Last Friday was my last day with a team and a company I called home for the past 18 months. My brain’s been conditioned to expect a team sync every Monday and that every Wednesday is deep work Wednesday, but also a good time to catch up with my teammates. I’m going to miss these moments and more as I embark on a new chapter. To say the last 18 months were a rollercoaster would be an understatement, but I wouldn’t have traded a second for anything else. To see our community of the world’s most helpful investors grow from angels to syndicate leads to fund managers and LPs has been my absolute honor and pleasure. Today and every day forward, I’m thrilled to see where On Deck goes next as it continues to be the pillar behind talented and ambitious founders from the day they decide they want to change the world.
Needless to say, I’ve taken away many lessons over the past year and change. Among many investing lessons, a lucky seven of which have greatly changed the way I work. Changing up the pace here, this is also going to be my first blogpost where there is more audio than there is text.
1. Loom is my best friend
Shoutout to Andrew Rea for building a new habit in my life.
2. Don’t over-engineer
Hats off to Julian Weisser for reminding me to keep it scrappy.
3. Take breaks
A big thank you to Sam Huleatt, Vivian Meng and Soumya Tejam for reminders that we need to take one step back to take two leaps forward.
4. Check in on your team’s psyche weekly.
Another piece of Andrew Rea wisdom.
5. Don’t hold back your punches.
Cheers to Ari Gootnick for the joys of not holding back.
6. A strike is better than a spare.
Appreciate Sam Huleatt for showing me that quality matters more than quantity at times.
7. Question everything
Cheers to Shiva Singh Sangwan for relentlessly challenging the norms.
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Any views expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone. They are not a representation of values held by On Deck, DECODE, or any other entity I am or have been associated with. They are for informational and entertainment purposes only. None of this is legal, investment, business, or tax advice. Please do your own diligence before investing in startups and consult your own adviser before making any investments.
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