The Power of Not Fitting In: Our Journey to Creating an Alternative VC Ecosystem
If you’re a founder, and you never really felt like you fit into the traditional start-up ecosystem, we have a secret for you. Neither did we. And we still don’t. Even as venture capitalists, we don’t quite feel like we fit into the traditional venture capital model. What we do know is we love innovation, we know how to fund and build businesses in the early stages. But we don’t resonate with the current ways to fund them, to grow them, and to scale them.
Our journey to creating an alternative venture capital firm began with a feeling of not quite belonging. We had seen all types of founders in our decades of experience and over 60 portfolio companies. We backed founders who were Silicon Valley or bust, founders who wanted to be diverse but couldn’t shake off the Silicon Valley definitions of success, founders who bootstrapped, founders who started small and went big, and founders who couldn’t raise money in their first company but became the darling of Silicon Valley in their second.
But even with all this experience, we never felt like we truly fit in with the traditional venture ecosystem. We had a hunch that there was a different way to do things, and for a long time we’ve wanted to create an alternative ecosystem where deep relationships, financial discipline, creativity, and resourcefulness matter.
In the first 3 years of starting Crescent Ridge, I (Allison) spent a lot of time and energy trying to fit into the venture world. In the back of my mind was this persistent awareness that I didn’t really belong, but I spent time and energy trying to be part of that ecosystem nonetheless. It wasn’t until I realized I could spend my whole life trying to fit into a system that didn’t fit me or I could start trying to figure out how to create a system based on my own unconventional strengths. And that’s when it hit me: “Not fitting in” was not a weakness, it was actually my greatest strength. For the first 4 decades of my life, I thought my differences were my greatest weakness. At this moment 5 years ago, I realized it was the complete opposite.
That’s why we’ve chosen to invest our own capital, even though it’s a smaller pot, so that we have maximum optionality to grow our investment company without constraints, based on our beliefs. We’re making a stand to invest only in companies that match this new ecosystem that we want to be a part of. Some may think the founders aren’t out there, but we believe they are.
We’re looking for new patterns in founders who don’t fit the traditional pattern because, like us, we don’t fit a traditional pattern. We want to create an alternative ecosystem where relationships matter, financial discipline and rigor matter, and creativity and resourcefulness are skills that are learned and honed and held in high regard. If you resonate with this, join us, and let’s build something different, together!
Allison and Maria
