Phin Barnes @phineasb Twitter profile

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Phin Barnes

5 days

NEWS: $300M raised for @thegp Fund II. I'm so happy to build with @dan_portillo & our incredible team. Grateful to our exceptional founders & committed LPs. If you’re an experienced builder, let's run it back! Thanks @danprimack and @axios for the story

The General Partnership, a VC firm focused on "sweat equity," raises $300 million for second fund

Venture capital rarely tinkers with its core model, despite investing in innovation.

www.axios.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

@Raptors You seem lost and it's not even the 3rd quarter yet...

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

context on the scale of @amazon prime (h/t @joshk )

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

I believe @stripe is worth at least 10x @coinbase .

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

1/ Today, I am sharing that I've made the difficult choice to leave First Round to build again. -

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

1/Personal news: After stepping away from @firstround 18 months ago, I’m ecstatic to be joining @danportillo and the whole team from @sweatequityventures to redefine partnership in VC – building The General Partnership. Check @thegp for more on what we’re building and who we are.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Last few weeks I have learned WFH is ok...it's the parenting from where you work that's brutal.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 months

Lots going on. Most importantly, @carriebarnes415 is in the final week of her campaign to get San Francisco back on track. She's focused on the key issues and has common sense policy ideas that will make the city work for everyone: Public safety - fully staffed + accountable

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

1/ After I left @firstround , I wanted to discover the opportunity to build again. That’s why I’m excited to finally share how @dan_portillo and I are building a new form of venture partnership @TheGP .

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

1/ Back in Feb. 2018 we launched an experiment called Angel Track, with the goal of lowering the barrier to entry in angel investing. Thanks to @JoshConstine for telling the story of what we’ve been building today in @TechCrunch .

The IPO'd learn investing at First Round's Angel Track | TechCrunch

Startups depend on the angel lifecycle. A few flush post-exit individuals put the first cash into a fresh venture. With some skill and plenty of luck, the

techcrunch.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

Over the last year+ I have partnered with close to 20 founders as an angel and 10+ VC funds as an LP. I’ve learned a ton in the process and gained a whole new perspective on how GPs compete and how founders think about allocating space on their cap tables.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Pro tip: if you are going to do something worthy of congratulatory gifts, have friends with taste...keeping these crispy until post-COVID

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

10 months

Some lessons from being in the room where it happens: 1. Invest because of the one thing that could go right not the 100 things that could go wrong ( @Uber ) 2. When you really believe, ignore rules about ownership/price and lock in the allocation you are offered ( @Square ) 3. The

Harry Stebbings

@HarryStebbings

10 months

$117.6BN in market cap generated by just two investments. First Round Capital Fund II ($125M) with @joshk @btrenchard @robhayes @chrisfralic @phineasb invested in the seed rounds of: Uber ($100BN Market Cap) Square ($33.35BN Market Cap) Roblox ($17.6BN Market Cap)

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

“I don’t know what your future is, but if you are willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that’s ultimately proven to have more victory, more glory, then you will not regret it.” - Chadwick Boseman

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Get used to hearing this voice - I think @KamalaHarris will be at the podium for the next 12 years.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

I just published Are you my next Chief of Staff?

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

No matter how famous you are, you can’t “anchor” or “lead” a round unless you are investing 50%+ of the total.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

“Your dreams defeat the darkness of your doubt.” - Etta B.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Thank you for an incredible decade and look forward to the support and collaboration to come!

First Round

@firstround

4 years

Today @phineasb announced some bittersweet news. As @joshk shares below, Phin has made an incredible impact on the @firstround community, team and brand over the past 12 years. We're excited to keep him in the fold as a Board Partner, and are looking forward to what he does next.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

Never forget who LITERALLY stood by as he did this shit.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

Love this. Focus on Technique and results will follow. Focus on results and they never come. via ⁦ @nytopinion ⁩

Opinion | What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness (Published 2019)

Lesson No. 1: It’s not about how fast you can go.

www.nytimes.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

I just published “My New Calendar System”

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

1/if you are a partner at a VC firm read this: and reflect on your recent discussions of investment opportunities

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

If you think your company has created less than 1% of the total value you will contribute to the world, I am ready to talk. Label the round whatever you want.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

VC win: “If I had known how long it would take when we started, I don’t think I would have signed up for it. But now that we’re here, I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead. Thanks for your support, and taking a gamble on us when we had little more than a few slides.”

