Last summer, I along with my partners announced that we were forming a new micro venture capital firm.  At that point, Rob Go, Lee Hower, and I possessed a shared vision and a newly minted name, but were still in the process of forming our approach.  Now six months later, we’re ready to lift the covers on what we’re doing (although there have been a few previews).  Today we are officially launching our firm, NextView Ventures, announcing our first nine portfolio company investments, and recognizing the additional people who are working with us.

All of the above is articulated on our new website at www.nextviewventures.com.  There we describe not just the “who” and “what” of what we’re doing, but also “why” and “how.”  First and foremost, we are dedicated seed-stage investors focused on investments in internet-enabled startups.   The three of us are looking to work with entrepreneurs to build industry-changing transformative businesses.  And given dynamics in the digital media space, we think that (especially along the Boston to New York corridor) there is a market need for a funding source like ours for early stage entrepreneurs.  We’ve clearly articulated our motivations for starting the firm on a dedicated page.

But Rob, Lee, and I wanted to not just start a new firm, but also start a different one.  As part of that goal from the outset, one of our trusted advisors recommended that we delibrately articulate the principles which guide us, from being transparent in our communications to striving towards ambitious and improbable goals.  Personally, one of the most important is what we’re calling our dedication to the “tribe.”  We think it’s incumbent on venture capitalists to truly be a part of the entrepreneurial community…  and by that we mean not that we’re participants in it, but rather that we’re genuine contributors to it.  For me individually, I’ve strived to fully foster the local Boston community through my independent organization of the Web Innovators Group, as a member of the Board of Directors at the MIT Enterprise Forum, as a TechStars mentor, among many other activities.  This aspect is just one of the many qualities that help define us as a firm.  And all of the entrepreneurs who we’ve invested together with in their business have shared these principles, which very much excites us.

Lee Hower’s blog offers a more detailed introductory post about our launch, but the three of us over the coming weeks will continue in articulating our approach.  I’d encourage you to follow both his blog and my partner Rob’s as we share our story.