New Beginnings.... kind of

As many of you know by now, after nearly 5 years with MassChallenge I exited my role at the end of the year to refocus on creating value for economies and for founders. As I launch into new adventures, I am filled with gratitude and reflections from my journey at MassChallenge. My work, which centered around launching accelerators and fostering startup ecosystems, was more than just "my work”, it was a voyage through innovation creation, commercialization, community engagement, and deep personal growth.

I have to express my deepest appreciation to the incredible community that made this journey possible. The success we shared at MassChallenge was fueled by a vibrant network of volunteers, mentors, partners, and supporters. Your relentless dedication, insightful contributions, and unwavering belief in our mission was instrumental at every turn (and there were many). There are far too many people to name individually here but if we have had a conversation at any time over the past 5 years, there is a good chance that I’m talking to you. Your commitment and passion have left an indelible mark on me and the startup ecosystem. Thank you for being the rock our success was built on.

And so, it’s time for a new adventure, one with 4 distinct yet interconnected facets, all of which are a natural progression of the lessons learned through a decade of experience building innovation economies by applying and extending the principles I’ll be writing more about shortly.??

First I’m excited to share the work we have been doing through Anthropy Partners , an early-stage venture fund solving for human potential applications. We are exploring the intersections of defense, space, and sports to unearth innovations that significantly enhance the human condition. These advancements affect the hardware of the human (physicality) and / or the software of the human (cognition). This dual focus is a direct response to the need for holistic solutions to complex human challenges.

Through many years in startup ecosystems I have been fortunate to be surrounded by and learn from some really incredible people like Guillermo Borda, Blair Garrou , Mike Millard , Bill Powell and so many other seasoned investors who reinforced key insights that I observed in working directly with founders. Notably, that capital is the single most powerful tool to create life changing innovations AND that capital alone is not enough. Access to talent and the broader innovation economy are more important than ever as the challenge of innovation is harder than it has been in the past. In this light, my partners and I have taken on the hard but necessary work of forming support systems that create short and long term value to our network and our investors through the Anthropy Constructive.?

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The Anthropy Constructive was formed to support the fabric of the innovation economy. It is a unique for-profit and non-profit model that acts as a multidisciplinary agency to bridge the gaps in innovation economies. It represents the culmination of experiences in connecting global startups with diverse industries and regional strengths. The Constructive works with corporations, governments, economic development groups, universities and others to build robust and differentiated innovation economies. There is a sharp focus on identifying and leveraging an organization's, or region's unique and differentiated capabilities and then leveraging those capabilities through aligning incentives to increase the escape velocity of innovations seeking scale.?

Equally important to the need for a highly functioning ecosystem, is the need for access to high quality talent. Through our Venture Partners network at Anthropy, we are leveraging a group of highly accomplished and highly effective individuals that serve as fractional talent for startups and scaleups, both in and out of the Anthropy portfolio. These are doers, not just advisors. They offer a range of specific and broad support to fast growing companies no matter what their needs are, from an hour-to-hour to year-to-year basis.

All three elements of Anthropy - the Fund, the Constructive and the Network - enable the success of each other and work in harmony to support the identification, development and scaling of innovation across the commercialization spectrum.

Equally as exciting as my work at Anthropy, I am thrilled to be teaching at Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship (WCE) within the University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business . The course I’m teaching emphasizes business model validation through revenue generation, shifting the mindset that revenue is not just a financial metric or the ultimate goal but rather the key leading indicator for getting an innovation to the masses. Drawing from the principles of Ash Maurya “Lean Mastery” and my training as a LEANSTACK coach, among other sources, the course will guide students in understanding the importance of lean methodology in validating business ideas and strategies.?

Having a front row seat to innovation and commercialization through Anthropy, I am excited to leverage those real-time learnings to inspire the next generation of innovators at the nations #1 ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship program.??

I am so blessed that these new ventures are not fresh starts; they are continuations and expansions of a journey deeply rooted in understanding and fostering innovation.?

As I charge ahead, I carry forward a vision of innovation that transcends traditional boundaries, driven by the desire to make a meaningful impact on the human condition and the global innovation landscape. And…. I need your help.?

Every aspect of this journey is built on community. So whether it’s lending your perspective to the next generation of entrepreneurs through my class at UH, joining us in Anthropy as an investor or advisor, becoming a member of the Collective or partnering with the Constructive to build innovation economies of the future, this mission is meaningful and I can’t wait to keep building with this community. Drop me a message if you want to connect or learn more.?

And THANK YOU!!