Jon Taylor: 4 exits, 7 startups, 17 acquisitions. Zero implosions. I like "Post-Product, Pre-Revenue" companies.
Started IRdg in 1995, sold to Mediagate in 1997; started Voxeo in 2000, sold to Aspect in 2013 for $150m. Purchased and integrated 17 companies at Voxeo. Spun out Tropo from Voxeo in 2012, sold to Cisco in 2015 for 22x revenue (I can't say how much that was for, as much as I'd really, really love to).
When I began investing I realized founders like to talk with me because of my mix of tactical and strategic experience. Tactically, when a challenge happens odds are I went through it with one of the 23 companies above. Strategically, I've invested a great deal of my time into the art of creating an ideal "customer experience" for investors and strategic buyers.
As an (originally) engineering driven founder, I decided 17 years ago that my most important product was the company itself. How do we design, build and achieve that?
I still think of myself as an engineer, but my focus is to help engineer teams, companies, and exits. I find that focus delivers the greatest achievements.
Describe the most impressive thing you've done.I invest in teams of at least two hardworking, smart, trustworthy co-founders, ideally around the pre-revenue, post-product stage (but almost-to-MVP or first-million-in-revenue is fine). I am exceptionally focused on the founding team itself. Many say that; I knew few who mean it as much as I do.
Describe what you're looking for in a company.
