Excited to announce that I have taken on a new role as General Partner at Rittenhouse Ventures! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to use my 20+ years of investing, operating, and advisory experience to continue supporting emerging growth companies.
While a new platform for me, the strategy is almost identical to what I have pursued my entire career: invest in real businesses run by good people, deploy the right amount of capital at the right time, and invest in a way that aligns everyone involved. It is a simple, clear, and effective approach that has worked for me during booms, busts, and all the valleys in-between.
The people part of this equation is equally important to me, and I’m energized by the opportunity to work with this team. Saul Richter and I have known each other for more than a decade, and half of that time was probably us trying to figure out how to get into business together. We see eye-to-eye on most things in investing and in life, although his misguided dedication to a Microsoft/Android ecosystem was almost a deal breaker. (It’s ok Saul, we will eventually help you see the light…)
Sushma Rajagopalan is a global tech CEO with a wealth of experience in scaling companies and operations that perfectly complements our investing backgrounds. And Steve Holstad is unique as a CFO in his understanding of the intricacies of running both venture capital firms and the companies the invest in.
I’m thrilled as well to be able to build a business here in the Greater Philadelphia region and continue to support entrepreneurship in our local ecosystem. Although consistently supplied with a wealth of great entrepreneurs, our region has yet to scale up its corresponding growth capital base. While Rittenhouse isn’t exclusively focused here, our location in the heart of Philly means we have some of the best and brightest in the country right at our doorstep. I’m expecting we will find lots of opportunity to fill that capital gap and propel our local startups to the next level.
I’ve been a part of growing dozens of companies over the last several decades, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited to build a business as I am right now. Looking forward to what’s next!