Primary Venture Partners

We're a finalist in The Webby Awards. If you're a believer in NYC's tech scene, vote for our ten-year anniversary series on the ascent of this tech community community. Thank you Alan Patricof (Primetime Partners), Annie Lamont (Oak HC/FT), Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal (Warby Parker), Esther Dyson, Fred Wilson and Rebecca Kaden (Union Square Ventures), and Julie Samuels (TechNYC) for joining us, Primary Partners Brad Svrluga, Benjamin Sun, Sam Toole, Jason Shuman, and Rebecca Price, for serving as correspondents, and Paralucent Pictures for all things production.

GitHub CISO Alexis Wales joins Tobias Citron to unpack why high confidence info is a CISO’s currency. Her core rule for 2025: Resonance is key. They cover: • why risk communication trumps all • how to land actions with decision-makers • what CISOs need to hear in a crisis Watch the full episode with the link in the comments.

2025 is off to an incredible start — and we’re just getting warmed up at Tabs. We’re rapidly scaling and hiring across all functions. If you’ve ever wanted to join a fast-growing AI company transforming the Finance stack, now’s the time. Backed by top VCs such as General Catalyst, Lightspeed, and Primary Venture Partners, we’re building in a category that’s seeing a massive reset — the ERP world is being reimagined, and Tabs is at the center of it. Why join us? ✨ In-person energy 🧠 Unlimited whiteboards 🍽️ Free meals 💡 Incredible teammates 🤖 And yes, maybe even an AI Agent or two Some roles we’re hiring for right now: ➡ Royce Kok is looking for Solutions Consultants ➡ Zuul Quarnain Yakub is looking for Customer Success Managers ➡ Caitlin Lu is looking for Partnerships Managers ➡ Louise Ng is looking for a Product Marketing Manager If you’re curious, ambitious, and excited about building the future of finance, let’s talk. More details in the comments 👇

In the first quarter of 2025, investors are leaning further down the stack and getting “closer to the metal,” in continued support of AI innovations in tech. Both Mako and Silicon Data saw big funding rounds in the first part of the year, as investors look toward innovations in interactions between hardware and AI for long term value and durability. Read more in the Q1 NYC Seed Report:

Last week, Primary hosted our annual State of Startups—bringing together 200+ of NYC’s top operators for an evening focused on the most important force shaping tech today: AI. From macro market shifts to on-the-ground tactics, we explored how AI is transforming industries, functions, and business models—and what startup leaders need to prioritize to stay ahead. Highlights included: ✅ Cassie Young on why AI is the tip of the spear for growth, and what the top 1% of leaders do differently ✅ Brian Schechter on Primary’s macro POV and where we stand in the AI revolution ✅ Varun Anand and Emily Man on how AI is redefining knowledge work ✅ Jason Gelman, Tori Moss, and Scott Freifeld on the AI breakthroughs reshaping GTM and RevOps ✅ Jason Shuman on Vertical AI, new pricing models, and the next wave of breakout companies Huge thanks to our partners, Gunderson Dettmer, CIBC, and Samsung Next, for making the event possible. If you're interested in sponsoring future events like this, reach out to devin@primary.vc.

Privileged to have participated in Primary Venture Partners inaugural Impact Sales Forum this week. In addition to networking with some amazing women in the B2B SaaS space, the afternoon was chock full of tactical takeaways. Here are a few of my favorites: 🔑 Sales Mastery w/ Cassie Young (Primary) Efficiency is king - Given the current macro economic environment, the rise of experimental revenue (ERR) and faltering growth rates leaders that can that do more with less, increase ARR per employee (APE), are better positioned to succeed.  Your network is your net worth - All other things created equal, the better networked candidate will get the job, every time. 💼 Career Growth w/ Brianna Elefant (SIERRA AI) Be loud - It is a skill to transform your ambitions into a reality. Speak your goals into existence. Practice by doing the job you want. Act like an owner and articulate your impact — "It isn't your manager's job to know your success." 📈 Enterprise Sales Tactics w/ Elizabeth Duffield (Fabric) Effort counts 2x - It is so simple yet, as sellers, we so often shy away from outbound. Don't forget that small repeatable actions compound into big outcomes over time. People buy from people - Prioritize in person and personability. Create a system for yourself to "remember" personal details about your clients and prospects. Make them feel like a person not a persona. 🎤 Career Storytelling w/ Rebecca Schwartz (Tabs) Start with why - As Simon Sinek reminds us, “people don’t buy [hire for] what you do; they buy [hire for] why you do it.” 📞 Networking Playbook w/ Gina Yocom (Primary) Treat networking like ABM - Define your lane, map the right people, and go deep. Give to get - Always follow through and deliver more than you promise. ⚡️Biggest takeaway? A high tide raises all boats. To cultivate the next generation of #SalesLeadership, we need to continue raising the bar as collective with more knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. #ImpactForum2025 #GTM #SaaS #Networking #CareerDevelopment #B2BSales Magda Górniak Bell Kelsey Kramer Ming Bérubé-Sam Molly Shields

Tactical. Candid. Strategic. That’s the best way to describe the inaugural Impact Forum hosted by Primary Venture Partners. Primary brought together a powerhouse group of women in B2B SaaS for a mastery day focused not on theory, but on the real strategies it takes to win in this market and accelerate careers. A huge shoutout to Cassie Young for opening the day with unfiltered insights into how top performers think like true leaders. Cassie highlighted critical traits for success: P&L fluency, connecting your work to the company’s financials, and “First Team” leadership. Top performers avoid the “swimlane” trap, prioritizing cross-functional success over individual metrics. "Build your network like an investor." Gina Yocom made a compelling case for designing your strategic network with intention, depth, and specificity, think "bat phones" and finding your niche focus. “Crushing quota isn’t enough.” Brianna Elefant walked us through what true ownership looks like, from proactively piloting solutions to being a partner cross-functionally. Leadership = impact beyond your number. "The difference between closing and losing a deal often comes down to the details." Elizabeth Duffield, nailed it with this one. She dropped insights on navigating large buying committees, leveraging customer language, and prepping for high-stakes meetings. So much of winning deals comes down to personalization, precision, and patience. "Your story is your power." Rebecca Schwartz reframed how to pitch yourself by anchoring your narrative in decision-making, values, and adaptability. It's not just what you did, it's how you think and where you're going. One clear theme? Play offense with your career. Think like an operator, track your impact, and make your narrative and network work for you. Grateful to Primary for curating such an intentional room. Already looking forward to the next one!

A room full of #womeninsales is a room I want to be in. What an amazing evening at Primary Venture Partners and thank you so much to Cassie Young Rebecca Schwartz Elizabeth Duffield Brianna Elefant and Gina Yocom for the incredible insights into building your brand and owning your career. And yes, there were coffee dates scheduled after this event!

Congrats to the Cargado team! Well deserved after a breakout year 1 and just getting started.

Today we're excited to announce our $12M Series A, led by Itai Tsiddon & Nicholas Ellenoff at LGVP! The round includes new participation from Conversion Capital, Assembly Ventures, and Friends & Family Capital, alongside continued support from our early investors Primary Venture Partners, Ironspring Ventures, Zenda Capital, and Proeza Ventures. Closing this round amid ongoing tariff uncertainties presented unique challenges, but it reinforced exactly why we're building Cargado. Cross-border freight brokers and carriers need better tools, real collaboration, and technology designed specifically for cross-border freight. That's been our mission from day one, and now we're positioned better than ever to make it happen. A huge thanks to our investors and customers who continue to believe in our product, team, and mission. If you're not already using Cargado, you're missing out. Reach out today to schedule a demo.