Connie Chan is now a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and she leads the company’s Asia network. Before her, the company stood by a specific rule – in order to become a general partner you had to be founder or CEO of a major tech company.
Chan joined the firm back in 2011 as an analyst and built a reputation for spotting trends in consumer tech as well as sourcing mega deals with startups like Pinterest and Lime. She is also head of the firm’s Asia network and made a name for herself by helping businesses thrive in Silicon Valley. One of the founders of the firm, Ben Horowitz, said:
“I had seen something in Connie that in the course of my career, I had almost never seen. From the way she answered every question to the way she had analyzed the firm to the poise she exhibited in the very way she sat in the chair, Connie was determined to be the best at everything she did. The old rule started to seem dated and out of place.”
Last year, Andreessen Horowitz decided to ditch the rule and make Chan a general partner at the firm, which represented a crucial step away from the perceived “boys’ club” culture on Sand Hill Road. However, the cool confidence Connie Chan has become known for was something she built in time. Growing up she felt she was always underestimated so she wanted to evolve:
“I was always told I was very quiet and soft-spoken, and probably wasn’t taken very seriously. People thought I was shy, or I didn’t speak up enough in class. [later] I’ve taken on this kind of “why not” attitude. Why not try something new? Why not go audition for this random singing group, right? Why not try something new? And that’s the same thing I take when I go into investing. I’m very open to looking at new categories of investment.”
Source: cnn.com
