Insights

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…

What Makes For a Magical Connected Device Experience?

Many connected home devices promise seamless user experiences, but in reality most fall far short of this lofty goal. (Heck, many are barely even “connected.”) Who would’ve thought “standard” WiFi or Bluetooth connections are anything…

Choose your words wisely, they’ll define your business

Don’t overlook the importance of language. How you talk, what you name your company and features, and what you choose as internal shorthand is critically important to everything from your brand, to your culture, to the future of your…

The Artist Formerly Known as Ecommerce

I feel like investors and entrepreneurs are doing themselves a disservice by bucketing all types of companies that sell stuff online into the same 15-year-old catch-all category of “ecommerce.” As a VC, I am trying to challenge myself to a higher level of…

2 trillion reasons why advanced manufacturing gets me excited as a venture investor

This post is the second in a series on the topic of 3D Printing (aka, additive manufacturing). We will continue to explore this area, including topics like the respective roles of…

Feeding 9 billion people by 2050: The case for greater agtech investment

When I think about the challenges facing our society today, and similarly the opportunity that we as investors have to significantly impact the world we pass down to our children, ensuring the stability…

Do You Have the Right CEO to Run Your Business Until the End?

Prediction: 3D Printing is exiting the “Trough of Disillusionment”

3D Printing had a moment in the consciousness of consumers and venture investors alike across the early part of the decade. But the attention and excitement heaped on this category seems to have waned within the…