Palm Drive Capital×BRETT FINK

I’m Brett Fink.

At 500 Startups and Moderne Ventures, I sourced founders and worked with them through the accelerator, from go-to-market and marketing to fundraising. I joined Snapchat right out of school as one of its first 100 employees. I’d bring that mix of investing and operating experience to Palm Drive’s LA team.

See my venture work
Brett Fink speaking on stage at 500 Startups
500 Startups

Venture and operating experience

  • 500 Startups
  • Moderne Ventures
  • Snapchat
500 StartupsFounder support · Accelerator operations · Partnerships · Corporate development

I ran demo days and helped founders in batches 18–22 sharpen their go-to-market plans, marketing, and investor pitches. I also worked on partnerships and corporate development.

Moderne VenturesSenior Associate & Accelerator Director

I sourced and evaluated investments, including Series A opportunities, and ran the accelerator. I worked with founders on go-to-market and fundraising and connected them with prospective enterprise customers.

Selected companies

Sourced at Moderne Ventures

Nova Credit

Cross-border credit data for lenders.

HSBC partnership ↗

LeaseLock

Lease insurance as an alternative to security deposits.

LeaseLock’s product ↗

Supported at 500 Startups

Printify

Print-on-demand production and fulfillment.

2024 Printful merger announcement ↗

Infraspeak

Software for facilities and maintenance teams.

Infraspeak’s platform ↗
SnapchatFirst 100 employees · Creative strategy

I joined right out of school and worked across departments to help grow the business, including on creative strategy and special projects.

My LinkedIn network

Venture and operating roles

Role breakdown

Each contact appears in one group based on their LinkedIn title and employer.

Browse full directory

How I’d work alongside the LA partner.

  1. Find founders early

    Start with my LA accelerator and investor network. Use San Francisco demo days to meet more software founders and bring back briefs on the strongest fits.

  2. Test the investment case

    Research the market and talk to customers about adoption, sales cycles, and willingness to pay.

  3. Write the investment memo

    Work with the partner to lay out the evidence, the risks, and what the investment committee still needs to decide.

  4. Help raise the next fund

    Research prospective LP mandates, prepare investor briefs, and support partner-led pitches and follow-up.

My first 90 days.

I’d work alongside the LA partner on founder sourcing, live diligence, investment committee, and pitches for the next fund.

01–30

Learn the mandate and start sourcing

Use the sourcing relationships I built at 500 Startups and Moderne to find seed and Series A software founders. Start in LA, then review the first opportunities with the partner and compare my assessments with how Palm Drive discusses deals in investment committee.

  • Bring the partner five founder briefs with a thesis, evidence of customer demand, and the next diligence question.
  • Review the next fund’s investor materials and learn how the partner qualifies prospective LPs.
Founder briefs and a prioritized sourcing list
31–60

Run diligence and write a memo

Use my experience arranging enterprise meetings at Moderne to recruit buyer references for a live deal. Speak with a customer and a prospect who chose an alternative. Bring the committee a memo on who owns the budget, how the product wins, and what would change my recommendation.

  • Represent Palm Drive at a San Francisco demo day when scheduled and follow up with founders who fit the mandate.
  • Observe a portfolio board meeting and debrief with the partner on the founder’s priorities, when available.
  • Prepare investor briefs and help the partner rehearse next-fund pitches.
Investment memo and investor briefs
61–90

Sharpen sourcing and support fundraising

Review which sourcing channels produced the strongest deals, then double down on those relationships. Bring my diligence findings into investment committee discussions on live opportunities.

  • Join partner-led LP pitches and take responsibility for the follow-up the partner assigns.
  • Help prepare investor materials and attend the New York annual general meeting if it falls in this window.
Sourcing review and next-fund pitch follow-up

My first week

  1. MON

    Set the investment criteria

    Agree with the LA partner on which seed and Series A software companies to pursue, what earns a first meeting, and how to flag deals for investment committee.

  2. TUE

    Start sourcing

    Build an LA founder shortlist from my 500 Startups and Moderne networks. Draft outreach for the founders who best fit the mandate.

  3. WED

    Join a live diligence project

    Review a company’s product, market, and competitors. Draft customer questions around adoption, budget, and alternatives.

  4. THU

    Prepare for investment committee

    Read a recent Palm Drive memo and draft a one-page brief on the live deal. Join the next committee discussion if one is scheduled.

  5. FRI

    Get up to speed on the next fund

    Review the pitch with the partner, research a prospective LP, and draft an investor brief with questions for the meeting.

I’d love to meet the LA team.

Email Brett LinkedIn