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

I knew SoMa had startups, but didn’t realize it was a hub for media companies too…Nice digs @andrewchen @pmarca et al…

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 months

The team @theGP is still focused on building an incredible portfolio in fund I - BUT so much conversation in VCtwitter about fundraising - and for good reason - it's gotten way harder for everyone. I was in NYC last week speaking @Wharton VC/PE event and learned why🧵👇

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

SIP or not - some days just call for a fresh pair

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

“Slide decks of product mock ups are the biggest waste of time - it’s like putting up a recipe and asking if the food tastes good.”

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

I think of SPAC sponsors as late stage solo-capitalists. I see unbundling of “the firm” happening at both ends of the private markets. cc @scottbelsky

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

"Money gives you runway. It doesn’t buy the ability to execute." - @asanwal

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

Afternoon reading partner…

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

1/ When I first met @ivanhzhao in a coffee shop in the mission he described a world where the perfect tool for any creative effort was within easy reach. This was early 2013.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

If you are in a position of power, just remember that the future is watching you, right now.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Avoid the soul sucking vacuum of only seeing your slides as you present to a group - join with 2 computers - present the slides from one, engage with your audience in gallery mode on the other.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

The @firstround Review team has been quietly working on a project that officially launches today: the very first Essentials book. Whether it sits on your desk or your desktop, this handy, beautifully packaged volume of advice is a must-have for managers.

How to be a Good Manager: First Round's Book of Advice from Experienced Leaders

Today we're releasing our first-ever book, rounding up the best management advice we've shared over the years.

review.firstround.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

At what point does @twitter have a responsibility to humanity to turn off Trump’s account? (Inciting nuclear war has to be a TOS violation)

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

More news from @TheGP ... I’m grateful to officially welcome @bencmejla to TheGP as a leader on our investment team. Ben will focus on building new partnerships with founders, angel investors & technology builders across our network. More about him here:

Meet Ben Cmejla | The General Partnership

Ben loves to discover how and why things work the way they do — whether he’s learning about a new startup, unpacking a complex market, or trying to fix his car’s A/C from YouTube videos. He brings...

www.thegp.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

I just published Self-confidence is the foundation of focus — to get more done, take time for yourself.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

4/ I look forward to sharing more details on my net chapter as an investor in the coming months and, in the meantime, DMs are open for threads on sneakers, hip hop and hoops.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

Awesome to see @taliagold announced as the newest partner at Bessemer Venture Partners – and another @dormroomfund alum doing so very well #drf4life

Talia Goldberg just became the newest partner at Bessemer Venture Partners | TechCrunch

Talia Goldberg didn't know what venture capital was, growing up around professionals in the medical field whose favorite dinner-time game was to describe

techcrunch.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

To my Muslim brothers and sisters in America and Islamic people around the world, I am sorry. You deserve better. We all do.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

a quick thought for elementary school music teachers: maybe, in this wild fire scorched time of pandemic induced school from home, sending each of your students a recorder and the audio assault of hot cross buns is marginally unfair to the parents in your community?

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Great advice: “admire talent but cherish character”

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Angel investors want to know how to discover the best pre-seed investment opportunities in their network. I recommend this simple first step - you'll be amazed at what you learn:

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

Opening dorm room fund to every student in the country... “Pitch Remotely: We’re Now Accepting Applications Around the Country” by @DormRoomFund

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

First dinner out in awhile - breaking open some pandemic purchases for the first time.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

I guess the days of private tech being under capitalized are over...Officials said banks should be able to invest more of their own money in venture funds since they are already allowed to invest directly in startups

U.S. Regulators Propose Removing Limit on Banks’ Ownership of Venture Capital Funds

U.S. regulators led by the Federal Reserve on Thursday proposed removing a 3% limit on the stakes that banks can own in venture capital funds, the latest step in easing the postcrisis regulations...

www.wsj.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

20 days

Everytime I walk past this building im reminded of what ⁦ @robhayes ⁩ and ⁦ @kentgoldman ⁩ built in the early days of ⁦ @firstround ⁩ - thanks guys - still grateful/lucky to have earned my seat at your table

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

2/ Today we’re announcing the close of @theGP $240M fund to add capital to our services-for-equity model. @Alexkonrad wrote a great story about what we’re up to:

With $240 Million Fund, The General Partnership Looks To Revamp Value-Added VC For Founders

Venture investors Dan Portillo and Phin Barnes see TheGP's $240 million fund as the missing pillar in what they call a different model for supporting entrepreneurs.

www.forbes.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

“I am so excited...I finally get to live in America!” - my 9 year old daughter on her happiness over the Biden-Harris Victory

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

A friend sent me a picture of heaven.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

So this is Christmas…

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

Honored to play a small part in the @Clover_Health story so far - incredible to see the positive impact on members and caregivers and can’t wait to see what’s next.

