Sand Hill

I took the last couple days off from writing as I was at an event in Palo Alto called the Innovation Field Trip. It was hosted by a fellow startup and Secfi partner, Allocate. The event was largely a way for people not in the startup/tech ecosystem to meet VCs and learn about what’s getting built here.

Despite living in the area and being part of the ecosystem, I was incredibly impressed by how well the event was run. We met a lot of top tier venture capitalists both who are running solo shops as well as those working for some of the biggest names. Huge shout out to the Allocate team for putting it on.

I seldom make it down to the Menlo/Palo Alto area. Growing up and living in San Francisco, I never really saw the allure of visiting the “legendary” Sand Hill road much. My trips down there are for football games when UW plays Stanford.

This time around felt a bit different for what I believe to be a couple of reasons.

I believe my change of perception comes from the fact that I’ve been working a startup the last 5 years and have come to appreciate the companies being built. Startups are incredibly hard and there is a level of appreciation I now have for those that endured the long journey of building a successful company.

Secondly, I’ve come to terms that all VCs are not built the same. I’ve had somewhere between an irritation and disdain for a lot of VCs out there - both ones that I have met and ones that I haven’t. Some have treated me like shit. Some are just annoying as shit on Twitter. I also blame some for helping cause of the issues we’re facing right now.

After meeting over 10 different managers between the 2 days, I’ve realized that most of these top tier VCs also share that same disdain for a lot of these same VCs. They acknowledge that the industry has gotten out of control and will need to be reeled back. Some had harsh words for those “VC tourists” and even called out quite a few.

I do have a new appreciation for the industry after the trip. Most of these funds are built more like startups than they are actual just investment funds. It was really awesome meeting and learning about each firm and how they differentiate.

Once I get my head above water and get a chance to put my notes together, I’ll write more about some of the key takeaways. For now, back to work getting to inbox zero.