July 29, 2025
My career in Venture Capital started about 8 years ago. I went to Chicago Booth with the specific aim of getting a job in VC, and I did more recruiting and sourcing for firms than class work. My classmates actually joked that I was really a student at Kellogg. I'm very lucky that all the work led to a summer internship with Bonfire Ventures, even luckier that it led to an opportunity to join full time.
For me, Bonfire was, and still is, more than an opportunity to learn how to be a great investor from Mark, Jim and Brett. It's an opportunity to learn how to do this strange VC thing the right way: Be kind. Be respectful. Be thoughtful. Be curious. Be helpful. Be focused. Do what you say you're going to do. Each of Bonfire’s GPs has shaped how I approach this work in distinct ways.
Mark has taught me the power of saying more by saying less—the art of listening and asking a few really meaningful questions that cut to the core of a conversation. He used this skill with remarkable effectiveness when I tried to negotiate my initial compensation coming out of B School.
Jim's line of questioning and how he prosecutes an opportunity, especially when peeling back different verticals, is something I constantly try to borrow and make my own. Founders always seem to walk away from conversations with Jim feeling they have learned something new about their business.
Brett has shown me how to find my own version of his founder UX—figuring out how to repurpose my experience as an operator to be helpful as an investor. His ability to lovingly but firmly challenge founders is an elusive art.
My hope is that some of this shines through with the founders I am so lucky to meet, from intro call to term sheet to Series A and beyond.
My style has always gone hand in hand with an awareness that I am not the most technical or a brilliant AI mind, but I will work my ass off to be present, prepared, and engaged, and I will hustle tirelessly alongside you to help you succeed.
I have lived a lot of life with the Bonfire crew. COVID. Losing my dad. Becoming a dad. The reality is this team feels a lot like family and I feel super lucky to have them in my life.
Fellow investors who have shared time with me talking about life, family, and occasionally business - I really appreciate you. You make the day-to-day of this job enriching and fulfilling.
Founders with whom I’ve gotten to work closely or who have chosen me to join them on the journey of their life's work - it's such an honor. Nick and Shannon at Topline Pro. Jerry and Doug at Supio. Andrew and Jason at KeySavvy. Nick at Alvys. The Boulder Boyz Craig, Jay and Mike at Suite. Alex, Brandon and Griffin at Flowpath. Anthony and Toby at 1Fort. Andrew at ChangeEngine. Danny at Blueprint. Aaron at Telgorithm. And others I cannot name but am excited to announce very soon! It's so cool learning alongside you and getting to know you not just as builders, but as friends, parents, and partners navigating a strange world.
Bonfire Team - I really love working with you and can't overstate how much I learn from each of you week in and week out.
This job is such a blessing and I'm incredibly humbled by this opportunity.
At Bonfire Ventures we are laser focused on leading Seed rounds for teams building B2B software.
Personally, I am spending most of my time on vertical market software, overlooked and oftentimes “sneaky big” industries, and large legacy industries that can be attacked from a different angle with AI. I’m also fascinated by the future of fintech, financial services, money movement / payments and the back office.
The founders that catch my eye are students of their industries. They learn the incentives and rules of a market so they can harness and break them. They love the customer—but they’re fearless in their capacity to challenge them. They are obsessed with big problems first and foremost and can evolve their vision for how technology can best solve them. Much like my 4.5 year old twins, they are always asking why. They don't surrender to conventional wisdom. Instead they find the cheat codes, and then they turn those into weapons of scale.
If this sounds like you, I’d love to meet you.
