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.

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.

The President of a $1.2B company, reveals a hiring truth most leaders overlook. The best candidates don’t merely want the job—they behave like they already have it. For Kat Cole, President & COO of AG1, a lack of curiosity, humility, or initiative are all deal-breakers. If a candidate hasn’t explored the product or demonstrated an obsession with their craft, they may not be the right fit. The strongest hires prove their value long before day one, immersing themselves in the business, its customers, and its challenges before ever stepping through the door. Tune in to the full conversation—link in comments.

Has AI brought with it too much ERR (experimental recurring revenue)? At HumanX 2025, our co-founder and General Partner Benjamin Sun unpacked how AI hype is fueling massive ARR spikes—but without real retention, those numbers won’t hold. Some of today’s buzziest AI startups will fade fast, while others will scale into the fastest-growing companies of our time. Watch the full panel—links in the comments.

Early-stage founders make one critical mistake when hiring…and it isn’t spoken about enough. Focusing only on what someone accomplished, not how they accomplished it, can doom someone for failure from the start. This misstep breeds culture clashes and unrealistic expectations, making failure all but certain. Kat Cole, President & COO of AG1, breaks down two leadership pitfalls that can derail growth: rebuilding past empires and ignoring the factors behind prior success. Choose the wrong leader, and your business veers toward failure. Choose the right one, and you set the stage for unstoppable growth. Watch the full conversation on Change Order with Jason Shuman—link in comments.

2025 kicked off with momentum, as AI continues to dominate the conversation and healthcare jumps in deal volume over the last quarter. Primary’s Q1 Seed Report is here, with insights and updates on funding from Mako, Silicon Data, Lizzy Care, Zest Health, Shadow Power, CapeZero, and more!

AI is undoubtedly the most significant technological shift of our time—and the pressure on founders to respond keeps mounting. But with investor frenzy, higher multiples, and relentless chatter, staying grounded is key. At HumanX, Primary co-founder and General Partner Benjamin Sun offers his first-principles lens on navigating this landscape. Watch the full panel with the link in the comments.