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Managing Director
Mobius Venture Capital
Superior, Colo.
Brad Feld started as a techie, became an entrepreneur, and is now a venture capitalist, managing the technology funds of Mobius Venture Capital. He has also developed the flexibility he needs to write Feld Thoughts, read voraciously, engage in active philanthropy, and divide his time between Colorado and Alaska.
As an undergraduate at MIT Sloan, Feld — who had written software professionally while in high school — gravitated toward computer science and got increasingly excited about entrepreneurship.
In 1987, he founded Feld Technologies, a self-bootstrapped operation that over seven years grew into one of Boston's leading software consulting firms. Success was mandatory. “We had to make a profit because we had no money,” says Feld.
He also had no exit strategy, but AmeriData Technologies found him. As CTO of AmeriData following its acquisition of his company, Feld built the hardware giant's software consulting arm and gained his first experience with investments and acquisitions. He joined Mobius in 1996 after starting new several ventures and doing angel investing.
Feld estimates that he has been involved in about 100 companies. His intellectual interest in the business remains keen for two reasons.
As he explains, “I fundamentally am a nerd, so the ‘stuff’ of these early-stage businesses genuinely interests me. Part of the fun is working with tangible things that I use every day and have a point of view about. And I love helping create a company, working to turn an idea into something substantial.
“I like to pursue ideas that have some dissonance. I have learned that, cliché or not, it is all in the people. When I look at a new business, I try to interact as much as possible with the people, both intellectually and by doing active things.”
Feld is enthusiastic about Mobius’ recent investments in companies using RSS protocol to publish and update Web-based content. “RSS will become ubiquitous,” he says, “and these are tiny, dynamic businesses in a fast-moving market.”
Over the past decade, Feld and his wife, Amy Batchelor, have developed an increasingly intentional way of living. They moved to the Boulder area with a deliberate view of financial and philanthropic engagement in the community.
At first, their work was done anonymously, but they wanted to provide leadership and became more visible through their Anchor Point Fund. The fund supports organizations in the arts, education, the environment, and women's issue. By design, 70 percent of its philanthropy is local, 20 percent national, and 10 percent international.
In keeping with his local focus, Feld supports the University of Colorado at Boulder, but he has become more active at MIT Sloan because he sees “a difference in horsepower between MIT and anywhere else. There's an unbelievable amount of stuff to ‘get.’ One of the things I value the most is my relationship with my mentor, Eric von Hippel. And in addition to the intellectual piece, you get a calling card for things that are difficult to gain access to — you become a recognized part of an engaged community for the future.”
© 2012 MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT