Chris DeVore, Founders' Co-op – "Empowering Founders in the Heart of Seattle"

Building Seattle's Tech Legacy: A Conversation with Chris DeVoreIn this episode, Chris DeVore, managing partner at Founders Co-op, shares his journey from an operator to an influential venture capitalist in Seattle, shaping the city’s startup ecosystem. He discusses the evolution of his investment philosophy, the challenges of venture capital outside Silicon Valley, and his commitment to community-driven legacy projects like the waterfront park. Chris also highlights the promising companies in his portfolio, including vertical payments in construction and innovative applications in healthcare. The conversation provides deep insights into the interplay between founders, venture capital, and regional technology growth.00:00 Introduction00:58 Hello, Chris02:18 Chris's Journey to Venture Capital08:56 Founder-Friendly Investment Philosophy13:49 Founders Co-op Overview29:28 Views on Technology Trends43:02 Portfolio Highlights51:01 Missed Opportunities53:44 Legacy and Impact on SeattleAbout Your HostEd Barker has enjoyed a weird and varied career. Ed is a Brit now resident in Seattle and has founded three startups, enjoyed a long career in corporate strategy, and most recently as a VC. He's now building a podcast production company, Studio 1878. Sound Investments is a modest attempt to shine some light on the fantastic work being done in the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial community.Chris DeVore, Managing PartnerChris is the Founding Managing Partner of Founders’ Co-op, the Pacific Northwest's leading seed-stage venture fund. In that role, Chris led the seed rounds for Seattle's most recent successful IPO Remitly and $4B+ Outreach, was an early backer of Auth0, and led or participated in the first round financings of over 100 additional startups in the region. Chris also co-founded and led the Seattle branch of the global Techstars startup accelerator from 2010 to 2019, supporting an additional 100+ founding teams from inception through their first fundraise. Previously a co-founder of Adjacency, Chris also created outdoor retailer Patagonia's first online retailing channel and led product and business strategy teams at AT&T and McCaw Cellular. As a community volunteer, Chris co-chaired the City of Seattle’s Economic Development Commission, partnered with the University of Washington to create Startup Hall, and is a current Board member of Friends of Waterfront Seattle, a non-profit helping to revitalize Seattle’s downtown waterfront. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.