“As we approach the end of 2021, all of us at StartFast Ventures want to wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and a new year filled with promise and opportunity.

I was recently told, in an appreciative way, that I’m an “old-school” businessperson.  I met another investor at an event and offered to help their portfolio company by being generous with my time and connections. The compliment came when I followed through, and it made me think, why had my behavior seemed unusual? “What’s ‘old-school’ about helping others without an expectation of immediate return?” I thought. This behavior is so normal and instinctual for me, I don’t think about it. It’s part of my innate value system.

As we look at the world we see other value-systems at play. Surveillance capitalism, exploitation of people’s weaknesses, nation-state actors bent on weakening our system, certain brands of libertarianism, misinformation and conspiracies all seem to undermine our self-determination. And yet we persist. When we put our words, actions, and money behind our values, we do what we can:  like helping entrepreneurs; like investing in the types of companies we do; like getting vaccinated and boosted at the first possible opportunity. Thanks for being “old school.” Stay strong, stay healthy and let’s all hope for a better 2022.”

-Chuck Stormon, Managing Partner