My typical Wednesday schedule is pretty grueling (by choice, to try and free up other days of the week) as I do between 9–10 back to back 45 minute meetings with K9 portfolio companies. I have a 45 minute break for lunch. As I sit here eating my apple and peanuts, I realized that today, April 17th, 2019, is the 10 year anniversary for K9 Ventures.

I had this date marked on my calendar, but with just getting from one day to the next, going from one task to another, from one fire to the next, it’s almost something I had forgotten. Years ago, I had figured that when K9 turns 10, I’ll host a big party to invite all the people who have helped along the way and celebrate. But there is always something that is more pressing for each day to where I never quite got around to planning that. Maybe sometime later this year 🙂

In the interim, I just figured I would take the few minutes I have in between meetings to at least acknowledge that today is K9 Ventures’ 10th birthday. In the past ten years, I’ve had the honor and the pleasure of working with some amazing founders. No matter what the outcome for a company, the journey of getting there is always tough and one that changes the lives of many people along the way. I’m grateful to those founders for allowing me to join them for the ride and to try, in a tiny way, to help and contribute towards making their vision of the future a reality.

Everything we do ultimately comes down to people. In startups and in the business of venture capital, that is probably even more so. I’ve had the honor of working with some amazing people and that’s what makes doing what I am lucky to do so rewarding. We’ve pitched, built, brainstormed, argued, had epiphanies and revelations (about business and technology), sometimes even fought and cried together in these journeys.

A startup is the most efficient agent of change. It is often the most efficient way people, time, and, money can come together to make massive change in the lives of all humans. My objective in being both a founder (which I continue to do with companies like CardMunch, Carta, and now HiHello) and an investor is to make a dent in the world by changing the ways in which we live and work. Looking ahead, I hope that current and future companies that I get to be involved with can have that level of massive impact.

So before I get down to my next office hours meeting with a K9 portfolio company, I just wanted to take a few moments to say thank you to everyone: founders, LPs, other investors, friends, family, and dogs — every one who is a #FriendOfK9 for everything you’ve done to help me and K9 over the last 10 years. Here’s looking ahead to the next 20!