Sound Investments - Navigating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Startups with Andrew Peterson

In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker is joined by Andrew Peterson, founding partner of Aviso Ventures. They discuss Andrew's journey into venture capital, which is rooted in his experiences as a startup founder and operator. Aviso Ventures specializes in investing in cybersecurity and enterprise infrastructure companies, primarily in pre-seed and seed stages. The conversation dives into the challenges startups face in entering the enterprise market, the importance of offering actionable advice, and the practical aspects of cyber investments. They also explore how the venture capital landscape has evolved, the significance of content in building deal flow, and the impact of AI on tech investment.

00:00 Introduction to Sound Investments

00:19 Meet Andrew Peterson of Aviso Ventures

05:20 The Role of Advice in Venture Capital

06:50 Aviso Ventures' Investment Focus

09:25 Challenges in Enterprise Sales Cycles

13:05 Building a Content-Driven VC Strategy

17:57 Trends and Challenges in Venture Capital

22:55 The Missing Element in Seattle's Tech Ecosystem

25:28 The Reality of Transitioning from Big Tech to Startups

28:05 Challenges in Cybersecurity

34:34 AI's Impact on Enterprise

39:43 Staying Updated in a Fast-Moving Tech World

42:38 Personal Reflections and Inspirations

44:55 Conclusion

Andrew Peterson — Founding Partner, Aviso Ventures

Andrew Peterson is the Founding Partner of Aviso Ventures, where he backs the next generation of software infrastructure startups. After more than two decades as an operator and founder, Andrew launched Aviso to invest in companies building foundational technologies for the modern enterprise. Since inception, Aviso’s Fund I has become a top performer in its class, with a strong track record of follow-on investments across the portfolio. Andrew is currently raising and deploying Fund II.

Before founding Aviso, Andrew was the CEO and Co-Founder of Signal Sciences, where he led the creation of a category-defining platform that secured web applications, mobile apps, and APIs. Under his leadership, Signal Sciences grew into an industry leader and was acquired by Fastly for $825 million in 2020. Earlier in his career, Andrew held leadership roles at high-growth companies including Etsy and Google, and served globally with the Clinton Foundation, building high-performing product and sales teams across five continents. His experience spans deep technical execution and go-to-market scale. Andrew is also the author of Cracking Security Misconceptions (O’Reilly Media), a practical guide aimed at broadening participation in organizational security beyond traditional practitioners. He holds a BA in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University, where he was also a PAC-10 Champion on the varsity swim team.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Venture into the Tacoma Venture Fund with Dennis Joyce

In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker sits down with Dennis Joyce, Director of Investments at the Tacoma Venture Fund (TVF). They explore Dennis' fascinating journey from a young dreamer in New York to leading a venture fund in Tacoma. The conversation covers Dennis' experiences, from his early inspirations in venture capital to the formation and mission of the Tacoma Venture Fund. They discuss the Pacific Northwest's startup ecosystem, the importance of local connections and deep due diligence, and the challenges of early-stage investing. Dennis also shares insights into promising sectors, particularly AI and SaaS, and highlights the importance of a robust investment ecosystem in the region. The episode looks at the intricacies of scaling startups, the evolving market dynamics, and the personal side of life as a venture capitalist. The discussion is rich with anecdotal wisdom and practical advice for navigating the world of early-stage investments.

00:00 Introduction to Sound Investments

01:06 Meet Dennis Joyce

07:06 The Birth of Tacoma Venture Fund

11:41 Investing in the Pacific Northwest

16:06 Challenges and Opportunities

24:11 Current Market Dynamics

29:51 Scaling Sales

30:59 The Importance of OKRs

32:38 Investing in Agentic AI

37:55 Spotlight on Flavor Cloud

39:30 Lessons Learned

40:12 The Need for More Capital and Collaboration

43:11 Balancing Work and Life

47:45 Finding Inspiration

Dennis Joyce, Director of Investments

Dennis oversees dealflow, due diligence, and operational functions on behalf of TVF. He has led investments in Vega Cloud, Workflow Labs, and Flavorcloud, among others. Before TVF, Dennis spent 17 years as an independent angel investor and real estate developer. Dennis is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and seeing great ideas come to life. He believes a vibrant venture ecosystem needs talent, expertise, and access to capital to thrive. Out of twenty-one pre-TVF angel investments, seventeen have been in female or minority-lead ventures. Dennis is intentional about providing greater access and opportunity to underrepresented founders. Dennis is an active member of Seattle’s Alliance of Angels and Puget Sound Venture Club. He is also a Board member of the William Factory Business Incubator, which provides training and support for entrepreneurs in Pierce County. He has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Notre Dame. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and trying new things.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Navigating the Venture Capital Landscape with Andy Liu of Unlock Venture Partners

In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker delves into the Pacific Northwest venture capital scene with Andy Liu, co-founding partner of Unlock Venture Partners. Andy shares his journey from being an entrepreneur to an active early-stage investor, with over 90 investments under his belt. The conversation covers his experiences in launching startups, the investment focus of Unlock VC, tech trends, the challenges and opportunities in the Seattle and LA markets, and the characteristics of successful founders. Liu also talks about the importance of mission-driven entrepreneurs, the role of AI and data in venture capital, and his approach to hands-on investing. Additionally, Liu highlights some of the standout companies in Unlock VC's portfolio and shares his perspectives on future tech opportunities and trends.

00:00 Introduction to Sound Investments

00:21 Meet Andy Liu

03:20 Building Unlock Venture Partners

05:04 Investment Strategies and Focus Areas

16:55 Challenges and Opportunities in Seattle and LA

20:33 Comparing Investment Landscapes: Pacific Northwest vs. LA

21:46 The AI Revolution

22:31 Evaluating AI Startups

28:17 Success Stories

31:24 The Importance of Founder Focus in VC

34:10 Balancing Innovation and Practicality

38:25 Leveraging Data and Technology in VC

40:39 Close

Andy Liu, Co-founding Partner of Unlock Venture Partners

Andy Liu is a co-founding partner of Unlock Venture Partners. He is a serial entrepreneur, most recently as a co-founder and CEO of BuddyTV. Prior to BuddyTV, Andy was the co-founder and CEO of NetConversions which was acquired by aQuantive, where he then served as VP & GM, Atlas NetConversions. Andy had previously worked in a variety of roles at Active Voice, Safeware, Boeing, and AT&T. He also serves on the non-profit board of Future Hope, which provides technology and leadership education to the impoverished and marginalized.

Andy has been a very active early stage investor in technology companies, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, with over 90 investments in companies such as Cheezburger Network, SoFi, Redfin, Buuteeq, Minted, Remitly, Amperity, Rover, Skilljar, and Sparq. He has been named 40 under 40 by PSBJ in 2003, Seattle Angel of the Year in 2010, and Innovator of the Year by Asian NW Weekly in 2016.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.