In the summer of 1996, Toby, Simon and I went hiking in Yosemite. We set out as the sun rose over the Sierras, and ended the day on the summit of North Dome, camped out under the stars. This was the first journey that we embarked upon together. It wasn't the last. In the winter of 2013, we decided that the time was right to begin another journey. No camping this time - we set out on the road to raise Mosaic's first fund.
Soon after Yosemite, I fell in love with technology investing, and have been fortunate to work with some phenomenal entrepreneurs from the very start of their journeys, including Riccardo, Sebastian and Thomas at King, Javier and James at eDreams, Rob at Fizzback, Bill, Simon and Bruno at The Foundry, Ulf and Kevin at Seal Software, Phil and Mike at Moogsoft, Andrew and PJ at Illumio. Supporting ambitious, talented, passionate, always opinionated and often eccentric founders through the ups and downs of the startup journey is the most rewarding role I have found in my professional life.
Fast forward to now. In the three and a half years since Simon, Toby and I co-founded Mosaic, we have collectively thrived in doing the work we love. We have backed 17 exciting founding teams, who together have created over 1,200 new jobs, and are well on the way to fulfilling their global ambitions. We have recruited 10 incredibly talented team members to the firm, and cut the ribbon on our new office. Throughout the journey, we have remained thankful for the strong support we all receive from both sides of the Atlantic.
It's been an eventful time for me - over the last twelve months, I have realised that my 'true north' is a streamlined professional life. Therefore I will be embarking on a new leg of my journey. I love investing in great entrepreneurs - so I am going to keep doing exactly that, autonomously as a solo investor, devoting all of my working time to the entrepreneurs who I work with, and the companies they build. Great venture investors we know well have made this choice, and continue to make an impact.
In keeping with the culture of transparency we have fostered at Mosaic, I have been open with Toby and Simon and in turn, our investors (Limited Partners), about this decision. I am glad that my partners, the Mosaic team, and my family have all understood - and, moreover, supported - the choice that I've made.
It is not often that you get the opportunity to start a business, partnering with two old friends. I am still thrilled that Simon, Toby and I got to do that, and I am thankful to them for all of the brilliant times that we had together at Mosaic. It goes without saying, this is not the end of my journey with the firm. I will stay on my Mosaic boards, and will be available as an advisor for Mosaic portfolio companies, present and future. I also plan to invest in future Mosaic funds, and to remain close to the firm. When an ambitious entrepreneur is raising their Series A, Mosaic should be top of their list.
I am proud of what we have achieved together: we co-founded a next-generation VC firm to serve the best early stage founders in Europe; we sourced, sponsored and supported some exciting investments. On a personal level, I have really enjoyed being a confidant and mentor to our brilliant younger colleagues, and hopefully added to the team's warmth and good humour in the process. Recent recognition by Forbes has been nice too.
I am grateful to every single person who has been part of the Mosaic journey thus far, both inside and outside the firm. I look forward to working with many of you in the years to come and, of course, to continuing my involvement with Mosaic, but in a new and different way. That's why I have used the word 'we' in this post: I am, and always will be, Team Mosaic.
