The Reboot podcast showcases the heart and soul, the wins and losses, the ups and downs of startup leadership. On the show, Entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and Startup Leaders discuss with Jerry Colonna the emotional and psychological challenges they face daily as leaders.
Episode 32 // February 4, 2016
VC’s Bryce Roberts of OATV and Indie.vc, and Chris Marks of Blue Note Ventures both found the standard issue of the VC world was not a fit for them. They both sought out to set a new path, one that aligned with who they are and what they value. In a conversation with Jerry, and each other, they explore the challenges on their journey, and the potential opportunities they have to better connect with entrepreneurs through those challenges. This conversation may leave you asking yourself:
In my own work, what are my values? What are my priorities? What would it mean to invest in being myself?
Top Quotes:
“We invest in great technology companies and serve entrepreneurs committed to authentic leadership.” – Chris Marks
“The idea is to model a relationship and an authentic set of values for the entrepreneurs they work with, and the entrepreneurial community in general.” – Chris Marks
“I wasn’t that excited about doing just another venture fund.” – Chris Marks
“The VC business doesn’t really reward people publicly for thinking differently.” – Bryce Roberts
“The people who have really had an impact on the venture business over the last several decades are people who took a leap, broke a mold, and tried a different approach.” – Bryce Roberts
“The incentives in the VC business is to keep doing stuff that has been working, and to dissuade you from trying to do anything different.” – Bryce Roberts
“In a lot of ways, I was playing somebody else’s game.” – Bryce Roberts
“I wasn’t sure I was making the biggest contribution I could make while trying to wear someone else’s blue shirt and khaki’s.” – Bryce Roberts
“The different I chose to be was to be me.” – Bryce Roberts
“Good things happen the more I embrace who I am and let that reflect in my work.” – Bryce Roberts
“If you get on the VC track it’s a very narrow path that you get to follow.” – Bryce Roberts
“The encouragement is to build a long-term durable business, and not to focus on how to get to the next fundable milestone.” – Bryce Roberts
“Breaking from the mold is hard to do in the VC industry.” – Chris Marks
“Does what we are saying even matter?” – Bryce Roberts
“I’m a firm believer that if you stay true to who you are and interact with entrepreneurs in a way that comes from your heart, that message gets out there.” – Chris Marks
“There is a phenomenon of us pretending to be someone we are not.” – Jerry Colonna
“A lot of us walk around wondering who the fuck they are They walk around pretending to be someone else for so long that they are disconnected from who they truly are.” – Jerry Colonna
“The first thing you need to do is take care of your own internal insecurities.” – Jerry Colonna
“I have observed that board members ask too few questions, and make too many statements.” – Jerry Colonna
“Peace begins with me.” – Jerry Colonna
“There is no pattern matching. The truth is invented every single time in every single investment.” – Jerry Colonna
“The worst thing a CEO can do is use the organization to manage their unresolved issues.” – Jerry Colonna
