Still Us, But Bigger & Bolder
We're excited to announce the unveiling of our new brand! But first, we dig into how we realized it was time to sunset “Impressionism Capital,” and the process for finding the new name
In pitches, one of my favorite questions from LPs has been “Why did you pick the name Impressionism for your firm?” It was a springboard for me to go down a rabbit hole in art history.
I love talking about art. And the Impressionism movement is a powerful parallel for my personal worldview. The Impressionists protested the rigid constraints of the traditional art commissioned by royals and the aristocracy, by creating works that mirrored the real world in which they lived. In venture capital, we too have been limited and beholden to investments that revolve around the lives of the elite classes. But by shifting focus to entrepreneurs and the broader communities they come from, we can unlock a far more powerful, lasting, and authentic creative expression that serves us all.
But the name Impressionism Capital admittedly wasn’t optimal, due to the fact that it often created a confusing impression (pun not intended!) for those not as familiar with the 19th-century movement. But to me, the name represented my curious nature – it’s why I welcomed the questions from LPs who are not art nerds. My curiosity is also what makes me a great VC – throw me at a new industry or challenge, and I will learn everything I can, and come up with a creative solution without being attached to my ego.
On the flip side, I’m not a natural at self-promotion. Creative builder-types often see competence and sales as incongruous (which isn’t true), and resist the type of activities that fit the stereotype of a slick car salesman.
The VC industry famously is made up of salesmen. They’re experts at hype chasing, and some are able to leverage it to raise significant capital. But if the level of competence doesn’t match the confidence, it’s the founders who suffer the consequences.
This has been revealed to be our emerging firm’s differentiation.
Because I’m a creative builder who has embraced learning how to sell, I attract and support other creative builder founders who are motivated by solving big problems, not by winning status games. They recognize me as one of their own, and it allows us to build deep partnerships where we can be real about the infinite slaught of challenges that come with company-building. What connects us is the shared value of excellence and the drive to continuously learn. After all, even as I’ve long resisted self-promotion, I have no qualms about being the most outspoken cheerleader to the founders I’ve backed.
And finally, that brings us to our new name. Drumroll please… 🥁
Say hello to Symphonic Capital.
The symphony represents the coming together of different types of instrumentalists, craftspeople at the top of their game, to create beautiful harmonies and movements. We believe in the power of an individual embracing a personal leadership journey, and doing it with a team of people doing the same. There is no other way to build a truly great company.
This transition to Symphonic Capital from Impressionism has also made me reflect on my own growth. For a while, I’ve wondered whether I’d “waited too long” to strike out on my own in building this firm, because there was always more to learn. But I see it differently now. I set a high bar for myself and achieved it. I know what it takes to build a Fund I into an institution, invest alongside the best, and support companies during the good times and the bad. Unsurprisingly, each Symphonic team member has a similar story and drive, which sets us up to build something powerful.
Closing this out with a quote from Douglas Adams:
“It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it”
We can choose to bemoan all day about unfairness and inefficiency of the world, or we can choose to do something about it. A healthy skepticism of “salespeople” is rooted in needing to learn how to sell well, and this is a critical growth step for thoughtful, competent leaders that value true excellence. And as Beyonce has said, “If my country ass can do it, [you] can do it1”
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Learn more about us here at our brand new website: symphonic.vc. I would love your support by having you share this post with a friend!
Thanks to Jennifer Kim for co-writing this post, and for coming up with the name “Symphonic” with friend of the firm, Camille Ricketts!
And special thanks to other advisors and friends for their invaluable input in the name brainstorm: Nashilu Makoua, Indhira Rojas, Kate McAndrew, Andrew Bullen, and of course, the rest of the Symphonic team: Shruti, Maria, and Dustin.
https://www.netflix.com/title/81013626