Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: Greenspring Associates Launches a Venture Capital Blog
We proudly announce the launch of the Greenspring blog through this inaugural post. Since this is our first post, we thought we’d take the time to introduce our firm and the principles for which we stand.
Just like any company, Greenspring has spent a lot of time discussing the values that make us who we are. During these discussions, we always arrive in the same place: our reason for being is to forge deep relationships built on trust. We’re grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to partner with some of the most talented fund managers and entrepreneurs in the technology sector over the last 17 years. Since we invest in three distinct sectors—established and emerging VC fund managers; expansion-stage venture-backed companies; and secondary investments in VC funds and companies—our network is wide, yet each relationship is deep. We highly value the relationships we’ve built with our managers, investors, and entrepreneurs.
Especially in a business that’s focused on the long-term like ours, we know that trust is not gained overnight, rather it’s earned over time through action. Our goal is to be much more than a passive source of capital and instead be trusted partners who help companies grow and thrive over the long term. How exactly do we act as active partners? Here are a few examples.
Within our direct investment practice, if we can facilitate a financing round that allows a manager to invest more in a promising company, we create deeper alignment with that manager. We strive to deliver a highly-efficient investment process, allowing management teams to keep their attention on operations and not get sidelined by fundraising. As a strategic partner, we also regularly make introductions for our portfolio companies and our managers’ portfolio companies that lead to meaningful clients. Regardless of the initiative, building and strengthening relationships guides our every decision.
In keeping with our values, we’ve created this blog to build relationships in another way: to share our perspective on what’s shaping the venture industry. Unlike many of our peers, we don’t invest across multiple areas of private equity; we focus only on venture. Yet we’re not based in Silicon Valley, giving us a unique perspective on the technology sector “from the outside in”—and we’re always happy to consider funding companies based outside of Silicon Valley. Nor do we take the popular VC approach of siloing our investment team into distinct vertical focus areas; instead, we all invest together across sectors. While these choices may have once defied conventional wisdom in the venture industry, we’ve achieved success with our against-the-current model. How do we define success? Innovative, long-lasting companies that deliver value for founders, investors, customers, and shareholders.
We believe these differences provide Greenspring with a unique vantage point from which to comment on the venture market. We hope to use our blog to write about interesting technology and venture trends with a unique perspective not found elsewhere.
We’re privileged to be a meaningful participant in the innovation economy, and we’re humbled every day by the incredible progress the managers, investors, and entrepreneurs we work with have achieved in building world-class companies. We constantly learn new things and love what we do! In upcoming posts, we hope to deliver thoughtful content that gives back to all who have helped us along the way, while also providing new insights to those now blazing the future of the innovation economy. We look forward to your comments on our upcoming posts.
The content here is for informational purposes only and should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice. It does NOT constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase any investment or a recommendation to buy or sell a security. In fact, the content is not directed to any investor or potential investor and may not be used to evaluate or make any investment.
