I have always been excited in the formation stage of things. The early stuff. Who is the customer? What is the product? and How do we sell it? That is the part I like. The early stages is where all the truly hard problems arise and you determine your approach to the solution, you make your bet. Not all bets pay off, but figuring out how to bet, with whom, and how it relates to the competition is the fun part for me. Over the years I have raised over $500M in equity, project finance and working capital for companies where I was CEO. I have also personally invested in over 70 startups and led about half a dozen through venture funds. Along the way, I have owned a handful of bars, restaurants and real estate including a VERY fun live music rock club. I do renewable energy and technology investing personally and with Element 8 and charitable work through Martin Tobias Family Foundation. As long as I keep finding interesting hard problems to solve, this life will stay interesting.
Specialties: Investment analysis, company building, recruiting, strategy definition, partnering, channel building, Renewable fuels, biodiesel
