To mountain guides and venture capitalists, where matters. There are only a few great ranges in the world suitable for guiding and even fewer that are outstanding day in and day out. In places like Revelstoke, Chamonix or Telluride, there’s a lifetime of guiding to be had. The guides that live there become masters of their complex terrain, attracting clients from over the world, all year long.
Read MoreRob Slater was one of the strongest and most versatile climbers of my generation. An expert at big wall, aid climbing, his first ascent in 1984 of El Capitan’s Wyoming Sheep Ranch remains one of the neckiest leads ever on the Big Stone.
Read MoreIt is remarkable that everywhere you go climbing or skiing in the world, you can find an IFMGA-certified mountain guide to take you there. It’s also a testament to the power and consistency of the IFMGA standard that certified mountain guides around the world have the same set of skills and competencies.
Read MoreAs mountain guides and venture capitalists, it is our job to form authentic relationships with our clients and entrepreneurs. All of the value in our business comes from the effort.
Read MoreEffective communication between a guide and client is fundamental to their relationship and to their shared success on the objective. The more challenging the terrain, the more important this communication becomes.
Read MoreOne of the characteristics of great entrepreneurs is that, to a person, they are ruthless sandbaggers. Great entrepreneurs consistently under-promise and over-perform, and through their example, inspire this behavior throughout their organizations.
Read MoreAt the dawn of mountain guiding, late 1800s through the start of WWII, it wasn’t hard to identify the mountain guides — they were the guys that led the way to the top of the peak, often dragging an English client behind them.
Read MoreVenture capitalists and mountain guides are risk managers. They use their experience and talent to bring order and success to an otherwise chaotic and dangerous endeavor.
Read MoreWe’ve learned a lot from the CMH guides over our years together in the field, and one of them is to disseminate information about mistakes throughout our organization and portfolio companies. That way, when we do make mistakes, they are Original Mistakes, not the same ones other people have already made.
Read MoreWe guide our clients on good days and bad, sometimes to the top, sometimes not. We learn every time we succeed and every time we fail, but most importantly, we always return to climb again.
In mountain guiding and in venture capital, durability is the key to success.
Read MoreI have been investing in startups since 1985, and guiding since 1976. After 60 portfolio company investments from 11 different venture funds that I’ve managed, and after guiding hundreds of clients in the mountains of Colorado, Canada, and Europe over the past 40 years on skis and on rock, I’ve come to this conclusion.
Read MoreI’ve spent my career as a venture capitalist trying to figure out how to get a higher hit rate from the investments we make. You only get a dozen or so deals in a small fund like ours, and we’re actively involved in each one.
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