Alex Nichols

New technologies contain the potential energy to reshape entire industries. Harnessing it takes rare founders who see what a technology makes possible and translate that possibility into a product that permanently raises the baseline for its industry.

I look for founders who have earned an insight others have overlooked. They think from first principles, learn and act with unusual speed, are obsessed with craftsmanship, and know their business down to the smallest detail without losing sight of the future they intend to build. Their ambition borders on irrational.

I am especially drawn to companies that get better as they grow: each customer, transaction, or cycle of learning makes the product more useful and the business stronger.

My dad started several businesses while I was growing up. Watching him gave me an early view of the highs, lows, pressure, and sheer force of will it takes to build something new and a deep respect for the people willing to do it. That experience shapes how I work with founders: do the homework, be direct and reliable, and care deeply about both the company and the person building it.

I have the privilege of working with and learning from the exceptional teams at Stripe, Waymo, Whatnot, Base Power, Duolingo, Tebi, and Odoo.

I live in San Francisco with my wife and our oversized dog. Outside of work, I’m usually cycling up a hill or skiing down one, cooking something, reading history, or playing jazz and blues piano with more enthusiasm than skill.