Banh Mi Equity

August in the Valley always turns out to be an introspective month for me. Things slow down, people leave town, and my wife’s work is also a bit slower before kids come back to campus. This year is no different, as I’m in another transition. I have some fun and also much-needed personal items to tend to this month, and I will also take the time to reflect, recharge, and rediscover what makes me most passionate about work. Three years ago this week, I got my real start in the startup world in the Bay Area. People often just assume it all came together neatly — they see that I wrote for TechCrunch or tweet a lot and assume it was just always like that, or that I know what I’m talking about. Not true. If anything, I’m learning it all as I go along, trying to play catch up with everyone around me.

Three years ago this week, my friend Joel made an off-hand remark that I should just join his company — with the caveat that he couldn’t pay me. Jeez, Joel, thanks for the offer, buddy! Yet, at that time, after nearly 11 months of trying to crack into startups, I thought about the offer and realized — I don’t have a better choice. I emailed Joel. I think he was surprised. He replied, paraphrased: “Well, I can’t pay you, but you’ll get plenty of equity and I’ll buy you Banh Mi sandwiches every day you’re here.” Sold! Since then, Rexly somehow was acquired by Live Nation Labs, I went to Votizen (which wasn’t a great fit) and that was acquired by Causes, and Causes was just acquired by Brigade (these are all Sean Parker companies), and then I was lucky to get my first break in VC and joined Javelin Venture Partners for six months as an executive-in-residence where I began to focus on mobile technology and the iOS platform, after which I started working as a formal consultant for a small handful of companies that were designing and launching apps, and then eventually increased my involvement with Swell, where I became an employee until recently. Along the way, I was fortunate to work as a formal consultant to a variety of venture capital firms (and still do) — like General Catalyst, Trinity Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, GGV Capital, DFJ, and Bullpen Capital, among others — and to have the support of everyone I worked with to explore my interests in mobile and investing simultaneously — and to friends and mentors who helped me channel my energy into the creation of a new fund.

All the while, I have met and worked with great people whom I call friends and mentors. Just like startups fight like hell to become “ramen profitable,” looking back on my three short years in the technology startup vortex that is the San Francisco Bay Area, you could say I worked for “Banh Mi equity.” Most of the equity listed above and the subsequent events have been largely ceremonial. It’s been a fun ride to be on, surrounded with the smartest people in the world. And, here I am again, in the dead heat of August, late twilights that stretch longer, at the same desk, typing away, trying to reset, and wondering what the next Banh Mi equity package will look like. I’m in a good spot, but there’s a long way to go, and excited to let life unfold and see what presents itself.