Appearing on The First Close

This was really fun. I was a guest on the podcast I started at Carta, The First Close. Seif Salama, the new host, interviewed me. Seif’s introduction generously summarizes our work and my passion for supporting emerging managers in VC.

“We wrap season three with a conversation between myself and Jessica Straus Listeners of the podcast know Jessica as the main host of the show for the past three seasons. She was gracious enough to let me fill in for her over the past two episodes while she was getting ready to leave Carta to become the chief operating officer at Poppy Flowers.

Jessica was one of the reasons I chose to come to Carta. I enjoyed the conversations and moments we shared in the months we spent together. As part of her sendoff, I sat down to talk with Jessica to learn more about her experience in VC, her time at Carta, and what she’s most excited about in her next chapter.

Jessica has spent the past decade working in VC. She’s been a venture partner at Dundee Venture, entrepreneur-in-residence at GE Ventures, and the VP of development at the National Venture Capital Association. Jessica is a Kauffman Fellow and earned her MBA in design strategy from the California College of the Arts. 

Jessica is a cherished colleague who has a true passion for VC generally, and for emerging managers specifically.

During her time in VC, Jessica realized there weren’t many resources focused on supporting emerging managers, particularly when it came to helping them understand how to start a venture fund.