10/9/19 edit: VMware has acquired Carbon Black for $2.1 billion. So, we will increase the number of startups we will back. After Carbon Black went public, Mrs. T. and I had some discussions. What should we do with my personal winnings (I co-led the first institutional round when it was called Bit9; details here and
‘Why Not You?’ and Dan Primack’s Peloton Ride
As I told my HBS students, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do for my career. And, it was a process to take on risk. Over time, however, I’ve subscribed to the view of “Why not you?” (taken from the 2004 Red Sox). More below. I had an extremely
Tony Hsieh
I never met Tony Hsieh (pronounced “shay”). But we were in an investment together decades ago, before there was a Zappos, before he was famous, and during the Dot-Com Bubble. When I was working on an investment (Ask Jeeves, which went IPO), I saw “Venture Frogs” listed on the cap table. I asked Rob Wrubel,
Conquering Fear
I’ve long thought that the two most powerful human emotions are these: fear and greed. You see it in everyday life, in the news, on social media, and in ourselves. I write this because I have been reading students’ reflections on fear. We organized the class into small groups and each discussed this: “If fear
Angel Investment: Finmark
We’re happy to announce that our family angel program (back 80+ entrepreneurs over eight years and donate all gains to charity; details here) has invested in Finmark. It is our 18th investment so far (portfolio here). Co-Founders Rami Essaid and Greg Lissy are experienced and very thoughtful. I met Greg through the The Reflective Leader
Winter Is a Time for Rest
I had “slept in” until 5:30 am. There was no rush to get to the river by dawn, as the temps were low and I didn’t want to deal with icy trails in the dark. When I arrived at a favorite pull out, I was the only car there. When I got to the river
Short but Sweet
It was a great Sunday! I had gone to Mass on Saturday so that I could fish on Sunday. I drove five hours to fish for four. It was a chilly 29 °F at dawn. I fortunately landed a really good fish that was just under 19″. I pursued a high-risk, high-reward strategy of throwing