I've worked with Steve and Activant very closely for a number of years now. We would not be where we are today without them. Here's what I love about Steve. He has incredible conviction and vision. For someone who rose the ranks on Wall Street and not Silicon Valley, he has more conviction and vision than 99% of Silicon Valley investors. He'll understand what you're doing in 1/10 the time of the next investor. And, if he believes in it, he'll back it early and in a big way. No herd mentality. He is an independent thinker. He has courage to do the right thing, even if it's not pretty. During our time working together, there have been things we've had to cleanup that weren't pretty. Steve was with me as the founder/CEO every step of the way. He was relentlessly supportive and encouraged me to do the hard but right thing for the business. These were really tough things (parting ways with key entrenched folks in the company both investors and teammates) and I couldn't have done it without Steve's support. These moves arguably saved our company. He cares a shitton about the business and doing what's right for the long-term. He has been supportive through ups and downs and gets it when we have "downs" that were justifiable from a long-term perspective. For someone who doesn't come from an operational background, he has an uncanny ability to understand team dynamics and culture (once again better than 99% of Silicon Valley investors). He's seen the writing on the wall with multiple executives far before I did (both the good and bad). His instinct on people is pretty insane. He appreciates the culture of a business which was really important to me as a founder. He is direct. I always know what he's thinking. There are no guessing games. We have built a pretty amazing personal relationship outside of work. Here's what you should know about working with Steve. He wears his heart on his sleeve and always tells you what he thinks. His opinion is usually right (and a shocking amount) and if you listen his opinions will actually improve your business. However, like any human being sometimes it's wrong. For west coaster founders, know that you're interacting with an east coaster. We've worked through everything and anything. I recommend talking over calls (vs emails or writing) — that's where you get the best Steve. In short, you have to get and understand his personality... make sure it resonates with you as a founder. He values his personal relationship with you, but don't let that fool you into not playing your part professionally. Steve has an extremely high bar for your CEO performance. You've got to be on top of your game. I know of one founder and one partner he had to fire, but with the context I had, those were necessary decisions. Those individuals were not performing where they needed to. And, he made the right call.

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