Four years ago, I had my heart set on a career in publishing. As a voracious storyteller with a love for languages, I saw publishing as my best option for leveraging my passions into a career. So, one of the first internships I took in college was with a VC newsletter called The Buzz (now Storied). I was stoked to find a role where I could write amazing stories about business (a space I always admired but never explored).
What was supposed to be my gateway into the world of publishing turned into my introduction to the world of tech and VC. I immediately fell in love with the space. Every semester since then, I've worked at a different startup as an undergraduate, operating in product, design, marketing, and leadership roles across industries like edtech and CPG. I learned that storytelling, which I considered a weakness in tech, actually has outsized impact for early-stage entrepreneurs who spend every waking moment thinking about storytelling (i.e. GTM, branding, competitive positioning...).
With this knowledge, I launched and scaled my first (failed) company, dormops, to bring Gen Z marketing to local businesses across the US. While the company tanked, I learned an incredible amount about who I am and want to be:
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I love working with early-stage entrepreneurs. There's nothing more addicting than helping founders validate ideas, meet early users, and define product roadmaps, messaging, and strategy. I am deeply passionate about supporting founders, especially diverse and underrepresented founders, as early as possible in their journeys.
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I love leveraging storytelling in business. Storytelling has a place in tech whether you believe it or not. In fact, storytelling will be the greatest skill of the 21st century (imho). Rise up, creatives!
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I love working with students. I am a lifelong learner and someone who's constantly felt underestimated his whole life. I'm determined to give back to other students like me by helping them leverage learning as powerful enablers for careers in tech and VC. Check out my work with Dorm Room Fund and Dipper as an example!
Now, I'm spending my time doing all three at General Catalyst and Rough Draft Ventures. I couldn't be luckier and happier to be joining an amazing team of investors, operators, and builders. There's so much work to be done, and so little time. Let's grind 🤙🏽
Are you interested in breaking into tech/VC? Want to pitch your company? Hit me up.