Give First: A Conversation with Brad Feld on Radical Generosity in Venture Capital
By Ollie Howie, Managing Partner at Mount Auburn Venture Partners
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to attend an intimate event hosted by Dug Song (founder of Duo Security) and Scott Dorsey (founder of Exact Target (acq. Salesforce and High Alpha) at High Alpha, where Brad Feld and Scott Dorsey discussed the philosophies behind Give First. I had read Brad’s Venture Deals shortly after graduating from Harvard, and it quickly became one of the most impactful books in shaping how I thought about startup finance and founder-investor dynamics. Years later, Give First is every bit as powerful, not just for what it teaches, but for how it makes you want to show up differently in the world.
After the event, I followed up with Brad to share how much his work had influenced me and asked him two questions that had been on my mind. To my surprise and gratitude, Brad replied during what he admitted was a blowout Game 6 of Pacers-Thunder a true display of email endurance. In that moment, he modeled exactly what Give First is about: being radically generous with your time, while still holding high standards.
Below is our exchange, shared with Brad’s permission, that touches on how he manages responsiveness in a high-demand world, and how he navigates relationships across founders, LPs, and mentors.
Q1: After reading Give First, I’ve become more intentional about responsiveness. You talk about your obsession with Inbox 0 and “beast mode” periods. How do you balance thoughtful replies with time constraints — especially when trying not to miss the next Fitbit-level founder in your inbox? Do you prioritize the content of the message or how quickly it came in?
Brad Feld:
“It's always difficult. I've given up on ending the day with Inbox 0, but I end the day with no unread emails. Then, when I have time (like I do now - I'm watching the Pacers-Thunder Game 6) I catch up going in reverse date (oldest first) order. I just grind through them and try to give people who emailed me (like you did) thoughtful responses. I also separate my work (brad@foundry.vc) from my personal (brad@feld.com) email and prioritize the stuff in the inner part of my circle! I'm not perfect at it, but I try.”
Q2: In the book, you talk about learning your mentors' “love language” and tailoring your engagement to that. How do you approach this in a virtual, global world — and does your approach shift between LPs, founders, or other mentors?
Brad Feld:
“Love languages are hard to infer. As I get to know someone better, I both observe things but also figure out how to talk about these. And - often - I'll be direct and ask what their actual love language is. A lot of people don't know it and that generates a fun conversation. I also wait until I've developed more of a relationship and try to pick my spot for this conversation as part of a broader conversation, especially when the other person is spending time getting to know me!”
Building a Firm that Gives First
Brad’s philosophy resonated deeply with me not just because of how much sense it makes, but because of how rare it is in practice. At Mount Auburn Venture Partners, we’ve tried to take that same give first approach and bake it into how we build: leading with support, offering value before we ask for anything, and being responsive even when it’s inconvenient.
Especially across founders, LPs, and mentors, I’ve found the most important thing is simply showing you’re paying attention and care enough to tailor the interaction. And I genuinely admire how Brad continues to make space for others, even as his platform and commitments have grown. It’s something I try to emulate as we grow our own platform.
We take the long view, lead with integrity, and roll up their sleeves to help founders from day one. At Mount Auburn, we’re building something bold, inclusive, and founder-first. And we’re doing it the hard way with heart, learning from the best.
You can pick up Brad’s book Give First here. It’s required reading at our firm, not just because of the content, but because of the character behind it.
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Ollie Howie
Managing Partner, Mount Auburn Venture Partners