David Martirano

Origin Story: In a couple sentences, how would you describe your path to becoming an investor?

My path to becoming an investor started while working on Wall Street and as a member of the Investment Banking Group at Cowen & Company.  Shortly after my time working within investment banking I co-founded Rex Capital Ventures, which was a venture division of a family office that invested in early stage technology companies around the world.  My interest and passion for venture capital grew from my time at Rex Capital & led me to partnering with Gina Raimondo (who was looking to start her own fund at the time) and together we founded Point Judith Capital in 2001, which we rebranded to PJC in 2011.  Now, 20 years later we have invested in over 100 companies across North America and are on our fifth fund.
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Investment Approach: What are the key factors you consider when evaluating a founding team?

It’s all about the team. We look for: Compelling founder/market fit - what about this person or group makes them uniquely positioned to execute the company’s vision?  Storytellers - do they sell their vision and share information in a memorable, authentic way? Overall good people - ethical, hardworking, self-aware? We’re in this together for the long haul, so we need to trust and like each other
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What's your style and approach when it comes to working with founders post-investment? What are the characteristics of founders you've worked well with?

We have an authentic style. We believe the founder is in charge, and when they need us, that our place is there in the weeds, shoulder-to-shoulder with them. We work well with founders who are bold and creative thinkers, have grit, know their numbers and are team players.
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If I'm coming to pitch to you or your firm, what's the one piece of advice you'd give me?

Have a strong, clear vision. I need to understand, if everything goes right, how big your vision can be.
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How would you describe your own personal mission and values, and how do they impact the way you invest?

My personal mission has always been to drive positive change and work alongside founders who are building amazing companies to help drive these changes.  Our tagline at PJC is “empowering founders to create the future” and we are focused on that mission by partnering with founders from all backgrounds who are not afraid to disrupt the status quo.  We look to build relationships early on and support founders through their entire journey.  Trust, teamwork and hard work are core values that I’ve always tried to emulate and hope that our firm delivers on through the partnerships we build.  We look to always be mindful of the investments we make and look to support minorities and female founders that will be core to influencing positive changes for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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What do you like best about investing in NYC, and what’s your outlook on the future of NYC tech?

I’m a New Yorker - I grew up there. I love the energy and talent in New York City, and we send many of the companies we pre-seed to NY to grow. We are working on setting up an office in NYC, post-COVID.