Katy Wiley: Why I Joined Costanoa Ventures

Every recruiter knows that the best time to find a new job is when you’re not really looking for one. That was certainly true for me and Costanoa. I started out my career in tech recruiting for an agency right out of college. After 4 years, I transitioned into a corporate recruiting role for a fully remote talent marketplace startup. Since I jumped into recruiting the Monday after college graduation, I never had a chance to sit back and reflect on what I really wanted to do. I decided that I needed time to evaluate my next step…I knew I was ready for something new but wasn’t really sure which direction I wanted to head. All I knew for sure was that I wanted some time off to decompress.

That’s when a friend introduced me to Michelle McHargue at Costanoa.  We clicked right away, and I knew she was someone I wanted to work with. So I started as a part-time contractor to help build up a network of leaders in product, marketing, and engineering to connect with our portfolio companies. Given how important that is in the current market, and how difficult, my part-time consulting gig quickly turned into a full-time position at Costanoa. I’m so happy it did. 

Why? First, a shout out to Michelle. She’s the best manager I’ve ever had and I love working with her. But frankly the same is true for the entire team. Costanoa’s culture, values, and entire team are amazing – everyone is so smart, so helpful, and has so much integrity. 

I’ve always loved the excitement of working with startups so was intrigued by venture capital, it’s like a whole new world. Costanoa is an incredible learning environment, so for someone like me who is always pushing myself to try new things, it’s been an amazing introduction to the industry, the different companies in our portfolio, and what’s going on across the market. I’ve also been able to try new things, like putting my personal social media skills and interest in marketing to work on behalf of Costanoa’s operating platform and help create value through social media for our portfolio companies.

Even though I wasn’t necessarily looking for a job at the time, joining Costanoa really feels like the right place and right time for me. I also learned an important lesson – never pass up a networking conversation. You never know where it could lead. I’m excited to help others have this same feeling at their new jobs in our portfolio companies.