This past weekend, I was reminded of just how much guts and determination it takes to be an entrepreneur. 

I was judging a business plan competition for NECINA and was reminded that Alex Wang, the founder and CEO of one of our newest portfolio companies had won this competition two years earlier.

We closed on this investment very recently, so that means that Alex had concieved of this idea, built a business plan, assembled an excellent team, and started executing on his plan in the 2 years BEFORE closing his round of funding.

On top of that, Alex is making some very significant personal sacrifices in the next couple years in the interest of realizing the vast potential for this company.  2 years since winning this contest, the adventure is just beginning.  

It’s always so impressive to see entrepreneurs pursue an idea through all the hardships that inevitably come with starting and scaling a business. I think as an investor, it’s sometimes very easy to forget this.