Partner @BessemerVP Growth 👨🏽💻 Values 1st @render @doppelhq @hyperscienceai @hingehealth @forterglobal @implydata @canva @netlify @aimlab @coactiveAI
Brooklyn, NY
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Over the moon (literally) to announced that we @BessemerVP co-led the $450M series C in @ExplorationTEC - the largest funding round for a European space company! Hélène Huby & the TEC team are shaping the global Space economy.
My first time investing in rocket science! 🚀 LFG
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Happy 1-year IPO Anniversary to @danperez610 & the entire team @HingeHealth 🥳 $HNGE
Its been AMAZING to watch the company set the pace of AI innovation this yr while serving our Members better than ever b4
Here’s to keeping our customers 1st and helping them put MSK pain last!
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6+ years into the @BessemerVP partnership with @canva and I’m blown away by how @MelanieCanva & team continue to set the pace of innovation for Design. Canva AI is now used by more than 265 million MAUs, generating $4B+ of ARR. Deepening strategic relationships with @AnthropicAI + @OpenAI along with a rapidly growing Enterprise business that touts 95% of the Fortune500 as customers only further bolsters the outlook from here!
But most importantly, Im proud to call Mel a friend. She is undoubtedly one of the most inspirational Founder/CEOs of our generation. Congrats on a mind bending #CanvaCreate 2026
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My 3rd @OneRSAC in a row where Agent Security + IAM are the talk of the town. But 48% of CISOs say Agentic AI is the most acute and fastest growing attack vector in 2026+
The Cyber team @bessemervp share our latest on all things Securing AI Agents 🤖
📖 bvp.com/atlas/securing-ai-ag…
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In the VC biz we live for wildly ambitious + product/customer obsessed Founders like @anuraggoel who lead startups that embody their DNA 🧬
We partnered w/ @render in ‘23 on this basis & they’ve built the best offering in a HUGE market for AI builders. CONGRATS from @BessemerVP
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This year marked the 10th Annual @cloud100 @BessemerVP where we celebrated the graduates, leaders, and newcomers who are defining the AI era of Cloud ☁️
And shoutout to Jensen @nvidia & my dear friend & Partner @bdeeter who held a phenomenal fireside over a 🥃 A special pair 🙌🏽
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Congrats @VCForward on its 5th Anniversary 🎂 having pushed Forward the VC industry already. This marks the end of my 4-yr Board term
Working w/ our CEO @nighthaque & the @nvca team has been a dream. Career high point to have served alongside our n of 1 Chairwoman @KateDMitchell
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CONGRATS to @HingeHealth on the IPO today 🙌🏽 This post is for the Founders who never give up, don’t lose fath, and just keep building 😤
Ive learned a ton from @danperez610 as a Founder/CEO, Visionary and as a Friend. The $HNGE journey from @BessemerVP Investment Memo to IPO 🚀
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Kicking off RSA today with our friends @AWSstartups to walk through all things Agentic AI. It’s been incredible to see how Cyber startups have adapted in real time to the new attack vectors being supercharged by AI/ML. Excited to be partnered with the best Founders and CISOs!
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Ive been in SF for less than 24 hours and have somehow seen @nbt twice already ☺️ Once at Southpark Blue Bottle (bcuz of course) and again today at our @TechCrunch Disrupt panel with @daynagrayson
Every time im back in the Bay I realize just how much I miss these special humans 🖤
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We @BessemerVP launched STRIVE to provide Founders resources to maintain Peak Performance & Wellness
Sleep + Training + Regimen + Intake + Vision + Emotional Health w/ @TeamEXOS
I flew to AZ to go through the program myself. It was transformational! 📖 bit.ly/3YLq9aE
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There’s so many things I enjoy about serving multiple boards together with @martin_casado. He’s smart, experienced, and a deep thinker. With all that said, my favorite part is his communal uber eats order from @tacobell Thank you for keeping the board room spicy!
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The AI landscape is evolving with each passing day. Its dynamic as hell so we went ahead & published the @BessemerVP Digital Book for the AI Revolution!
