Setting Up Others For Success: Meredith Parsons' Journey
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In the world of VC, there is no one-size-fits-all path to success. Meredith Parsons, Operating Partner at Offline Ventures, exemplifies how embracing a non-linear career journey can lead to a fulfilling and impactful role in the VC ecosystem.
From Law to Education to VC:
Meredith's journey began as a paralegal, with aspirations of pursuing law as a long-term career. However, a passion for working with youth led her to pivot toward earning a Master's in Teaching from the University of Washington. She then launched a decade-long education and non-profit leadership career, including managing youth and coach education programs for USA Ultimate in Boulder, Colorado.
Meredith's entry into venture capital came through a childhood friendship. "It helped that my GP was a big fan of [Ultimate Frisbee], and we would go to Palo Alto pick-up [games] on Fridays," she recalls. This connection opened the door to a Chief of Staff role at DFJ, a renowned VC firm that has deployed over $4B into more than 300 portfolio companies since 1985, including AdMob, Baidu, Box, Skype, Tesla, Twitter, and more.
Law to frisbee to VC has more thru-lines than one would think. "At face value, my career appears to be pretty non-linear," Meredith acknowledges, "but the string you can follow from the beginning is a desire to set others up for success and facilitate meaningful interactions and personal growth."
Learning from Legendary Investors:
At DFJ, Meredith had a front-row seat to groundbreaking tech companies and learned from legendary investors like Steve Jurvetson, Emily Melton, Heidi Roizen, and Barry Schuler. "DFJ was an incredible place to land," she shares. "I had a front seat to some of the coolest frontier tech companies and learned from a long and rich tradition of a firm with a 30-year history."
Meredith's roles at DFJ expanded over five years, culminating in a position as Head of Platform. She credits the partners from DFJ Growth and DFJ (which rebranded to Threshold Ventures in 2019) for their incredible support toward her career growth. "I can't be thankful enough for the kindness, trust, and belief in me that the DFJ, DFJ Growth, and Threshold partners provided," she expresses.
"My biggest takeaway from this time is that you can champion your destiny with the right leadership and desire to learn," Meredith reflects.
"Meredith has that fantastic balance of ‘I’ll chew through glass’ but also ‘I’m going to push back on you and here are five good reasons why’ — a combination that always led to better results than just doing what someone else thought was the right idea."
-Heidi Roizen, Partner, Threshold Ventures
The Value of Firsthand Startup Experience:
A pivotal moment in Meredith's journey came from Emily Melton's advice to gain firsthand experience at an early-stage startup before taking her next role in VC. Meredith decided to head this guidance and spent 2.5 years as VP of Strategy at fintech company Hum Capital, working closely with the CEO and C-Suite.
"Emily was 100% right that this experience gives me a boost now that I am back on the other side of the table," Meredith affirms. "I gained immense empathy for the path of the founder and the inner workings of a rapidly scaling start-up."
Embracing the Generalist Role:
Now an Operating Partner at Offline Ventures, a fund and studio focused on the convergence of online and offline experiences to enhance the human experience, Meredith brings her multifaceted background to the fund’s operations. She believes there is space for both generalists and specialists in the VC world.
"Learn the big picture—if you can see the mosaic, you can best position yourself and your work to benefit the company as a whole," Meredith advises. The generalist who can be called to specialize where needed is a company's secret weapon. In my current role at Offline, I have already worn several hats that weren't in the job description—I love coming in and being able to pinch-hit and make a difference in a small team."
"Meredith is the epitome of the phrase ‘Jane of all Trades.’ As a single human, she is able to get her hands dirty across Finance, IR, Recruiting, Portfolio, Pipeline, Software and much more. As I've said many times, she is the oil that keeps the Offline train running smoothly and she does it with a can-do attitude at all times."
- Brit Morin, Managing Director, Offline Ventures
The Power of Community:
Throughout her VC career, Meredith has found genuine friendships and a supportive network, especially through Let’s Talk Ops (LTO). "I enjoy learning about interesting tips and tricks others have come up with, finding out how other funds are applying their own magic to the same game, and meeting wonderful people who love this quirky little corner of the investment world as much as I do," she shares.
"The friendships are genuine—I have a number of close friends that I owe entirely to LTO," Meredith adds. "We've helped each other through personal and career growth, as well as setbacks, and in this weird, lonely age of largely digital existence, it's so powerful to have your people in real life that you show up for and who show up for you."
Advice for Aspiring VC Professionals:
For those just starting in venture capital, Meredith advises figuring out what you don't know and leaning in. "The best way to get yourself iterating fast and providing the most value you can to your GPs is by figuring out what you don't know and leaning in, and communities like LTO are by far the best resource for someone at the beginning of their career," she recommends.
She also emphasizes understanding that VC ultimately revolves around doing deals and returning capital to LPs. "While the day-to-day work that platform and ops professionals do is critically important, at the end of the day, returning capital to LPs allows us to stay in this rare air," Meredith notes.
Meredith sees her role as creating efficiency, anticipating needs with data, and setting up founders and investors for success. "What I love about venture capital is that doing those three things can take on a million different forms, and there is no one right answer, so being creative and open to opportunities to think differently keeps the role fresh year after year," she reflects.
Meredith’s' journey illustrates that a learning mindset and a drive to facilitate others' success can lead to a rewarding career in venture capital. Her story hopefully inspires those seeking to navigate their unique path in the dynamic world of VC.
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Let’s Talk Ops (LTO) is a community of first-class operators powering some of the most successful venture capital firms in the world from behind the scenes. We provide connective tissue, mentorship, and tactical support to help members execute at top form across the many verticals they manage inside their funds. LTO also provides high-powered professional development to assist members with career navigation and to ensure the best talent stays in venture. As such, we’ve launched our LTO Member Spotlights, aimed to elevate the visibility of VC operator contributions to the venture ecosystem at large.