Jan 05, 2016
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Time Flies When You're Having Fun...And Working Hard by Chris Sugden, Managing Partner Happy New Year! 2015 seemed to fly by at Edison Partners…it was one of our busiest and most successful yet. We have a lot to be proud of and thankful for in 2015, so I will start by thanking our team. It would be an insurmountable challenge for you to find one that produces more per capita than our group at Edison. Next, on behalf of our entire team, thank YOU for your continued support and confidence. We are motivated and inspired by the continued opportunity to bring the Edison Partners’ ecosystem to our portfolio companies, as well as the entrepreneurs and management teams that we have the privilege to meet throughout the year. In 2015, we expanded our team with the addition of Operating Partner, Gregg Michaelson, and Associate, Jordy Albert, both of who brought unique skillsets and enthusiasm to our team. The Sales & Marketing Acceleration Program completed more than 200 engagements and we produced our very first Sales & Marketing Performance Index. Thanks to the portfolio companies that participated in the survey. We closed $250M in capital commitment to our newest fund, Edison VIII. We welcomed five new portfolio companies into the Edison family, held 11 events focused on company-building, and completed several exciting exits. On top of all of that, we moved to a new office in Princeton, NJ. In 2016, we strive to raise our focus on what I consider to be the two most important elements of The Edison Code: 1) Doing Whatever It Takes for our portfolio companies in their quest to be market leaders and 2) Having empathy for entrepreneurs, management teams, and our Limited Partners. Empathy is summed up best by Teddy Roosevelt who once said, “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Finally, if you have not yet made your New Year’s resolution(s), we are ONLY five days into the New Year—it’s not too late! My view is that resolutions are a little overrated, as they too often involve giving things up. I prefer a short list that adds to my life, and as such, here are my two priorities for 2016: 1. Being on time. I am guilty of over-scheduling and being late too often, so recommitting to being on time. My best practice toward achieving this will be scheduling meetings at least 30 minutes apart. Seems like such a simple thing, right? Yet, we all waste so much time waiting for others. What message do we send to colleagues, entrepreneurs, or management teams when we show up just a “few minutes late?” Perhaps we can all (re)commit (not resolve) to being a few minutes early to meetings this year. 2. Reading more to learn. Over the holiday break, I realized how little I read to learn (vs. readingto do my job). My wife bought me Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Reagan for Christmas. While I will spare you my political leanings (you can follow me @sugdenvc for that), I won’t save you from the reminder that “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” The book reminded me of what I have forgotten about our history over the last 3-4 decades, and how many parallels there are between the 80s and current events. The bottom line: we owe it to ourselves to read more to learn. It is an exciting time for our firm and we are delighted that you are, and will continue to be, a part of it. Together, let’s make 2016, Edison’s 30th year, a tremendous success. Checkout our Year-End Update
EXITS & NEW INVESTMENTS Edison exited four companies in 2015:
SAVE THE DATE! Mark your calendars for the following 2016 events.
Open House January 27th. RSVP here
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YEAR IN REVIEW
FEATURED OPENINGS Arkadium, B2B Product Lead, CFO/VP Finance Clearpoint, Business Development Manager Fishbowl, CMO Logfire, VP Sales Motionsoft, CFO For full list of featured positions Click Here>> Edison Lists: 14 Songs For Your New Year's Resolution Workout Playlist We’re pretty sure that just about every list of New Year’s resolutions includes a workout plan in one form or another. Your friends at Edison Partners decided to assemble a list of songs that are sure to get you fired up about the gym in 2016. CEO CORNER Check out interviews with Edison's CEOs and business leaders about their companies and work with Edison.
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We were also proud to announce the addition of five new portfolio companies: 
