I invest in early-stage (pre-seed and seed) technology companies, mainly in the USA and Canada, occasionally Europe. I expect to make 4-8 investments a year out of this syndicate.
About Me
I'm a successful founder, experienced investor, and skilled technologist. I'm the co-founder and chief data officer of Quandl, a venture-backed Canadian tech startup that was acquired by NASDAQ in a substantial exit. I was previously a senior portfolio manager at Simplex, one of Asia’s oldest and largest hedge funds. (More about me here.)
What I Invest In
My focus is B2B tech and software, with an emphasis on defensible SaaS, the ML-AI-Data (MAD) stack, and markets/networks. These are all areas I know well, both as an investor and as a practitioner. I've invested in over 30 startups directly as an angel; I'm also an LP in 4 early-stage VC funds and a number of syndicates.
How I Invest
I look for founders of character, leading fast-growing companies with compounding structural advantages, solving important problems using genuine technology, in large markets with strong macro tailwinds, that are underappreciated by other investors.
I believe that consensus decisions lead to mediocre outcomes; outlier rewards come from taking well-calibrated risks that have large asymmetric payoffs. I have a unique combination of skills and experience that enable me to identify amazing startups early: judgement as a founder, rigour as an investor, and expertise as a technologist.
I evaluate 300-500 companies every year, and invest in fewer than 10. About half of this dealflow is inbound, based on my online presence (newsletter; data expertise; media coverage); and half is warm intros from the many networks I belong to (tech ecosystem; IIT alumni; VCs, HFs, angels and operators; portfolio connections).
And More
Check out my portfolio statistics (including historical performance), my portfolio companies, and testimonials from the founders I work with. These are all from my personal angel investing; my syndicate investing will be an extension of that.