📖 “Everything, Everywhere, All AI”
AI Roadmaps + Insights + BVPs AI Strategy (*now*)
Get your copy👉🏼bvp.com/everything-everywher…
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Just published our NEW Data + AI infrastructure Roadmap! Areas Im focused on 🔎
Novel Architectures & Specialized Foundation Models + Next Gen Observability + DataOps 2.0 + Model Development, Deployment, Training, Scaling, Inference + Orchestration
Read: bvp.com/atlas/roadmap-ai-inf…
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Melanie Perkins @canva will go down as one of the top 25 tech CEOs. But she’s already become one of the most important/impactful tech Founders of all time. Im really proud to be an investor but Im 100x more proud to call @MelanieCanva a friend 🖤 Canva Create LA was INCREDIBLE!!!
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I’m hosting a Founders & Funders event in Brooklyn for #NyTechWeek 6pm June 3rd @ The Refinery at Domino with some of my NYC fav VC homies @alpacavc @DormRoomFund @CorrelationVC @BBGVentures @PsymedVentures @wearespringbank
Register lu.ma/6opm2kli 🖤 BK
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20 years ago today, I crossed the Burning Sands into the greatest Brotherhood on planet earth,🤘🏽Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. @pbs_1914 GOMAB
Long Live 8 V.I.B.E 🕊️+ B.O.P.E. 🌙+ G.W.S. 🚑 “Negotiator” #4 Fall ‘03 - Nasty Chi Chapter @Morehouse Love my Line Brothers
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13/ Here @BessemerVP we’re lucky to be hands on partners with Startups navigating volatile markets. These 7 Lessons can help align your team to execute in concert despite the myriad of daily challenges
s/o to everyone adapting + chopping wood day after day! It’ll get better soon
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11/ Rule of 40 profile will impact funding prospects. Earlier stage Founders should track Cash Conversion Score & Burn to Net New ARR ratios to examine operating leverage
R40 influenced private companies as well. In the same period the @BessemerVP Cloud 100 pivoted to efficiency
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10/ Lesson 6: Index on Margin Quality, Not Growth at all Costs
In the previous cycle, SaaS startups focused on top-line growth and the market rewarded them. However, from June ’22 to Sep ’23 SaaS companies have pivoted to efficiency
Companies w/ a Rule of 40+ get a 1.7x premium
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5/ In volatile times, customers lean into what we call “Incumbency bias”: sticking w/ existing vendors vs. new suppliers
Expansion durability is a more reliable growth driver. Existing Customer Base drives more growth than New Logo Acquisition
Customer Success = Company Success
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4/ We also found that your business model matters when choosing how to deploy your GTM resources
From ’21 to ’23 the decline in growth rate for Subscription-based SaaS companies was impacted more slowly than Consumption-based models
Contract & Pricing model impact growth rates
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3/ In the boom times of ’19 ’20 and ’21, NDR (Net Dollar Retention) was booming for leading companies: hovering around 115%+ into the 130s, 40s and 50s+
Tracking SaaS company data for ’22 into ’23 NDR is now 112% for the Average SaaS company and 118% for top quartile performers
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2/ Lesson 1: Leverage Expansion as a Durable Growth Driver
GTM teams have had to overcome the sales “Double Whammy” of more challenging 1) new customer acquisition AND 2) existing customer expansion
CAC Payback moved from 30 months to 40mos from ’22 to ’23 for EMCLOUD companies
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Startups have faced more challenges in the past 4yrs than in the last 14. Amazing to see Founders + Teams both survive & thrive
With my colleague @nextbigteng we delve into the 7 Lessons for SaaS Founders/Startups navigating volatile markets👇🏼
📖 bvp.com/atlas/seven-sa…
🧵1/
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With the very best of Data Infrastructure Founders last night at the @BessemerVP x @Forbes @cloud100 gala
Still blows my mind that I get to work for and learn from @codyaustun + @willg_ai @CoactiveAI and @devarispbrown @meroxadata everyday!
