Bee Partners, a genesis-stage venture firm, pollinates visionary entrepreneurs with financial, human and social capital. We actively support teams with customer development, marketing strategy, financing strategy and more.
Bee Partners, a genesis-stage venture firm, pollinates visionary entrepreneurs with financial, human and social capital. We actively support teams with customer development, marketing strategy, financing strategy and more.
“Michael was the first investor in TubeMogul... He took a risk on a team and a vision before anyone else was willing to do so. We are glad he did as his contribution has been meaningful. In the early days he helped with our strategy, biz dev efforts and fundraising. Where he stands out from other investors is his persona: he's a consummate optimist and believer and inspires me every time we talk.””
Read all testimonials“I’ve partnered with Michael on a couple ventures now and I’m very excited to be working with him again at Pubget (www.pubget.com). Michael has three personal attributes that have been helpful to me: First he’s a ‘big node’ - he knows a broad range of folks that can help your business. Second, he’s very effective at seeing the big picture and doesn’t get bogged down in time wasters. Finally, he’s absolutely above board – he’ll give you the straight story and expects the same.””
Read all testimonials“Michael is a tremendous asset to have on your team. He is a thoughtful, consummate professional who combines an understanding of finance and marketing in an entrepreneurial focus to provide an early stage company with strategic guidance, management expertise, and developmental leadership. He is a "solutions" person who understands how to take an idea and turn it into a viable system that can be replicated for others to manage. Moreover, besides possessing a keen insight into technology, he understands how to communicate with customers, which enables him to contribute valuable business development and marketing insights to the enterprise. He unequivocally comes with my highest recommendation.””
Read all testimonials“Short version: If you have a chance to work with Michael, take it!
Longer version: Michael joined our startup as an advisor in early 2009. An entrepreneur himself, he quickly got up to speed on what we were doing and set about contacting people in our space to better understand our potential customers and their needs. We were a bit scatterbrained from a strategic standpoint and his counsel in that area alone has been a great asset. He also introduced us to the concept of Customer Development, something we will never again neglect when starting a new venture. Michael is completely trustworthy, eager to add value, and jumps in with both feet. You'd be fortunate to have someone of his caliber on your team.””
“Michael is the best startup advisor I've worked with. He's helped me with both a 3-founder and single-founder startup and really pushed our businesses further with each meeting and call. Michael's experience, availability, and thoughtfulness are among the many reasons we built such a strong relationship. I would love to work with Michael again!””
Read all testimonials“I met Michael when all I had was a concept. 2 short months later I had my first beta launched, a list of handy resources, and finally really knew what I was doing. His vast range of knowledge for every step of the startup process is nothing short of brilliant. I've been blessed enough to have him as a trustworthy consultant and friend, and would recommend him to anyone in a heartbeat. 2 and a half years later, Michael is still the #1 person I turn to.””
Read all testimonials“Michael is one of the most productively engaged investors I've ever had. He evaluated Zipongo both on our mission and our business, and then rolled up his sleeves, working in our office for 2-3 days a week for a period of time, helping with everything from Sales to Product to Finance, when we most needed the help and wisdom. He loves startups and seeing them through their early proof points, and also able to dish important constructive feedback. He's efficient and diligent about his contributions, and, he's fun to work with. Bee Partners is building an impressive portfolio, and what I admire about Michael, is that he's helping the earliest stage entrepreneurs who have a passion for building something meaningful, get their idea off their ground. In starting a company, Michael would be one of the first people I speak with going forward, and I expect Bee Partners will soon be spoken in the same sentence with Founder Collective, SV Angels, True Partners and First Round Capital (probably with Bee as the first investor in for a lot of great newcos).””
Read all testimonials“Michael was one of the lead investors in Magoosh’s seed round. A lot of investors say they offer more than just capital. With Michael, I can truly say that is the case. First, he took the time to get to know us as people - what our strengths are, what our blind spots may be, and how we want to make a dent in the world. As a result, over the course of the early stages of Magoosh, he has been able to astutely assess where he can directly help, where he can’t, or where he can connect us to the right person who can. Second, there’s never been a time when he hasn’t been available for us. Whether it’s a call late at night to talk through a pressing issue or meeting for a couple of hours to talk through strategic issues, I haven’t run into a situation where he hasn’t been willing and able to contribute his time. Michael is an entrepreneur’s investor. He has been an extremely valuable part of the greater Magoosh team and gets my highest recommendation.””
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