Investor in Uber, Roku & Siri: What He Looks for in Iconic Consumer Products

My guest today is Shawn Carolan, Managing Partner at Menlo Ventures, one of Silicon Valley’s oldest venture firms with more than $5B under management.Shawn led early investments in Uber, Roku, Siri, and Chime, generating over $2B in returns for Menlo’s LPs.Behind those wins is a clear philosophy, what Shawn calls his Consumer Utilitarian Framework: a model for backing companies that use breakthrough technologies to meet timeless human needs in faster, cheaper, and better ways.Today we talked about:His Consumer Utilitarian Framework and Menlo Ventures’ 4 investing pillars.Core principles: timeless human needs × evolving technology.AI as the next “ingredient technology” unlocking new markets.How AI gives failed apps like MyFitnessPal a second lifeShawn’s key lessons from 20+ years of consumer investing.GET THE BEST OF THE INTERVIEWS IN OUR NEWSLETTER🗞️Read it: https://rebrand.ly/tssnwsrss