Brad Feld, Marathon Runner To Managing Director

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On a recent episode of Zing Talk, Benzinga had the chance to interview Brad Feld, managing director of the Boulder, Colorado-based venture capital firm Foundry Group. Foundry Group is focused on making investments in early stage IT, Internet, and startups. Brad has founded multiple other VC firms such as Mobius Venture Capital and Techstars, to name a few. Brad is what some may call a serial venture capitalist, having helped countless successful companies get on their feet. His most recent venture with Foundry Group is focused on a specific set of themes; human computer interaction, glue, protocol, distribution, and digital life. We asked Brad why he had launched all of the firms separately rather than integrating them into one company, Brad responded, “different partners, different strategy.” Like most successful companies, Brad seems to view teamwork as priceless. When asked what the number one thing he looked for when evaluating an idea, he responded, “Team. We only invest in themes that we know well, so most of our exploratory energy is around the people.” Not only does Brad provide crucial funding, but he joins the board with a single philosophy: “I do whatever the entrepreneurs and CEOs want me to do to help them win. This varies a lot by company.” And this attitude extends outside of the office as well. On top of his investing efforts, Brad is an active member of several non-profit organizations, including being the chairman of the National Center for Women & Information. But to say that Brad simply stays active is a mighty understatement in many ways. He is an avid runner and dreams of running a marathon in every state and on every continent. These are lofty goals that will require a lot of dedication and hard work, but they appear to be just an extension of the drive and passion exhibited in his business pursuits. “All I care about when I'm looking at a company is the product,” he said in an interview with Mixergy.com. “I'm obsessed with the product.” And why wouldn't he be, since the product is what the customer is going to be fixated on as well. The customer needs to know what they are buying, and how the product is going to help them and make their lives easier. If you take a look at any successful company, the CEO is almost always “obsessed” with the product. A good example is Steve Jobs at Apple
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. A few times a year Apple holds an event where it introduces the latest innovations to the public. Each time, Steve Jobs continues to leave people in awe. Apple's profits are the proof, as the company continues to surpass expectations. Brad also has ideas on where the human-computer interaction is headed in the near future. The way people communicate with each other continues to evolve as innovators are always pushing the limits of technology. “The idea that we'll use a mouse and keyboard to interact with computers in 20 years is silly,” He said. Many of the companies he's invested in revolve around the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) theme, and he expects to see others soon. He added, “While today it's a device, in 20 years it'll be something we swallow.” Brad tells it as it is, and he won't beat around the bush when he's giving his opinion. A recent blog post of Brad's describes how he could care less when people claim something is “dead” – whether it is email, the web, etc. “According to this meme, email has been dead for a long time,” He said. “I think we are on the edge of radically rethinking our communication patterns as humans. Teleportation isn't here quite yet but we are finally only a few years away from ubiquitous video conferencing.”
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Posted In: EntrepreneurshipTopicsTechMediaGeneralBrad FeldFoundry GroupMixergySteve Jobs
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