Notation Capital

Nicholas Chirls

Partner

Focuses on product, growth, and capital raising at Notation. Nick was previously Head of Seed Investing at betaworks, and led product for several betaworks projects and previous startups.

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Notable Investments

Redesign Science, Podia, Simple Health, Zipdrug, Nylas, BigHead

Questions & Answers

Origin Story: In a couple sentences, how would you describe your path to becoming an investor?

I started as a junior investor on the betaworks seed investing in 2012 and fell in love with early-stage investing :-)

Investment Approach: What are the key factors you consider when evaluating a founding team?

We look for founders that are (1) High-integrity leaders who can communicate clearly, inspire, and prioritize their strategy (2) Have complementary skills and a healthy team dynamic (3) Builders by nature (ie. Technical DNA, product-focused, and growth mindset), and (4) Have unique insight into and passion for a specific problem or market.

What's your style and approach when it comes to working with founders post-investment? What are the characteristics of founders you've worked well with?

We are in the trenches. We focus on helping founders hire, build, sell, and fundraise in the first 18 months to get to an institutional seed or series A round.

If I'm coming to pitch to you, what's the one piece of advice you'd give me?

Be yourself and tell / show us something special!

How would you describe your own personal mission and values, and how do they impact the way you invest?

We list our core values in the Notation operating manual - https://github.com/NotationCapital/Operating-Manual/blob/master/README.md

What do you like best about investing in NYC, and what’s your outlook on the future of NYC tech?

We are ALL IN on NYC, always have been and always will.