My Philosophy

The best part of venture is partnering with founders who see the world not as it is, but as it could be—and are hellbent on making it real. Supporting those kinds of people through the highs, lows, and hard calls is what makes this work so fulfilling.

Early-stage investing is ultimately about the people—their ambition, resilience, and clarity of thought. My role is to be a useful partner through it all: listening closely, challenging assumptions when it helps, and staying aligned through moments both obvious and ambiguous. The founder’s vision drives everything; I aim to be the kind of partner they’re glad to have in the room.

Experience

I’ve been in venture since 2016, backing early-stage teams building AI-native applications and the infrastructure that powers and protects them. At Costanoa, I look for founders with a sharp point of view, deep customer insight, and the grit to keep going when things get weird. I invest behind people first: those with bold ideas, unshakable conviction, and the humility to grow fast and keep learning. My goal is to be the person founders call first—whether things are going great or going sideways. Prior to Costanoa, I advised tech and consumer companies on strategy at McKinsey, and before that, worked in business development at Techweek, a national tech conference series. That gave me a front-row seat to startup energy—and a mild case of tech-conference PTSD, which I now consider an industry credential.

Education

- B.S. in Learning and Organizational Change with a concentration in Marketing and Economics from Northwestern University

Outside of Work

The current rotation of hobbies includes cycling, science fiction, U.S. history, and trying (with mixed results) to meditate. The constants are my wife, our two hilarious and high-energy boys (TJ and David), and a few well-loved guitars.

Perspectives from John Cowgill.