3 things I believe about founders.

Today is a day for celebration! Not only do I turn 30, but I’ve also been promoted to Principal at Backstage Capital (and Chief of Staff at ArlanWasHere LLC) :) This year, I’ve had the privilege of sourcing and co-leading several deals including Beyond, a subscription micro-mobility company, SUMA Wealth, a platform that financially educates the Latinx community, and more deals to come!

As I take a step back and ask myself why I’m so passionate (read: obsessed) about being an investor today, it always comes back to my love for founders. My entire life, I have loved meeting and learning from people. When I was a window cleaner in high school and college, I’d enter the homes of successful individuals from all walks of life. I would always find a way to strike up a conversation with the homeowner to learn about their life story and what brought them to where they are today. To think that my actual job now is to get to know founders, their life stories, what problems they are solving, and how they are solving them is absolute heaven to me. I have no doubt that the most valuable quality I can possess as a VC is caring about people and learning about their “why.” I want every founder to know why they matter to me.

Here’s why:

You are building the future.

When I first started my career in venture capital, I thought all I needed was to be on the cutting edge of all the trends and be able to make bold predictions about the future. While staying up-to-date on trends and predictions have their place, it is not my job as a venture capitalist to make those predictions. My role is to let you as the founders show me where the future is going. A prime example is Arlan Hamilton, a superstar founder, who knew that investing in underrepresented founders was (and is) the future back in the early days of building Backstage Capital. When I first started at Backstage, all I had was my personal mission to get more money in the hands of Latinx founders and my trust in Arlan as a founder. As Arlan’s Chief of Staff, I have a front-row seat into Arlan’s vision of the future. I am constantly blown away at the 7-dimensional chess she plays, making major strategic moves look easy. These are the same qualities that I see in founders on a consistent basis. I could not be more thrilled to be along for the ride, and I am beyond bullish on you giving me the plane ticket to the future.

While my curiosity and caring come naturally to me, I was recently reminded how seen it helps some founders feel…

…and this helped me reaffirm that, as Arlan says, I should remain “myself so that the people looking for me can find me.” Instead of trying to mold myself into how I think the perfect venture capitalist or early-stage investor is supposed to behave, remaining true to my natural instincts will continue to serve me well.

Your “why” is valuable.

At Backstage, we invest in about 2% of the companies that we see, and we spend a lot of time trying to add value to the other 98% of companies that we don’t invest in. Why? We genuinely believe that you all are important and that your life and company’s vision should be taken seriously. Most often, the vision you have for your company is somehow tied to your life’s mission. On top of that, we understand the importance of continuing to seed the ecosystem so that more and more founders can start companies. We really do care, and we want to be helpful as much as we can. You may hit a breakthrough in your company or even start a new company that we’d be thrilled to hear about. We want to be there for you regardless of whether we invest in you or not because your hopes and dreams hold so much value.

You are humans first and foremost.

My favorite question to ask founders is, “What is your life story?” Hearing your stories are not only inspiring but also paint a picture of who you are as humans as well as the obstacles and challenges that shaped who you are today. Your answer provides me with an opportunity to find common ground with you e.g. do you have a life partner, do you have dogs, what do you do for fun, where did you grow up? It’s all about connection, because we are first and foremost investing in you and your vision. We’re also entering a long relationship, especially if we invest, but hopefully even if we don’t invest. People like to work with others who are genuinely interested in them, and who are kind and thoughtful. My goal is to make you feel seen as a human being in a pitch meeting because I want YOU to thrive, not only in business but also as a human being.

When I think about why I love investing, my mind always goes to you, the founder. You are what drives me to work hard and learn incessantly. If it were not for you, my job would be obsolete. I could not do what I love without you and for that, I am beyond grateful. I truly believe in you.

Thank you to those who helped with the inspiration and edits of this blog: Arlan, Christie, Brittany, and my lovely wife Jeanna. :)