Flatiron Partners, 2002
Why did Jerry Colonna leave venture capital?
The short answer
Jerry Colonna, co-founder of Flatiron Partners, left venture capital in the early 2000s after a deep depression and growing unhappiness with the work. He became a coach to founders and CEOs and co-founded the coaching firm Reboot.
The situation
You co-founded one of New York's best-known venture firms. After the dot-com crash it winds down, and you land a senior job investing a huge fund at a big bank. You're successful, and you've started to hate the work. A deep depression sets in.
The options on the table
- Raise a new fund of your own
- Stay at the bank. It's safe money
- Take a long sabbatical, then return to investing
- Leave investing for good and start overWhat they did
What happened
Jerry Colonna walked away from venture capital and became a coach to founders and CEOs, later co-founding the coaching firm Reboot. One of the founders he talked with about depression on his podcast was Rand Fishkin.
Sources: TechCrunch, Reboot
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