Today’s teacher is Jacqueline Morby. She may well be the greatest investor you've probably never heard of. For anyone who invests in software or participates in the now nearly trillion dollar global growth equity industry, chances are Jackie helped to shape and give rise to the professional world you inhabit. In 1978 at the age of 40, and with her only professional experience to date being a few years of substitute teaching, Jackie joined TA Associates, the largest venture capital firm in the world at that time.

Within just a few years, she would revolutionize her industry, effectively originating the concept of cold calling profitable bootstrap technology companies not actively looking for funding. While the concept seems so simple, this truly was a radical innovation and in effect pioneering the art of looking for talented people in companies that don't necessarily want to be found, sparking a movement that created what we now know as growth equity. As if that's not enough, Jackie was also one of the very first investors of any kind to recognize the inherent business quality of software companies.

Over the next two decades, as software would begin to eat more and more of the world, Jackie would have a front row seat as one of the most important capital partners to the industry. This is Jackie's first podcast of any kind, and we feel so honored to bring this conversation to you, mainly because hers is a story that merits so much more attention.

Please enjoy this class with the queen of software, Jacqui Morby.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Learn About EightSleep

(00:05:00) Introduction to Jacqueline Morby: The Queen of Software

(00:06:35) Early Life and Education

(00:07:44) Jacqui’s Family Life and Early Career

(00:11:04) Joining TA Associates and Industry Innovations

(00:13:13) Early Days at TA Associates

(00:15:17) Impact of Teaching and Overseas Experience

(00:16:52) Pioneering Cold Calling in Venture Capital

(00:19:05) Cold Calling Success Stories

(00:23:17) Missed Opportunities and Big Wins

(00:25:45) Investing in Software: A Revolutionary Idea

(00:40:07) Philanthropy and Cure Alzheimer’s Fund