Driven by curiosity

Learning velocity has been the north star for many of my decisions in life. I grew up a voraciously curious kid. I loved to take things apart and find interesting new ways to rebuild them – including my parents’ car, much to their chagrin! This curiosity led me to study engineering. In my view, most of the interesting, complex problems to solve are actually people problems – and this led me to shift into Industrial Engineering and study complex systems.

Obsessive founders

One quality that I seek out in founders is obsessiveness. For better and for worse, I’ve also grown up an obsessive person – from following my favorite band for ~100 shows to scouring forums to nail the perfect off-beaten-path backpacking trip. Many founders are so dedicated that they literally can’t sleep until they see a vision of the world come to reality. Like many qualities, obsessiveness can be taken too far and cause one to lose sight of the big picture or leave one (and one’s team) feeling depleted if a goal isn’t achieved. But when I encounter a founder who is clearly dedicated to her life’s work, this obsessiveness and relentlessness actually creates energy in a way that is highly contagious. It’s no surprise that obsessive founders attract obsessive teams. The best founders I work with are deeply curious & steeped in their market, yet maniacally driven to reinvent it.

Investing in B2B commerce, marketplaces, and vertical software gives me opportunities to spend time with many founders who have one foot stepped in industry and the other in technology. This is a unique balance to strike, but when it’s found, it can be magical.