Hi Everyone - I hope you're doing well on this Sunday evening.  It's been a heck of a week, hasn't it?  I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel a bit battered from all of it.  As I spent some time reflecting today, I thought about these past 8 months and what they've meant to us.  For my family, it's meant we've had to figure out how to navigate relationships and space in a really careful, purposeful way.  We've also learned a lot about each other and I've had the rare opportunity to be more intimately connected with my teenagers.  That can be great, and I can assure you they love it!  For Novel and our team there, we've seen growth at lightning speed and it's not slowing any time soon.  Our team is closer and also enjoys an increased level of accountability and self-awareness that keeps us honest and nimble, and helps us operationalize our ideas.  As you go through the week, I encourage you to take note of the opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally, that this experience has afforded all of us.

Take care of each other.

December Speaker Series

Join us for the December Speaker Series webinar with BJ Lackland, former CEO of Lighter Capital. We will be discussing his time at Lighter, the state of the industry, how he got started, and more!

A little more about BJ's experience:

BJ has spent over 20 years funding and growing startups, raising and investing over $300MM in equity and debt for over 300 early stage companies. 

He was most recently CEO of Lighter Capital from 2012 to 2019. Lighter Capital is best known for making revenue-based loans, and during BJ’s tenure Lighter grew from 3 employees and 10 loans to 65 employees funding 650 financings to 350 startups. 

Prior to Lighter Capital, BJ was CFO of a Power Efficiency Corporation, a public energy technology company, and a VC at Summit Energy Ventures, focused on Series A investments in energy tech startups.  

BJ received an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, an MA in China Studies from the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Claremont McKenna College.