Minda Brusse, First Row Partners on Nurturing Pre-Seed Startups

In this episode of 'Sound Investments,' we sit down with Minda Bruce, founding partner at First Row Partners. With over 25 years in the startup ecosystem, Minda shares her journey from early startup roles to teaching investment and entrepreneurship at the University of Washington. She discusses First Row's unique investment strategies and principles, emphasizing support for pre-seed companies across the U.S. Minda elaborates on their role as investors in building strong founder relationships and the value of tech in media, commerce, and ed-tech. The episode also touches on their focus areas for 2025 and their commitment to education through workshops and university courses.

00:00 Introduction

01:16 Minda's Journey into Venture Capital

01:42 Founding First Row Partners

06:57 Investment Strategy and Focus

09:07 Building Relationships with Founders

18:03 Engaging with the Seattle Ecosystem

26:34 Current Market Dynamics and Tech Interests

37:41 Supporting Small Brands and Human Connection

44:08 Teaching and Mentorship at UW

47:20 Final Thoughts

Minda Brusse, Founding Partner

Minda Brusse has been in the startup ecosystem for over 25 years. In her early career, she was a lynchpin employee at a $39M venture-backed company acquired by Accenture. She continued to find her way into co-founder and leadership roles during early applications of new technology in SaaS software distribution, user generated content, consumer payments, and blockchain. Minda found that a key lever in enabling innovation came from the capital that fuels it; and she dug deep -- honing her skills as an investor and fund manager. She now contributes her time and talent at the University of Washington teaching hands-on investing and entrepreneurship courses in the Foster School MBA program. During the pandemic, she co-founded The 1K Project to help families in need, raising $3.3M for 1,100 families to receive cash grants. She is a sustaining member of Seattle organizations Seattle Art Museum Supporters (SAMS) and the Junior League of Seattle.

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