Not Necessarily the Shortest Path First: A Journey Through Networking and VC

Presentation by Alex Benik from Battery Ventures:

This talk will cover my personal journey in technology and venture capital told through the lens of the networking industry and networking companies I’ve invested in. I’ll start will with some lessons learned from my time as an analyst in the data communication practice at the Yankee Group during the heady days of 1997-2000. We’ll move on to my transition into venture capital and the stories behind our investments in companies such as Airespace, VSS Monitoring, Cumulus Networks, plus a few that got away or never came to be. I’ll end with some thoughts on segments of networking that I’m excited about for potential new investment. Hopefully this talk will include some interesting observations on networking, company formation, and what VCs are looking for in investments.