Joining the MVP Ventures Team

It's a daunting task to start a company. The process of fundraising is one of the most acute stresses that a founder will experience. The investors across the table do this for a living and come into work every day talking to founders like you. Meanwhile, as a founder, you're trying to navigate a new set of rules and conventions.

The Three Pillars of Picking an Investor

As founders, we generally think about three things when picking an investor. First, the mechanics which consist of some money at some amount of valuation and a whole bunch of other provisions which govern economics and control. Second, the reputation of the VC as firms will have varying levels of reputation across dimensions such as prestige, expertise, track record, and network. Finally, the support as it’s incredibly useful to have guidance along the way.

Of these three things, the second one (the reputation) is neutral in the sense that it is a quality of the VC firm. Reputation exists and it does not change the interaction between the founder and the investor. The first one (deal mechanics) and third one (founder support) are diametrically opposed in terms of alignment directionality.

The Alignment Challenge

When negotiating the deal mechanics, what’s good for the founder is worse for the investor. After the deal is closed, everyone is aligned again as the VC firm and the founders can simply wish for a successful outcome together. It’s important to recognize these mechanics and their nuances. As an example, a VC should not want to crush a founder economically as the founder would then not have motivation to forgo the opportunity cost of a big-tech job in order to pursue the startup.

Joining MVP Ventures

Helping and supporting founders is a core passion of mine, and in support of this, I am joining MVP Ventures as a Venture Partner. I’d like to thank Alex Li and the rest of the team for this opportunity. MVP Ventures was built around a simple idea: you don't have to write the lead check to become the most valuable partner. By investing alongside the lead, we get to spend less time negotiating terms and more time helping founders build great companies. This model has many advantages but the one I appreciate most is that we’re aligned with the founder during the fundraise process. Since deal mechanics are negotiated with the lead, we can sit on the same side of the table and help founders raise their ideal round. I’m enthusiastic about working with founders on everything from product strategy and customer introductions to recruiting, fundraising, communications, and helping founders navigate the moments that matter most.

If you're building something ambitious and think I or anyone on the MVP team could be helpful, I'd love to connect.