For startups, venture capital is about improving your odds. With the commoditization of venture capital, the strategic value-add has taken on even more significance. 

For founders, what is the unique value proposition that comes along with the cash? What is the check size-to-helpfulness ratio of the investors on your cap table? 

For investors, how do you get allocations into the best deals?

As traditional funds get bigger and bigger, a new breed of venture investor has emerged — one that is increasingly attractive to founders and LPs alike. Catalyzed by tooling that empowers individual operators (or small teams) to efficiently and cost-effectively run their own investments, entrepreneurs and other operators are now seizing the chance to lead their own investment syndicates while running their companies. There are many synergies on both sides, and these operators are nimble in bringing clear, differentiated value with their capital.

They bring with their capital the coveted experience, relationships, and domain expertise that can move the needle in some area of importance for a founder.

For these operators, they are now enabling increased exposure as startup investors without retiring as an operator. Instead of sacrificing their value as an operator, they are finding that their investment syndicates become an invaluable asset to their role as a company builder.