Could you further explain the philosophy of "give first" and how it shaped you as an investor?

Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

How did "Give First" shape Foundry Partner Jaclyn Hester as an investor?

26 Nov 2022 · 1 min

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Jaclyn Hester, a Foundry investor, credits Brad Feld's "give first" philosophy with shaping how she works. It means helping others without expecting returns, planting good seeds early in your career. She prioritizes showing up and saying yes, trusting that generosity builds long-term value.

Questions this video answers

Give first is a concept that drives value for Foundry and the Boulder startup community. It's akin to karma—showing up, planting good seeds, helping people without expecting anything back. It's a non‑transactional modality for relationship building, especially important early in one's career, where you plant good seeds, do the right thing, show up, say yes, and help people expecting nothing back.

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So you mentioned in an article written by the National Venture Capital Association that Brad Feld introduced you to the idea of give first. Could you further explain that philosophy and how it shaped you as an investor?
Yes. And give first, I would say, is a concept that's really driving value for Foundry and our ethos. And then I would say more broadly, the startup community out here in Boulder, which is kind of where I was introduced to all of this stuff when I moved out here 12 years ago. The concept of give first is akin to karma. You're showing up, you're planting lots of good seeds where you've just helped people expecting nothing back. So it's a modality for relationship building that's not transactional. So it's like the opposite of being transactional. Obviously we all have time constraints, we all have to prioritize things, but especially when you're younger in your career, I think it's even more important to do this. And so what you do is you just like plant a lot of good seeds. You do the right thing, you show up, you say yes to things, you help people expecting nothing back.