Shine Capital

At Shine, we always try to respect your inbox and your time. So we hope you’ll take note of this irregular communication, which contains some exciting news about our firm, as we approach our fourth anniversary. Alex Hartz is now a General Partner at Shine, and Ethan Daly is a Partner. They have each earned these roles and distinctions, and I am privileged to recognize them. In a relatively short time, both Alex and Ethan have demonstrated the skills and mindsets that define Shine's founding mission: to be partners of choice to discerning entrepreneurs. They do this by leveraging lateral thinking and an unyielding dedication to help founders win. We have also added Jenna Greenspan to our team as Head of Investor Relations and Communications; it is a sign of Shine’s maturity to create this position and have someone as talented as Jenna step into it. The last team addition is Adam Hanft, who is joining our terrific group of venture partners. I have known and worked with Adam for almost two decades, and as an expert in strategy, branding, and marketing, Adam will help our portfolio companies and our firm in the often overlooked but deeply important work of narrative development. Everyone on our team has welcomely different perspectives, viewpoints, and personalities, but we share common values and are motivated by the same drive to help build enduring businesses from the earliest possible moment. I also want to point you to the latest version of our manifesto -- https://www.shine.vc/about -- although ‘latest’ might imply a more comprehensive change than has occurred. The essence and precepts of the original remain intact, but we want to provide more clarity on our point of view, based on what we’ve seen, learned, and experienced over these last four years. We have come to reject the label of ‘generalists’ because it fails to capture the interconnections that excite us as ‘lateralist’ investors. Skating to where the puck is going is a good analogy for how we approach early-stage investing. Our investment thesis takes that further; we see many pucks moving in parallel across technology, markets, and culture, and we aim to skate to the point where they come together. That coming together is where magic happens. Those are the energy fields of tomorrow. We invest thematically. We share our perspectives liberally when you spend time with us, and from time to time in public. And while our investing themes evolve and change over time, our expansive way of thinking remains consistent. I have lived through the dot-com crash and the global financial crisis, and we started Shine in the pandemic years. Like the incredible founders we partner with, we are resilient, remaining optimistic and undeterred, while at all times being vigilant interrogators of our assumptions. As always, we are here to help you build, in New York, San Francisco, Tel Aviv, and beyond. Mo

I love investing in culture shifts. Once taboo, cosmetic and plastic dermatology is on the verge of mainstream adoption, further accelerated by the proliferation of GLP-1s. Bliss provides an holistic AI-powered platform to ensure patients and doctors have a trusted and seamless aesthetic journey. We Shine Capital are thrilled to partner with Bliss to revolutionize the aesthetic market, one of the fastest growing consumer markets in the world.

We are thrilled to continue supporting Blackbird Labs in its mission to revolutionize restaurant payments and loyalty! https://lnkd.in/gThAmPDj

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘼𝙩 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨. Lateral Thinking is defined by the Maltese psychologist Edward de Bono as “the solving of problems by an indirect and creative approach, typically through viewing the problem in a new and unusual light.” As Lateralists, we are particularly interested in the multidimensional trends that shape our world. We believe true innovation happens at the intersection of technology, markets, and culture. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀. 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Across all aspects of society, there is a growing demand for deeper service delivery and a refusal to accept mediocrity. 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 Massive distributed computing power allows us to dynamically consume, react, respond to, and shape the world around us. 𝗥𝗲𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 In a world where institutions have lost our trust, we increasingly seek new connections that confer meaning and well-being. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Structural problems are solved by breaking down complex systems into ever-smaller pieces and reimagining them from the ground up to create entirely new paradigms. 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Incentive misalignment within an economic ecosystem results in cost and pain; technology applied brilliantly and holistically brings all stakeholders into congruence. 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 Human creativity will flourish as technology increasingly automates the mundane and the rote. 𝗪𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. Many of our investing themes draw upon multiple trends and principles; this results in a powerful multiplier effect. Of course, specific investing themes will evolve over time, but our expansive multidisciplinary approach will remain consistent. If any or all of this resonates, we would love to hear from you! https://lnkd.in/eKdCw28M