Brian focuses on the integration of hardware and software, as well as new forms of data capture and processing. Brian specializes in mobility investing, with an interest in everything that touches logistics and the transportation of people and goods.
After a stint in investment banking, I was accepted to a fellowship program called Venture for America which helps to place individuals into emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems. Through the fellowship, I landed a job at Fontinalis Partners, a Detroit-based venture capital firm founded by Bill Ford. There, I focused on the future of mobility and autonomous vehicles. I was fortunate to witness some of the extremely impactful technologies being built in the space (e.g., modern sensors, continued shift to the cloud, and improvements across AI/ML). Following the exprience, I teamed up with my partner to start Story Ventures, a NYC-based pre-seed / seed venture firm focused on the modern data stack: everything from creation of data, to organization, to applications built on top of data.
Team: We focus on product obsession, communication ability (over-index here), and domain expertise. Market: We focus on the "why now" as it pertains to data. Often this is due to a structural shift in technology (e.g., lowering cost of sensors) or a regulatory shift (e.g., open data standards).
We are a hyper-concentrated seed fund (an average of 12 investments per fund). As a result, we work very closely with founders across go-to-market strategy, legal structuring, hiring support (specifically around in-interview vetting), and all the intangibles that come with being an extension of the founding team. Following the Series A, when the company has established product-market fit, our relationship shifts into an as-needed advisory capacity.
Our ideal founding team exudes a level of preparation, communication skills, and ability to build, combined with a broader vision of what the business can become. Winning = focus on the short-term while being guided by the long-term. Also, come with a data-first mentality -- we believe the largest businesses will be built on the backs of significant data feedback loops.
This is my twitter bio at the moment so I guess it will suffice :): Life happens. I want to help make it happen better.
We believe technology is having an immense impact on our world, both positive and negative. Our goal is to find founders looking to leverage the benefits of technology and pair them with the network and resources we have to provide, to create a positive impact.
NYC has historically been a business city, built on the successes of finance, law, consulting, real estate, etc. These professions stress the importance of hard work and business logic. With technology becoming more pervasive, what has us most excited is the fact that the NYC ecosystem is able to marry advancements in technology with business execution. Our belief is that this combined skillset will result in hyper-efficient, successful new business ventures.
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