MG is now a VC
It’s pretty cool to see today that MG Siegler (@parislemon) who most of us know as a writer on TechCrunch, has decided to make a career move toward venture capital by joining Michael Arrington’s CrunchFund.
I think its great for MG and great for the future startups he will invest in, he will be able to provide them with unique insights on how to work with the press industry and much more. He’s even speaking on how to work with the press in his talk at Future of Web Apps in London, a topic that is near and dear to my heart. It also lead me to reflect on something a lot of people in the community have probably contemplated now and again – becoming an investor in startups ourselves.
Considering the VC Route
It is something that has come up for me several times, but there were a few meaningful moments where I truly thought I could see myself going to “the dark side”. As it turns out, on the other “side” of the tech industry there is a young up-and-coming stable of investors who might be the next tier A financiers of startups, and the prospect of being part of that crowd is exciting. Some of these people are younger than me! This cast of rising stars really matters to startups, who look to venture capitalists for the cash infusions that can make their company’s possible and massive growth pre-revenue feasible. I ultimately have chosen, a few times now, to stick with building companies (and I love the one I’m with) but the allure of helping startups who are worthy connect with the capital they need to grow is definitely exciting.
The Persona of a VC is Changing
In the past year, with the rise of “super angels” there has definitely been an increase in transparency around the process of getting investment. Not only are VCs and angels more exposed than ever, but the entire ecosystem is becoming accessible, all the way up to the LPs and endowments that ultimately provide money to these funds and all the way down to AngelList where private individuals with access to capital for investments can connect with entrepreneurs seeking funds.
I don’t think CrunchFund will be the last VC firm created that puts capital in the hands of web influencers who have great visibility into what’s being done in the land of startups. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 2012 be the year that disrupting VC becomes a mainstream trend, whereas in 2011 it was something localized to Silicon Valley with Angel Gate and all that other noise.
Putting Cash Into the Next Great Startup Story
I’ve always thought begin a VC was very similar to being a producer of films, reading scripts and deciding what to make and what not to make. In that same way, each startup pitch is a script to be read, each investment is a chance to put another great story into production.
I hope MG enjoys the crystal ball, energy, and passion of the entrepreneurs behind the deals he looks at. I can’t wait to see what he’ll choose to invest in, and how he’ll bring his unique talents and passions to help startups find success.
London Bound
The rumors are true, I wrapped the Twilio Conference last week and I’m off to London today for an extended business trip to explore the technology market in the UK and beyond. I hired Twilio’s first international employee — the incomparable Stevie Graham — over a month ago, and now its time to get back to where it all began for me and do some hands-on developer evangelism of my own. We’re also hiring for a 2nd developer evangelist in Europe, so if you are local and interested please let me know (this is a job for locals, not U.S. expats).
Last night we kicked things off with all thing stereotypically British: Jane Austen, the Beatles, everyone’s favorite Austen Powers quotes, and of course warm beer. My friend David also tolerated an impromptu dinner for 16 of us at his restaurant Triptych, where we sat on the patio and enjoyed being “loud Americans” for the night, complete with party games I haven’t played since I was a kid (MBF, Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare). It was quite a send off and I’m still recovering, but they tell me it is a good idea to break in my liver now.
I have a whirlwind tour of events scheduled ranging throughout Western Europe, and some surprises too! I am going to make every effort to blog frequently, share pictures, and voice my perspective on a startup community that is far by distance but ultimately shares the same goals (or so I assume). I’m fortunate to have so many friends and acquaintances around the globe who are helping to make this trip possible on short notice and at reasonable cost, and I can’t wait to get started at The Future of Web Apps London starting on Monday. Wish me luck!
… Now if only I were packed!
Hosting Office Hours Today 12pm – 2pm at L’Acajou
I’m trying something new, hosting real-life in person office hours for 2 hours on Sundays that I am in town. Our next meetup is today, in about an hour at my favorite cafe: L’Acajou Bakery and Cafe at 9th and Bryant. Anyone is welcome to drop by, and we’ll either do a big round-robin format or 1-1 chunks of time depending on what people’s goals are. There is great food and mimosas there, as well as wireless (if you pay for something).
You can RSVP for the meetup here, and please join the group if you can’t make it this time so I can let you know about the next one!
Stay tuned to hear how it goes.
And Suddenly It Is August… Again
For someone whose life revolves around the internet, you’d think I would update this website more regularly. I keep looking at that phone purse entry and thinking, “oh that wasn’t that long ago” when in fact that was May, and this is August. As usual, a ton has happened in the interim and I have lots of blog post stubs to prove it.
What I’ve Been Up To
- Fell in love with TurnTable.fm for music listening, sharing, and social discovery
- Rented a beach house with a bunch of Kevin’s extended family and bonded with my new niece, Isabella
- Became a ranked StarCraft II player (15 wins so far this season!)
- Had the usual crazy-fun time at my parent’s house for the Fourth of July along with Meg and her boyfriend
- Joined the board of advisors for Seth Blank’s startup Trove
- Launched Twilio Client, an SDK that enables developers to build apps that make/receive calls directly in the browser (!)
- A damn fine launch party in the coolest sequin covered dress ever!
- Bought a whole bunch of Maggy London dresses on Amazon to “pivot” my style to a more grown up Mad Men inspired office glam
- Had an epic night of karaoke courtesy of Roger Niner at Butter
And of course… a soundtrack for my life…
What’s Coming Next
First, let me just say that having Twilio Client released for the world to see after 9 months is really awesome — it always gets unbearably hard to hold back talking about an awesome new product release and its nice to not have to worry about it being leaked anymore. As for what is coming next from Twilio, there isn’t really much I can say… other than that our usual process is to release something and then focus on customer feedback and plan our next move based on what we learn.
In other news, here are some of the upcoming activities and goals I’m looking forward to:
- Figuring out how to put my hair into victory rolls
- Celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary with a trip to Hearst Castle
- Figuring out what kind of shoes go with all these dresses
- Adding the next round of improvements to one of my side projects, refer.ly
- Getting re-leveled to the gold league in SCII and made even playing an IRL tournament
- Folsom Street Fair is coming up in my neighborhood Sept 25th (link is NSFW)
- Getting back into cooking
- So much more…
All in all, life is good and I think after this weekend I will be fully recovered from “launch mode”.
Epic Phone Purse
This incredible purse is a working telephone. Huge thank you to my friend Chris Bennett from Callyo for finding it and purchasing it on my behalf in St.Pete.
This will be a conversation piece for the rest of my life! I’m also already thinking of how to mod it with a SIM card and Arduino so that it can be completely wireless and working.
