Kate Mitchell

Kate Mitchell

Kate co-founded Scale Ventures & invests in software. Active in policies for start-ups, she chaired the IPO Task Force – the basis for the JOBS Act. Kate is also on the board of Silicon Valley Bank

Website: http://www.scalevp.com/biography/kate-mitchell
San Francisco, California, United States
Accredited investor
Member since July 08, 2012
Quote
I am lucky to love learning and be in a business that exposes me to so many new ideas - every day. Quote_down
  • About
Investor interests
Type of investor Accelerator
Typical investment size More than $2.5M
Typical investments in a year 5
Investments partners Rory O'Driscoll, Stacey Bishop, Rob Theis, Andy Vitus, Sharon Wienbar
Categories of interest
Credentials Accredited Investor
I am a(n):

Investor

My favorite startups:

Box, Twitter, Uber, Task Rabbit, Axcient, uTest

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

Success can feel unfair. Timing and luck play a huge role right next to the qualility of the idea & the team - I am a sucker for good teams so hate it if they can't win..

Rewarding: Watching a founding team grow into the leadership team. Our best deals had founders who became (& remained) the CEOs.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Tie: Lacking patience. Being too cautious.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

Your team/board won't hear what you say the first time. If you believe it - repeat it..
Focus & prioritize.
Go all in. If you mean it, give it your all.

Full bio

Kate is a co-founder of Scale Venture Partners, a venture capital fund
with over $900 million under management located in Silicon Valley,
California. She leads investments in software bringing more than 25 years' experience in technology, finance and management to her portfolio. Kate has actively worked with portfolio companies such as Jaspersoft, mBlox, Wayport, & Tonic Software as they grow to become successful enterprises. She was the 2010-2011 Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and remains active in policy matters that impact start-ups & innovation. Kate chaired the IPO Task Force, whose recommendations to reform the IPO market were included in the recently enacted JOBS Act. In addition, Kate is a member of the Silicon Valley Bank Board of Directors (NASDAQ: SIVB).

Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Kate held various corporate
development and technology management positions at Bank of America and was responsible, among other things, for the launch of the bank’s initial internet
banking presence in the mid 1990’s. Kate holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from the Executive Program at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She also attended the Harvard Executive Program. Kate is active as a Charter Member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (Silicon Valley).