A note on Ann Winblad. It took her and John Hummer 18 months or so to get their fund started. They had one substantive hook -- they promised to be the first software-only VC firm. (Accel, already well established then, was just software-mainly.)
They also had a gimmick -- their visual. Ann is tiny, while John is a former NBA forward. If there isn't a full 1 1/2 foot difference in their heights, it's close to that. As Ann told the story then, it helped people remember them. :)
Ann, by the way, was a founder, while John had worked for another VC (Pitch Johnson) and elsewhere in finance (Victor Niederhoffer) after his hoops career ended.
Comments
A note on Ann Winblad. It took her and John Hummer 18 months or so to get their fund started. They had one substantive hook -- they promised to be the first software-only VC firm. (Accel, already well established then, was just software-mainly.)
They also had a gimmick -- their visual. Ann is tiny, while John is a former NBA forward. If there isn't a full 1 1/2 foot difference in their heights, it's close to that. As Ann told the story then, it helped people remember them. :)
Ann, by the way, was a founder, while John had worked for another VC (Pitch Johnson) and elsewhere in finance (Victor Niederhoffer) after his hoops career ended.