I've never been a traditional anything. In every position I've held — small company, big company, public, private, domestic, international — I've always been interested in the ability of the business to execute its strategy. How do companies align their marketing, financial, operational and human capital strategies to the overall business strategy? How do companies create cultures that build and sustain competitive advantage? I've seen first-hand the impact of a company's conscious decision to develop its culture. A strong culture guides performance and delivers differentiated results.

When we meet with entrepreneurs, we’re interested in a wide range of factors that contribute to the potential of the venture. What will it take to move from the idea to a plan to execution to a great business? How do the business ideas and the skills of the entrepreneurial team align with what we bring to the table? Capital is one thing, but as important – maybe more – is the street-smarts of our team. We’ve been through start-ups, we’ve run businesses, we’ve navigated exits. That experience lets us challenge an entrepreneur to leave the room with a much bigger vision than he or she had coming in.

At the end of the day, the interesting questions are about what drives this business, and what change this business will drive. We get excited about ideas that promise revolutionary change, but we’re not a benevolent order. We are making substantial investments and we're committed to working very closely with our business partners to build lasting value.