"For start-up founders nothing is stable. Everything falls apart at once. It’s a really hard, really lonely job. As a VC, I aim to be an additional steady hand on the wheel - not steering or driving, but to help keep the car on the road during rough patches of pavement."
I have spent my entire career in and around B2B software, and have now been a VC for about 25 years. In 2005 I founded and served as Managing Partner at Rincon Venture Partners, one of the very first seed funds in Southern California. After a string of successful co-investments with Mark Mullen, we joined forces and co-founded Bonfire Ventures to lead seed stage financings exclusively in B2B software.
I began my VC career in the Bay Area in 1999, leading software investing for a $250M expansion-stage fund. Now I finally feel like I’ve shed the imposter syndrome and actually know what I’m doing. I love the job, and I think that comes through in my interactions with founders. I try to bring a service and servant orientation to all interactions, and my best moments (sounds cheesy but it’s true) are when I know that I’ve helped a founder or team in a way that no one else would have.
My wife Courtney and I, along with our teen-age twin daughters, spend as much time as we can in nature: camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, etc.
"Jim isn’t the kind of VC who just shows up for board meetings—he’s the one who’ll sit with you at 11 p.m., crafting a pitch when everything’s on the line. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, but that’s why you want him in the room—his honesty and relentless support have shaped the direction of our business in ways I didn’t expect.
MNTN (IPO), Burstly (acquired by Apple), Cadforce (acquired by Neilsoft), Comparably (acquired by ZoomInfo), Connexity (acquired by Taboola), DataPop (acquired by Criteo), Divshot (acquired by Google), ElephantDrive (acquired by Jungledisk), Gradient X (acquired by SingTel), HAAWK (acquired by SESAC Music Group), HG Insights (acquired by Riverwood), JazzHR (acquired by Jobvite), MNTN (IPO), Packet Island (acquired by BroadSoft), Rentlytics (acquired by Realpage), Respondly (acquired by Buffer), Silversheet (acquired by AMN Healthcare), SimpleLegal (acquired by Onit), TaxJar (acquired by Stripe), Tradesy (acquired by Vestiare Collective), Vintra (acquired by Alarm.com), Zingle (acquired by Medailla)
.webp)