One of the things that VC-mentors of mine recommended when we first started Hustle Fund was to start thinking about succession planning now. That sounded crazy at the time, because who thinks about generational planning when they’re first starting a company?
But having now seen a lot of longstanding VC firms go through transitions, I understand why. It just takes a really long time to find the perfect partner and convince said partner to join you and stay with you. It takes time to transition knowledge-sharing, culture, and in essence, the whole business to that set of new partners. That process can take a decade or more for each new partner.
So even as far back as day 1 – as an emerging fund manager – we have actually been looking for our first non-co-founder Partner. And 8 years later, I am so excited to announce the promotion of my colleague Haley Bryant!
Haley has somewhat of an unusual background, which is what I think is a strength of hers in coming to Hustle Fund. Like everyone else on the team, she has entrepreneurial experience – this is a requirement at Hustle Fund. However, her beginnings were not in software. She initially thought she wanted to be a journalist upon graduating from UVA, and she ended up starting her career in a retail store at Apple. From there, she rose very quickly to senior management, running stores that were generating $100 million or more per year in revenue. She later parlayed that management experience into software startups. Most recently, she was the COO of Animalz, which is a SaaS marketing agency and helped them get from near zero to 8-figures of revenue per year. Her operational experience has been extremely helpful to our startups who are going through a growth phase and are struggling with reigning in chaos. Haley has the unique ability to quickly make things more efficient with a combination of tech, people, and processes.
I first met Haley years ago on Flow Club. (Flow Club is a great platform to get work done and is a portfolio company.) She was leading a Flow Club session I attended and she kept everyone on track with their goals. I was wondering, who is this awesome executive? I have to meet her!
Fast forward, she joined our Angel Squad, and I knew that we absolutely needed to work with her. We managed to somehow convince her to get involved with us part-time on the side with our Angel Squad. She and Brian Nichols (GM of Angel Squad) worked so well together in growing Angel Squad in those early days.
Eventually we convinced her to join the investment team. Fast forward to today – Haley has proven to have tremendous taste in deals and already has a number of fast growth companies that she has invested in. She is probably one of the most “value-add” investors I know – she is always willing to roll up her sleeves anytime. She not only helps troubleshoot her own companies, but also hops in and helps the entire portfolio. She truly is a founder-friendly VC. She is such a go-getter and has so much energy. Even after burning the midnight oil, she’s up early the next day to either teach or cycle fast in a spin class. She’s that kind of person. She’s helped us with our fundraises – even from day one when most principals typically do not want to get involved in these types of processes. She is so eager to learn, so fast to learn, and is one of the most efficient people I know in getting work done. Lest you think Haley is a robot, she is also incredibly kind and thoughtful.
TeamLab with the investment team
With this promotion, Haley has set the bar high. I could not be more excited about Haley’s leadership and the future of Hustle Fund.
Please join me in congratulating Haley Bryant, and I hope you get to know her as well!