Open Listeners
Fund: Okapi Venture Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-11-26
Marc Averitt (didn't meet Sharon) is an open listener. When I was pitching my company and business concept to him, he did not jump to conclusions or outright dismiss anything I was saying preferring instead to just absorb whatever I wanted to tell him.
In this regard, it is difficult to guage what he might be thinking (whether positive or negative about your pitch), but the good thing is that he is open to all ideas within his space of interest. As long as you have a business that meets his investment criteria, which includes a geographic focus on Southern California, you should be able to catch his interest.
PRIVATE: Members Only (298 Characters)Outstanding Early Stage Fund
Fund: Okapi Venture Capital
Posted by anonymous on 2007-11-15
This is an outstanding early stage fund. Sharon is very knowledgeable, direct and fair. She helped us polish our business plan and introduced us to larger investors, resulting a very smooth series A. Overall a great experience.
Only having two partners means there's no bureaucracy - they answer their own phones and it only takes two in a (the!) room to make a decision.
If you're starting a company (Bio or IT) in SoCal you should definitely be talking to them. They're small, but very well connected.
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