July 29, 2025
I didn't grow up thinking I would be an investor. Venture capital and the startup ecosystem felt a world away from my hometown of Rochester, New York. After finishing my studies at Duke, I assumed I'd follow many of my peers into consulting, but through a series of unexpected turns, I found myself working alongside early-stage technologists and I was quickly hooked. That early exposure helped me realize how motivating the people within the startup community can be.
I won't walk you through every stop on my resume (LinkedIn has you covered!), but each experience deepened my fascination with the people building the future. Over the past three years in venture, I've met thousands of founders, and what's become clear is that my inspiration and energy always come from the people. That's what makes the work fulfilling for me.
As I explored the next step in my investing career, I kept coming back to one question:
“Who are the people I'd be excited to spend the next decade building alongside?” It won’t surprise anyone who’s met the Bonfire team that the people stood out immediately.
Throughout each of my interactions with the team, I always walked away thinking how well-rounded everyone was. Smart, attentive, curious, good-natured, meticulous, and ambitious. Everyone’s actions reflected a deep commitment to culture and to building a long-standing, top-performing seed firm. Like that first “aha” moment I had when working with early-stage technologists at the beginning of my career, I felt that spark again with the team at Bonfire.
I also quickly felt aligned with Bonfire’s approach to investing, too. The team is conviction-driven, high signal, and deeply hands-on with founders. We want to show up, do the work, and help companies reach their potential, not just when it’s easy, but when it’s messy, uncertain, and high stakes. We are all invigorated by the generational opportunity AI presents, and how it can be applied across every industry. As seed investors, it can be easy to fall into the trap of hype, though Bonfire and I remain steadfast to our investment approach of being consistent, thoughtful, and all-in. It’s the clarity of purpose, and commitment to doing the hard work, that made joining Bonfire an easy decision.
As we launch our fourth fund, a $245M vehicle, I know a few things to be true. I’m more committed than ever to working with founders at the earliest, most formative stages, and to showing up with curiosity, care, conviction, and hard work when it matters most. I’m joining a team that leads with intention, invests with discipline, and knows that lasting companies are built on trust, alignment, and real partnership.
If you are a founder, operator, AI engineer, investor, or just want to connect, please do reach out. I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead.
