nicheVC

A quick bit about the Semantic Web (21st C technology and web services), where I fit in, and how it fits into my universe.

As a Baby Boomer / X-Gen fence-sitter, I am an above average user of the Web services, an increasingly active user of social networking platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, delicious (now Diigo), etc.). Since the mid-80s, I have used an IBM/Compaq suitcase (DOS-based green screen; late undergrad), a Mac Plus and Power Mac (early-to-mid ’90s), and various PCs or PC laptop/tablets (late ’90s to current). As a student, educator, and investor, I have seen and lived the evolution of software and web services strategy from push to pull, from the license to on demand. I have seen, used, and more recently invested in open source applications.

About six months ago, I saw some light behind microblogging, specifically Twitter (@nicheVC) and the aggregation, categorization, and backup of aforementioned digital media via FriendFeed (I worry a bit about the Facebook acquisition). I have been wondering for some time when I would find or provoke the personal and professional bandwidth to launch and maintain a full-fledged blog. Yes, I am an always on VC who weaves his professional life carefully through the familial and personal. I do have much to say about topics surrounding venture investing, education, the convergence of these two, and how technology can and should be the enabler that allows humans to reach new heights, to be more efficient and effective.

So, the dichotomy of a full plate and lots of interesting thoughts lead me to NOW, the right place at the right time.

I am Frank Bonsal III, a tech VC with a focus on education and capital efficient, milestone-driven investing, a Partner with Mid-Atlantic-based New Markets Venture Partners, a husband and father of three, a son of a highly regarded VC and Co-Founder of New Enterprise Associates (NEA).  I have spent the last 25 years engaged in all facets of education, the last decade discerning how private investment might enhance the same.

My success and happiness stem from Love, Luck, and Laughter. I love what I do for a living, am lucky to be surrounded by great people and opportunities, and try to find laughter in the least likely places.  My goal in life, if not this blog, is to share some of my passions and bring innovation and efficacy to education and learning, broadly wrought.

Why launch a blog in mid-2009?  You might posit . . .

• Who cares!
• Aren’t you a bit late to the digital party?
• Aren’t there enough VCs out there asking a variety of disparate questions and providing just as many subjective solutions to the same?
• Shouldn’t Limited Partners of blogging VCs be concerned that a VC’s time is better spent finding the best deals/companies and managing existing portfolio companies?

I provide little in the way of answers in this post. I only promise that I will continue to ask thought-provoking questions, and attempt to provide objective solutions and opinions to the same. It is my sincerest hope that you find some kernel of relevance in this post and those hereafter.

Thanks for reading.  Please return often.  Please comment liberally. I will endeavor to add content herein regularly and, as Sergeant Esterhaus of Hill Street Blues encouraged in the early ’80s, “Let’s Be Careful out There.”