GV’s First Black Female And Youngest-Ever Partner Launches New Venture Firm

Terri Burns, 26, the youngest partner in GV’s history and its first Black female partner, is launching her firm, Type Capital, according to Fortune.

Breaking the Heat Cycle

During her time at GV, formerly Google Ventures, Burns witnessed a recurrent issue within VC funding strategies: the reliance on “heat” from other investors before committing to a deal.

“A lot of investors are driven by heat, versus being driven by true innovation,” she told Fortune. “[Founders are] talking to amazing investors, they’re getting some interest, but no one’s really willing to take the leap to anchor a deal unless they see that other people are involved.”

By contrast, Burns’ firm will aim to have checks written without signals from other investors: “I want to move quickly and move efficiently and not over-index on heat.”

Through this approach, Burns intends to eliminate the over-dependence on market trends and focus on genuine innovation. 

Read: POCIT interviews Terri Burns, Developer Evangelist

Empowering Innovation and Early-Stage Startups

Type Capital is in its early stages. It focuses on pre-seed and seed investments, particularly in areas like digital consumer platforms, developer tools, and AI. It is especially interested in ventures led by Gen Z founders. 

Burns is looking to invest early and aims to assist these companies in securing follow-on investors, nurturing their growth from the ground up. 

Her strategy is geared towards finding and supporting founders before they become widely recognized in the VC ecosystem.

“Not being super caught up in this ecosystem of heat that is really popular right now is the path to winning, and also the path to more collaboration and respect from founders,” said Burns.

Image source: One Strategy Group