Jon Sakoda is the Founding Partner at Decibel, a venture firm that was created in partnership with Cisco (but independent in nature) in 2018 to invest in early-stage companies.
Hear how Jon, who describes himself as a “recovering entrepreneur,” started his first company, Imlogic, Inc. which was eventually acquired by Symantec, and then joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 2006 where he served as a partner for 12 years. During his time at NEA, NEA clearly established itself as the largest venture firm in the world and had raised a $2.5B fund well before the current mega-fund boom.
In this episode, Jon and I cover the following topics:
Jon’s trajectory from being a technical operator to a VC.
The bundling and unbundling of venture capital, and what we should see going forward.
Do VC’s really add value? What leads to the belief by founders that they might not?
The role of Cisco and how it helps them differentiate and punch above their weight in helping founders.
How traditional economic LPs view corporate LPs and how GPs can navigate the discussions.
What new GPs often underestimate when starting a fund
Mentioned in this episode:
I’d love to know what you took away from my conversations with Jon Sakoda; Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.
Jon Sakoda of Decibel on building your fund with founders by your side - Venture Unlocked 005