Suggestions
Bobby Goodlatte
Angel Investor
Bobby Goodlatte is a prominent angel investor and entrepreneur with a background in product design. Here are some key details about him:
Background and Career
Bobby Goodlatte started his career as an early product designer at Facebook, where he worked on the user growth team for about four years before leaving in 2012 when the company went public.1 After Facebook, he transitioned into angel investing and has been actively investing in startups for over a decade.12
Investing Experience
- He has made investments in over 40 companies as an angel investor.2
- One of his most notable early investments was in Coinbase, which turned out to be extremely successful.13
- Goodlatte has invested across various sectors including AR/VR, social networks, payments, education, Web3/crypto, e-commerce, consumer internet, enterprise, and fintech.2
Current Roles
- Founder of Form Capital, a seed investment firm that focuses on supporting portfolio companies with value-add design.13
- Managing Partner at Form Capital since 2020.2
- Continues to be an active angel investor.2
Investment Approach
Goodlatte's investment strategy involves:
- Focusing on early-stage companies, typically at the pre-seed and seed stages.2
- Offering design support to portfolio companies, leveraging his background in product design.1
- Investing in small funds to ensure strong deal flow.1
Notable Achievements
- His investments have reportedly earned him tens of millions of dollars.1
- He has been recognized in various sector and stage rankings for his investments.2
Bobby Goodlatte's experience as both a product designer at a major tech company and a successful angel investor has given him a unique perspective on the startup ecosystem, particularly in areas where technology and design intersect.
Highlights
Allow Congress to trade, but require them to publicly disclose the trade 72 hours beforehand
So if they’re trading on non-public information, they get front-run by the public & the alpha disappears
But if they’re simply bullish about a US company or sector: great
One of my hopes for this new administration & Congress is they work on making it easier for startups to go public. Here’s why:
If you were a fan of Apple in the 80’s, you could buy Apple stock at a relatively early stage of the company. And you’d have seen enormous upside.
The general public has no such access to the most promising startups of today. Not even the JOBS act fixed this. Because pre-IPO startups pick their investors, and they’re going to (rightfully) pick names like Sequoia or Benchmark, not 1,000 Joe Q Publics.
Every American should be able to participate in the upside—and the risk—of investing in fast-growing startups.
You’re allowed to take your life savings and put in on the roulette table in Vegas. You’re allowed to buy silly meme coins and NFTs.
But it’s very difficult—if not impossible—for the average American who’s knowledgeable about a startup to find a way to invest.
Venture capital is one of the few asset classes where the asset picks the investor. That flips the moment a company goes public. But these days IPOs only happen far past the early stages of a company. We cut the general public out of the upside.
We over-regulated in the wake of the dot-com bubble. The pendulum swung too far in the other direction. A middle point can be found that protects Americans against fraud & scams, but allows them to take risks & see upside.
When people aren’t given a seat at the table, I can understand why some want to flip the table over and spill everyone’s chips. I don’t agree with them, but I understand.
