What’s the Worst that Could Happen?

January 20, 2016
Foundation Capital

Before I came to Foundation I worked in Marketing at Facebook. And there, in those hallowed halls hung many a poster. Posters to inspire. Posters to challenge convention. Posters with no greater ambition than to spruce up the place.

One of my faves was based on the earliest of internal mantras: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” I had always especially loved that poster and gravitated toward the idea of taking risks and challenging yourself, over the other clever phrases and inspirational images.

Last summer, my appreciation for that mantra was put to the test when FC Entrepreneur in Residence RJ Jain connected us with Chelsea Handler’s production company. She was working with Netflix (an early FC investment) to put together a documentary about Silicon Valley. And as you can imagine, when I got the call about whether or not we’d like participate, I was afraid. Very afraid.

But the mantra rang in my ears, and I asked myself, Should we do this? Yes, she might make fun of us, but shouldn’t we all laugh at ourselves a little in Silicon Valley? And if nothing else, it will be pretty cool to meet Ms. Handler and see firsthand how her show comes together.

We decided this was one of those things that a) doesn’t happen to venture firms very often and b) you should do even if you are afraid. So, I invited Chelsea Handler to the office to talk to us about the app she was developing for the show, and we organized a entrepreneur networking happy hour for her—all to help her with her new documentary series, Chelsea Does.

So in anticipation of this Saturday’s premiere—and the release of “Chelsea Does Silicon Valley”—I’ve been preparing for the possible outcomes.

First, the best case scenario:

[We look as happy as we did right after filming]

Second, the likely scenario:

Of course, the third scenario is that Foundation isn’t in the episode at all, in which case:

No matter what, we hope we can prove that our feelings and resolve are as unbreakable as Kimmy Schmidt, because we’re really excited about the new show. Chelsea’s move from TV to Netflix says a lot about where America is going for sharp content. Something we’ll be publishing a lot more about in the coming months. Let us know what you think of the show—no matter whether we make it in or recline happily on the cutting room floor.