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Happenning NOW at the @BessemerVP x @Forbes x @SalesforceVC Cloud100 Gala where we celebrate the best 100 Cloud Software companies on the planet 🌍 ☁️
Shouts my guys @alexrkonrad & @alighodsi @databricks for a riveting fireside on all things AI and Data Infrastructure🔥
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Heading back to the A to speak at the @A3C Conference tomorrow. Excited to catch up with some of my favorite Founders and Funders down south
Look, as a proud kid from Virginia, if you put me on the same lineup as @Timbaland Im on straight go mode!!!
RIP Magoo 🙏🏽🕊️
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So much ENERGY for the 2023 State of the Cloud presentation @SaaStrAnnual from @mcadonofrio @NextBigTeng & @Caty_Rea today 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Its such a privilege to work on behalf of SaaS Founder’s each year and share our Learnings + Insights with the broader Cloud Industry 🙌🏽
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The living legeng @JohnChinaJPM simply does not get enough flowers. When I moved to Toronto in 2013 he was the first person to take me out & plug me into his VC network. He’s been a superb mentor and friend. So dope to kick it for @Drake at Chase Center 10 years later! 🌺
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Fridays with Founders >>>
Just walking out of the @BessemerVP SF office after an AWESOME @CoactiveAI meeting with @codyaustun (this pic is 2 weeks ago def not BVP)
Truth be told Im on vacation but Cody called me at 330pm saying he needed me in the office at 4pm so here we are!
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9/ My dad is now retired in Clayton, NC. He spends most of his time playing golf, walking, smoking fish & bbq, (*REAL BBQ* North Carolina vinegar based pulled pork) reading books on blackjack card counting, and doing huge puzzles in his office
These pics are from July 4th ‘23 🖤
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8/ There’s so much to take away from these photos. The style and pride taken in how he represented himself, his family, school, church and our community
He went on to achieve at Vandy, meet my mother, start, scale and sell an enterprise software company and lead/build a family
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7/ Thanks @olderaleigh for sharing the story of my father, Henry Robinson and his journey from Raleigh. #BlackHistory
My Grandfather: Horace Roosevelt Robinson
Grandmother: Nannie Belle Farrar
Uncle: Horace Robinson Jr.
Aunt: Ernestine Robinson
Dad (Middle): Henry Robinson
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6/ This trunk was a gift from his church, money raised from the congregation. Later he was the treasurer of Heritage Fellowship Church established in Reston VA
@HeritageReston was the 1st Black church in my hometown. We were raised to be a God Fearing men whose steps are ordered
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5/ From @olderaleigh - Henry F. Robinson is seen in front of his home at 204 Heck Street as he prepares to leave for his freshman year at Vanderbilt University, 1 September 1965.
My dad was VERY proud of his hometown of Raleigh, Heck Street, and the broader Black community
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4/ It wasn't until 1964 that Vanderbilt admitted its first class of Black undergraduates--they numbered less than ten. Robinson attended Ligon High School and was admitted to Vanderbilt in the fall of 1965, graduating in 1969
Many of his classmates became my Godfathers & Uncles
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3/ The first Black student admitted to Vanderbilt was Joseph A. Johnson Jr. in 1953, but this was an exception. He was even classified as a "special student," the same way women were classified before many universities became coed
A few Vandy books reference the special students
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2/ My dad was a graduate of Ligon High School in Raleigh, NC. He earned the highest SAT (College Entrance Exam back then) score in his class and was offered a full scholarship $10,600 to attend Vanderbilt University. His class of students were the first to integrate @VanderbiltU
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This photograph of my Father, Henry Robinson was taken in 1965 in his hometown of Raleigh, NC. It went viral over the weekend, shared more than 4 thousand times. So I feel compelled to tell the story behind the photos & his road from Ligon High to integrating @VanderbiltU 🧵1/
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The @SpillMob trending #5 on the bird app!LOVE to see it 🖤 s/o @Phonz @ReignOfApril @kenyatparham and the entire #SPILL team + community. Goin up for the Culture
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Twice a year, the LA Venture community lets a boring Bay Area enterprise software VC in thru the back door to do some cool sh*t. @MarlonCNichols & @msuster are the plug 🔌
Loving the 2023 @MaCVentureCap AGM + CultureHouse LA 🏠
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2 inspiring days with the best VCs I know, training with the best professional athletes and trainers on the planet @EXOSsports
Thank you @KelvinBeachumJr + @ryannece for pushing us past our limits mentally & physically. Greatness is a Team sport 💪🏽
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Can Confirm: The new @BessemerVP London office & team is spectacular! Make sure to swing by and connect with @alexferrara @nidmarti @JustinaChung and @KiranAroki 🇬🇧
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Thanks to the @Columbia_Biz Venture Capital club for making @BessemerVP one of your key stops during the Spring VC Trek!
