Sramana Mitra: Let’s do a couple more of your examples of what you’ve invested in.
Alex Benik: Sure. At Battery, I was an investor in a company called Packet, which was a bare metal hosting provider. It was acquired by a large data center company Equinix. The founders Zac and Jacob Smith are twin brothers and have gone on to found a company called Datum.
>>>Christian Geyer convinced the board of his employer to let him incubate a cybersecurity startup idea as a division of the company with an express intent of spinning it off. Now, ACTFORE has been spun out, doing almost $20M in bootstrapped annual revenue, and may soon find a lucrative exit. This is a phenomenal story for entrepreneurs considering the Bootstrapping with a Paycheck route.
Sramana Mitra: All right, Christian, let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised? What kind of background?
Christian Geyer: Well, I was born and raised in Reston, Virginia. I’m almost what I would consider a homebody. So, I’ve pretty much lived in Reston, Virginia. The only time I left was for college. I’m very centrally focused on family. My business is in Reston, Virginia, just a few miles from my actual childhood home and my current home.
Are there options for private, NDA-protected discussions with mentors or Sramana Mitra?
>>>What should I do if I have a sensitive idea or confidential technology – can I discuss it safely within the program?
>>>Sramana Mitra: That’s refreshing to hear. Tell us what you’ve invested in. Let’s go over some case studies. Describe the situation when they came to you, what attracted you, what made you write the check, and what you saw in those deals.
>>>If 1Mby1M doesn’t sign NDAs, how is my intellectual property protected during group sessions or roundtables?
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