Josh Kopelman

@joshk

3 years

Congrats to @VivekGaripalli , @andrewtoy and the entire @Clover_Health team on hitting this milestone! And thanks to @phineasb for spearheading @firstround 's decision to invest...

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

Congrats on joining and can't wait to see all you accomplish at @firstround

Meka Asonye

@BigMekaStyle

3 years

1/ PUMPED to finally announce that I've officially joined @firstround as a Partner. I couldn't have imagined this when I joined their Angel Track program a few years ago, but now I'm on the team that's laser focused on helping Day 1 founders.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Company culture is so hard to get right, so easy to under invest in and could not be more critical to success.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

Sneakers are the OG non-fungible token

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

@FastCompany I wish you wrote “How to decide if you should GO to a pitch meeting” Founders - if you believe your wedding ring will influence the investment decision - GHOST THE MEETING. It’s not worth your time.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

“People May say you are not right, but if it’s something you really believe in, you are not wrong” - Etta B.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

My partner @dan_portillo and I got to spend some time with @alexrkonrad to talk about what we are building with the team @thegp - thanks to @rserna2010 and @phaedrael for your partnership and comments!

Alex Konrad

@alexrkonrad

2 years

News: The General Partnership, the VC firm founded by investors Phin Barnes and Dan Portillo, has raised a $240M first fund. Originally called Sweat Equity, the firm has traded services for equity in a twist on "value-add." Now it will offer cash, too.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

2/ A huge thank you to @joshk and the entire @firstround team. I am grateful for the opportunity to have played on the team building and serving the strongest community of entrepreneurs.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 months

Just finished 48 doors for @carriebarnes415 and the @SFDemsForChange slate - spoke to 63 voters - 23 had voted, many “👍 for change” and for those yet to vote got Carrie another 8 votes. Doing the work for her so she can do the work for us all!

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

just got an email asking if I was interested in a "post-seed" round - makes me even more sure that I am just an early stage investor - forget the seed labels - F&F/pre/post/mango/extension/dash 1/Stacked SAFEs/early A...

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

Congrats to Gul and the whole ⁦ @airlift_tech ⁩ team on the financing and new partners ⁦ @HarryStebbings ⁩ and ⁦ @joshbuckley . Forever grateful to ⁦ @aatif_awan ⁩ and ⁦ @bencmejla ⁩ for connecting me with this team in the early days.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

3 years

Amazing! You see this same thing in all the @ycombinator demo day pitches with charts that go up and to the right

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

9 years

Stop worrying about competition. For startups, self-inflicted wounds are way more deadly than combat.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

I’m excited to announce that I'm a Trainer for @foundergym Cohort 3! I’ll be talking about how investors really think and what factors they prioritize when making investment decisions. Application Deadline is May 20th. Learn more at #foundergym

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

The effort some people spend to maintain perception (rather than improve reality) is astonishing...and ultimately wasted effort.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

9 years

Growth is not a hack - so can we please stop saying Growth Hacker? http://t.co/zes9Dxjcy8

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

I was never really an inbox zero guy pre-COVID...however, COVID has turned me into a sink zero guy for sure. (Cc ⁦ @jessicraige ⁩)

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

If you think a career in startups is for you, there is no better experience than this: “Dorm Room Fund is looking for the next cohort of investment partners” by @DormRoomFund

Join the Dorm Room Fund Team in 2018

Applications are open for 2018! We’re looking for the best innovators, founders, and investors still in school.

dormroomfund.medium.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 months

1/ Across private funds there are about 14,000 folks in market right now seeking over $3T. LPs have appetite for less than $1T. Result - lots of disappointed GPs😭

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

8 years

This year I am Thankful for My Freedom of Choice. Next year I hope to be thankful for the choices of others.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

Love working with the amazing team @DormRoomFund . Read more here - First Round Capital’s Eyes and Ears on College Campuses via @theinformation

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

8 years

my man @joshk is a marketing GENIUS!

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

8 years

Welcome to @firstround

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

How I missed this - I don’t know - congrats @lymusing and @garrytan and the whole @Initialized team. Announcing Abdul Ly as our fourth principal

Announcing Abdul Ly as our fourth principal

Abdul Ly is the fourth principal to join Initialized and the third member of our investment team to join through our open search recruitment process in just ten months.

blog.initialized.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

Landed at SFO to the best of America.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

@JoshConstine @TechCrunch 2/ We've brought 80 founders and operators through the program in 5 cohorts, 3 in SF and 2 in NY. Across the sessions, we've been fortunate to have world-class investors leading sessions like @eladgil , @janamal , @KatieS , @jess , @npilosof , @Alfred_Lin , @annimaniac and many others.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

Sunset shadow casting ⁦ @upfrontvc ⁩ - nice place ⁦⁦ @msuster ⁩ ⁦ @karanortman ⁩ and ⁦ @gregbettinelli ⁩ get to call “the office”

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 years

4/Thanks to everyone else who supported me along the way, pushed back on my assumptions, elevated my thinking and encouraged me to take this leap. @elise215 , you saw it way before I did and you were right – so here we go.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

Excited about this. New programs like these are a chance to build stronger communities in our industry—we’d love your help to make sure it is as inclusive as possible. Know of any amazing co-founders in roles other than the CEO and CTO? Send them our way.

First Round

@firstround

5 years

There's still time to get your application in for Co-Founder Forum! We're looking for SF-based co-founders (in roles other than the CEO and CTO) who are eager to increase their impact and learn from others in their same, unique position. Apply by 3/29:

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

Thank you @MrStartup for the guidance on this piece of our recruiting strategy. We hope this resonates with folks and that we get to meet incredible people from outside our existing networks through this process.

First Round

@firstround

4 years

Some news to share from the @firstround partnership: We recently began the search for an additional partner, and have decided to open up the role so that anyone can apply. Learn more about what we're looking for and how you can get in touch here:

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

10 years

To all the @Harvard and @MIT students at the Charles hotel for the @BCG interviews: you can do better. I'll be back at 9 to talk Startups

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

Headed east for @DormRoomFund #ALLDRF weekend and can’t wait to spend time with the best community of entrepreneurial students in the country.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

Nice piece on our friends @helloangels "These angel investors want to bring women into startups early—and get them equity"

These angel investors want to bring women into startups early—and get them equity

The #Angels collective wants to help women get a bigger piece of Silicon Valley's startup action.

www.cnbc.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

6 years

A good perspective on “Why (and how) We’re Growing the ⁦ @firstround ⁩ Team in New York” from my partner ⁦ @hayleybay ⁩. Can’t wait to see what ⁦ @LaFilleMouen ⁩ and ⁦ @cm_brown90 ⁩ create in NYC

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

Read @MikeIsaac thread on @coinbase and consumer psychology as primary driver of price - something I have been thinking for awhile, but he said it so h/t to Mike. I am not a chart pattern investor, but these three look the same to me...consumer psychology > fundamentals...?

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

8 years

Raising your arm and yelling "taxi" is sort of like having an AOL email account, right?

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

2 months

5/ LPs are also recognizing the erosion of returns driven by the institutionalization of the VC asset class. If multiples are similar to mid-market PE but the hold times are 2-3x longer, why bother with scaled VC? ⏱️

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

1/ A new library of fantastic interview questions on @firstround Review today from folks like @Max , @joulee , @LauraBehrensWu and @cjc .

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

27 days

Great to be back in NYC with old friends from @usv and @BoxGroup for a sunset hang with @thegp

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

I just published “I’m sorry, I can’t”

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

4 years

3/ The world is uncertain, but I know the founders who trusted me to bring out their best will continue to guide me, the lessons I learned @firstround will continue to serve me, and the friendships I formed in Philly, New York, and San Francisco will make it fun.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

8 years

@joshk to learn more on the art of the pick read @natsturner @zachweinberg nail it (I can intro you if you want ;)

90% of Feedback is Crap: How to Find the Next Big Startup Idea

Flatiron Health Co-founder Nat Turner on the process he uses to distill, pitch and iterate on new ideas.

review.firstround.com

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

Advisors can be really good or really bad. It can be hard to tell how the relationship will evolve and change over time - but it is certain that it will evolve and change.

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

7 years

CEO opens board meeting "I am going to skip through the first section of the deck because I sent it ahead and didn't get any questions" me:

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

9 years

defining success in my VC career based on what I have left to do: 100 chances to dent the universe http://t.co/4mpae4tzQF

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Phin Barnes

@phineasb

5 years

The very best mentors/coaches support discovery of your unique contribution to your company and put you in a position to maximize your impact. The @firstround Review gathered advice on how to be a career-changing mentor and you can read it here:

Deliver Career-Changing Mentorship with 25 Tips from the Best Mentors We Know

Powerful “aha” mentorship moments can change the course of careers. But while every mentor has experience and wisdom in spades, it’s not always immediately clear how to most effectively share it....

review.firstround.com

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