Jared Franklin: Why I joined Costanoa

I recently joined the Costanoa investment team as a Vice President to focus on fintech and crypto thanks to luck, hard work, Twitter, and Slack! The journey unknowingly began in January of 2021 when our partner Amy Cheetham DM’d me on the Finnovation fintech Slack workspace about product roles in the portfolio. Although I ended up at BlockFi instead of a Costanoa company, she was one of the first VCs I reached out to when I started thinking about a career switch. I eventually sent her a DM on Twitter, which led to a phone call, several meetings, interviews with others on the team, and and ultimately to a Costanoa fellowship. I joined full-time several months later. 

It’s never easy stepping outside of your comfort zone. When in doubt, score the team. Joining Costanoa turned from a question mark to something I had to do, as I spent more time with John Cowgill, Greg Sands, and the rest of the team.

During my 15 years in product management, I got to work across the entire startup lifecycle. My most cherished experience was the early years at Blispay, building something from nothing with the most capable people in my network. Costanoa feels like those early days at Blispay:

• The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Most of the team has direct startup experience. Everyone is driven with seemingly endless energy to help each other and our portfolio companies.
• Just like the best startups, Costanoa has a relentless focus on iteration and learning, driven by curiosity and a desire to improve. The team frequently evolves processes to ensure everyone has what they need to be successful. This held true in the team’s thoughtful approach to adding crypto and web3 as a core investment sector.
• There’s strong mutual respect among everyone at the firm. 
• Our high conviction strategy results in sustainability and top performance. Our low failure rate makes us a strong fund for investors, stable for team members and, most important, a great partner for founders.