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1.0 Top Notch Investor to Have on Your Side
Fund: Menlo Ventures
Posted by anonymous on 2007-06-22
I have had the chance to work with many of the partners at Menlo Ventures and one thing that stands out compared to any other firm that I have worked with is the humility and lack of "I am god" attitude that you see in this business. I have also yet to come across another group that is as respectful of entrepreneurs as they are.
Most of the partners were hands on engineers or engineering managers at some point and I think this is a good explanation for some of the comments here. You are likely to receive feedback consistent with someone with a deep understanding of technology. If thats going to bum you out, dont approach them.
They are also a standup firm, they will not fund direct competition and most importantly for an entrepreneur - they have the staying power to ride out the tough times with you. I have experienced this personally.
Mark is a great guy to work with as are Shawn and John. I agree with the other comments that few work as hard as Shawn in helping the portfolio companies. John and Mark have a wealth of experience to derive from and the partnership works as a team to help portolfio companies. I routinely receive assistance from many of the partners there, not just the one on my board.
The one other thing that I have seen very few other posts address is how a firm works with you after you get funded. Frankly, this is where you want to spend the bulk of your time in selecting investors (assuming you have a fundable business). John, Mark, and Shawn are extremely helpful at the board level and never jump in with random ghosts to chase or "soup du jour" suggestions. The times they get involved have resulted in commercial partnerships or key hires. Nothing is a bigger drag on a CEO or management team's time than random board suggestions.
Oh and the size of the fund doesn't hurt either :)
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