My heart was pounding all morning knowing this news would go live. But I was struggling to figure out why.
Was I nervous that the angle would be somehow negative?
Was I afraid that our transparency in sharing our fundraising "out loud" would be twisted against us?
Was I just excited?
I tried to meditate. To journal. But I couldn't figure it out.
Then it hit me. I didn't want to celebrate.
Sure, hitting first close, especially in current conditions, is huge.
I'm proud of this milestone.
I'm thrilled to be welcoming so many new and returning investors to Fund II.
And I'm super excited about what it means for our mission at Tenacious.
My hands were shaking because celebrating feels inauthentic when we have so much more work to do.
Not just more money to raise ("always be raising!" is just a fact) or more to prove. More IMPACT to be had. More companies solving climate challenges in agri-food to fund and support.
With this framing clear in my head, and the mission front and center, I could ask myself: well, what would feel authentic?
That's easy! It feels good, fantastic even, to celebrate the impact we've already helped to catalyze.
RapidAIM Pty Ltd launching game-changing products to optimize pesticide use, and deploying on farms in several countries with some of the biggest players in their space.
GOTERRA proving out their first-in-the-world model and vision - again and again - with new partners like the City of Sydney and Skretting.
SwarmFarm Robotics bots farming over 4 million acres fully autonomously and sending their first robot to the US. Cutting input costs and improving farmer's lives.
Jupiter Ionics announcing world-leading scientific breakthroughs in green ammonia, championing a new future for green fertilizer.
We don't just back software companies. We don't just back men. We never compromise on impact or commercial ambition.
The sacrifices these teams have made to bring their visions to life - not just on paper where valuations are calculated but in the lab, on the field, in the shed... in the real world! - is what I want to celebrate.
Systems-change is never linear, never easy, never without cost.
But it's what we urgently need to combat the multi-billion dollar realities facing our agri-food system. And more challenges are coming. It's going to get harder, more complex.
We couldn't back these companies without the support of our investors.
So, here's to first close. Here's to being Tenacious and backing Tenacious founders.
And let's keep building.
https://lnkd.in/gmWsJR_H
Tenacious Ventures J. Matthew Pryor Vela Georgiev Simon Uzcilas
