Suggestions
Brian Rothenberg
Partner at Defy.Vc
Founder & startup growth leader turned VC @ Defy Partners.
I have operated through every stage: from founding, seed, series A through late-stage funding, all the way through IPO – from idea to hundreds of millions in revenue. Most recently I was at Eventbrite for 6+ years from startup through IPO ($300M revenue, nearly $3B market cap), serving as VP of Growth and running a $100M+ revenue line as GM. I founded a local services marketplace, SkillSlate, backed by First Round and Canaan Partners, which we ultimately sold to TaskRabbit. I have also been an angel investor and growth advisor to dozens of startups as part of Sequoia's Scout program, First Round Capital's Angel Track + Expert Network, and YC's Growth Council.
Highlights
At defy.vc, we're often the first outside board member for the startups that we back. I recently shared my advice on making this important decision in Fast Company's article, "7 Questions Founders Should Ask When Choosing Their First Investor Board Member:"
- Is the pitching / investment process a one-way or a two-way street?
- The ‘ups’ are easy, how do they handle the ‘downs’?
- Can we try before we buy? Create a cadence of interactions
- Can you communicate effectively and work through disagreements?
- Will this person ‘do the work’ without grabbing the wheel?
- Not all cash is the same color green—where is the money coming from?
- Are we aligned on the vision and goals?
Check out the article for all the details, and thanks to the many awesome founders who have chosen us as your partners on the startup journey! 🙏
Medha Agarwal, Neil Sequeira, Bob Rosin, Amy Yin, Adam P., Purvi Shah, Phebe T., Jennifer Wiguna
https://lnkd.in/gT5DR3rq
It's an honor to have two amazing new partners join our Defy team -- welcome Medha Agarwal and Amy Yin! I had heard great things about Medha through mutual friends, and after meeting through one such long-time friend, it was obvious why. As a former founder turned long-time VC, she has deep empathy for the entrepreneurial journey as well as a strong track record helping founders navigate their early paths. She is also an awesome all-around person. Amy and I have already had the pleasure of working together on her startup OfficeTogether, from their first investment round to building the team and product, to their exit to Envoy. Amy is not only an extremely talented product person and technical leader, but she's also a consummate entrepreneur who will be a great asset to the other founders that she works with. We're fortunate to work with Amy again, now as an investor. I couldn't be more excited about the future of Defy and am thankful to continue building the firm and helping the next generation of entrepreneurs alongside Medha, Amy, Neil, Bob, Adam, and team!

