stories of content creators getting screwed out of earnings are legend in the entertainment industry. It’s not just the so-called “little guys,”…