@NextBigTeng @spdholakia and I had the chance to talk all things global Startups, Venture and AI + learn from these future leaders. Proud CBS ‘12 Alum!
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Driving efficient growth is a team sport. It starts at the top with the Founder/CEO but it certainly take a Village!
To be honest, I pinch myself everyday that Im reminded I get to work with and learn from @spdholakia Its unfair 😊
A must read for all Startups!
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This week @codyaustun & @willg_ai co-Founders @CoactiveAI shared their collective story
Meeting as CS freshmen @MIT + reconnecting after their PhDs to build @CoactiveAI, the HUGE market oppty, why unstructured visual data is hard, and the tech that makes @CoactiveAI so special!
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Back in 2017, while pursuing his PhD in Computer Science @Stanford, @codyaustun walked the @TEDx audience through his life’s journey. Its truly one of the most inspirational stories that I’ve ever heard in my entire life!
Digging Deeper: How a Few Extra Moments Can Change Lives
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Unreal how few ppl in tech know who @codyaustun is. Cody’s three CS degrees @MIT (BS 4.9 + MS 5.0) & @Stanford (PhD 4.0) are perhaps the LEAST remarkable part
Born in a NJ prison, his journey to become co-Founder & CEO of @CoactiveAI should be known by EVERYONE in our ecosystem!
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Investor Day here in Sydney was amazing! The company & culture that @MelanieCanva @cliffobrecht @themaninblue @damien_singh along with the entire @canva team have built is truly 1 of 1
Only a few hours left until the unwrapping of all the new product gifts 🎁#CanvaCreate2023
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I boarded my 16hr flight to Sydney, Australia Monday night at 11pm and of course the wifi never worked (because Im stuck in a 15+ year abusive relationship with @United smh)
But I knew that the @CoactiveAI funding announcement would drop before I landed so I dressed appropriately! PUMPED to be the smallest part of the team @CoactiveAI CONGRATS 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
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Thanks to the @NBA Equity Venture Capital team for hosting an incredible weekend with Founders, Funders, Family, and Fun. What a legendary crew!
Salt Lake City… a TIME was had 😮💨
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2023 marks the 100th year since the first Black student (a Black woman of course!) matriculated through the MBA program @Columbia_Biz & the 50th anniversary of the @ColumbiaBBSA
The 100/50 celebration honors the lasting impact of our community at CBS & the history yet to be made
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My journey as a Black VC is rooted in my father's story as a Black enterprise software Founder. It was defined @Morehouse and furthered @Columbia_Biz. Highlights from my fireside w/ the Dean of CBS
We are the Cultural Adds that will rewrite VC history
Happy #BlackHistoryMonth
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Happy Founders’ Day to the Bruhs @pbs_1914
109 years of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service 🤘🏽🕊️💙
Shoutout to the @MorehouseSigmas and my beloved Chi Chapter brothers 🏠
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Im honored to be interviewed by Costis Maglaras, Dean of @Columbia_Biz on Monday Jan. 9 for a 1-on-1 fireside chat 6pm in SF at the de Young Fine Arts Museum
Join us as we discuss VC, Startups, Tech & the important role that DEI play in its future
RSVP: lnkd.in/gm9c-YnC
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