An organization’s values aren’t expressed in words on a page–they are expressed by the people they bring in and the actions they take every day. As an active member in building a sustainable future for our community, our values include acting decisively and boldly, integrity, solving problems when you see them, talking less and working more, helping each other, speaking up and acting when things going wrong, thinking deeply, and always appreciating a glass of wine with friends. We believe that success isn’t just defined by how high you climb yourself, but also by how many people you help bring with you.

Besides startups, we do BBQs in the rain, planting trees, hanging out and lots of other good stuff. We are dynamic. Each person who joins our community adds to our values and character. Their distinctiveness is added to our own. We are a gang of coders, under-cover writers, cat-people, dog people, wise guys, trekies, Meteor-evangelists, geeks, philosophers, ornithologists, party-guys, theoretical physicists, debators, piano-players, idealists, cynics, often sarcastic, anthropologists, out-doorsy, samurais, and more, who work hard to build an inclusive startup and investment community that brings value to all our citizens.

Sound good so far?

“Creating value begins with having values.”

This is about more than creating startups, it is about creating entrepreneurs.
The people we work with today are the business leaders of tomorrow. The impact they will have on our culture, society, country and world in the future is unknown, but the example we set today is.

PERSEVERANCE

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Google. Success takes hard work, dedication, sacrifice and resilience. It isn’t a point in time or milestone—it is a process. It means striving to do better each and every day, picking yourself up from setbacks and maintaining your values.

HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY

in everything that we do, we need to be truthful to ourselves, our collaborators and our stakeholders.

ACTION

our words are important, but our actions define us and speak more than our words. Make sure your words and actions are in sync with each other, and consistent with who you want to be.

ACCOUNTABILITY

each of our actions and inactions have consequences. We accept the consequences of our choices, and don't shy away from being open about our mistakes.

SHARE SUCCESS

as we each strive to succeed in our own endeavors, we will help each other work towards their goals. The sum of our actions is greater than their parts, we will share success and recognize how others have helped us along the way.

TRUST

trust is built, not given. It is the effect of being true to our values, mission and stake-holders.

INTEGRITY

we believe in acting ethically, in fairness and respect for others. Our decisions will be guided by respect for principles and standards of good behavior, not by arbitrary choices or personal preferences.

LIFE

You only get one. Keep things in perspective. Your startup is important, but so is your life and the people in it. Do things that matter. Call your mom. Walk your dog. Don't let the ups and downs of business rule your life.