In this episode, Hall welcomes Rick Grinnell, Founder and Managing Partner at Glasswing Ventures.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Glasswing Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the next generation of AI and frontier technology startups that are enabling the rise of the intelligent enterprise. They are laser-focused on funding exceptional entrepreneurs who are leading the AI revolution, capitalizing on the intellectual might and talent from the premier academic institutions on the East Coast, and fostering growth for our ecosystem.

Whether they are helping their portfolio companies build the best teams, acquire their first customers or brainstorm about strategic opportunities, or scale their operations, they are there for their founders and CEOs in the good times and the bad times on their journey to success.

Rick has led investments and serves on the Board of Directors of Allure Security, Armored Things, Black Kite, and Terbium Labs. As an experienced venture capitalist and operator, Rick has invested in some of the most dynamic companies in security, storage, analytics, and SaaS applications during his 20 years in the venture capital industry. In his previous role as Managing Director at Fairhaven Capital, Rick led investments and served on the Board of Directors of Digital Guardian, EqualLogic (acquired by Dell, a unicorn and fund returner), Prelert (acquired by Elastic), Pwnie Express, Resilient Systems (acquired by IBM), TrackVia (acquired by Primus Capital) and VeloBit (acquired by Western Digital). He also has deep operating experience having held senior marketing and engineering roles at Adero (acquired by Inktomi), ClearOne Communications (acquired by Gentner Communications, later renamed as ClearOne), and PictureTel (acquired by Polycom).

Rick is a member of the Educational Council at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is active with the entrepreneurial programs at Harvard and Tufts Universities, and is a frequent judge at MassChallenge. Rick’s contributions to the broader community include serving as a member of the Board of the Advanced Cyber Security Center, New England’s public/private security collaboration, and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Advisers at the Museum of Science in Boston. He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay.

Rick has been recognized by New England Venture Network with the Community Leadership Award for his philanthropic work and contribution to the community. Rick holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from HBS.

Rick advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares his investment thesis.

You can visit Glasswing Ventures at www.glasswing.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/glasswing-ventures, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/glasswingvc?lang=en.  

Rick can be contacted via email at rick@glasswing.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/rickgrinnell.   

For a full transcript, click here.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

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Disclaimer:
Hall T Martin is the director of Investor Connect, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the education of investors for early-stage funding. All opinions expressed by Hall and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of Investor Connect. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for the basis of investment decisions.