Introducing OpenView’s Next Generation of Leaders

Despite all of its challenges and uncertainty, 2020 ended up being a record-breaking year for OpenView. We invested more capital than in any prior year in the firm’s history, and we returned more capital than we’ve raised across all OpenView funds combined.

Performance like this doesn’t happen overnight—it’s the result of a concerted effort by a focused group of investors and operators over a long period of time. At OpenView we value people above all else, and our people are the firm. So as we look to 2021 and beyond, I’m excited to announce that we’ve promoted seven on our team to Partner.

I couldn’t be prouder to welcome Tom Holahan, Dan Heck, Tim Keebler, Brian Carthas, Casey Renner, Kyle Poyar, and Steve Melia into OpenView’s Partnership. This next generation of leaders all share a deep dedication to our mission of improving people’s working lives—they’ve made innumerable contributions to the firm and the market-defining software companies with whom we partner.

Tom Holahan joined OpenView in 2019 as a Vice President. Tom focuses on infrastructure, security and application software and has been a part of our investments in Axonius, Buildkite, and Intezer. As a Partner, Tom will continue to work with the world’s most product-driven founders to reshape existing markets and create new ones.

“Tom’s understanding of our business and his hands-on, no BS approach to actually help us move the needle is very rare,” said Itai Tevet, Co-Founder and CEO of Intezer.

Dan Heck joined OpenView as a Vice President in 2019. He has worked on our investments in Highspot, optimize.health, Postscript, Project44, and ZipWhip, focusing on application software companies modernizing real-world industries like logistics, construction, and insurance. As a Partner, Dan is excited to continue to support world-class entrepreneurs and to make OpenView the best VC firm it can be—for founders, OpenView employees, and anyone and everyone who interacts with us.

“Dan has been acting like a Partner at OpenView since the day he arrived,” said Ricky Pelletier, Partner at OpenView. “He’s an exceptional investor who has the ability to connect with many different types of founders across multiple sectors within software. He’s a natural leader who isn’t afraid to think differently, and I’m ecstatic to have him as my Partner.”

Tim Keebler joined OpenView in May of 2020 as a Vice President. Tim focuses on application software companies with an eye towards exceptional founder/market fit and is grateful for the privilege to work alongside such impressive people to build something great. Tim was previously a Vice President at LLR Partners and started his career as an Associate at General Catalyst.

“Tim is a savvy thinker and was influential in bringing Encamp and OpenView together,” said Luke Jacobs, Co-Founder and CEO of Encamp. “He has the unique ability to move between strategic and tactical level of analysis, from positioning opportunities in the context of larger market trends, to discerning actionable sales and marketing insights.”

Brian Carthas joined OpenView 10 years ago as an Analyst. He’s been intimately involved in building our investment team and worked with 12 of the firm’s portfolio companies, including Datadog, VTS, Lessonly, and Highspot. As a Partner, Brian remains excited about identifying and partnering with founders looking to build the next generation of market leading software businesses.

“Brian changed the course of my life—and Lessonly’s trajectory—when he led me to OpenView. I am forever grateful he listened to me and gave me a chance,” said Max Yoder, Co-Founder and CEO of Lessonly.

Kyle Poyar joined OpenView in 2016 as the Director of Market Strategy. He most recently was Vice President of the firm’s growth team, working hand-in-hand with the entrepreneurs with whom OpenView partners. Kyle is also OpenView’s first LGBT Partner and is committed to ensuring the firm is a place where everyone can be their authentic self.

“It would not be an understatement to say that Kyle is one the top few foremost experts in product-led growth companies in the world. It would also not be an understatement to say that this industry-wide movement would not be where it is today without Kyle. Kyle’s blending of theory and practice in the world of PLG has been a phenomenal asset for JumpCloud and would be for any company fortunate enough to work with him,” said Raj Bhargava, Co-Founder and CEO of JumpCloud. “We’re honored to work with Kyle and congratulate him on being named a Partner at OpenView!”

Casey Renner joined OpenView in 2015 to build out our advisor network and subsequent programming. She was most recently VP of Executive Networks. Her team is responsible for connecting OpenView portfolio leaders with advisors, board members, and potential customers—and they made over 500 introductions in 2020 alone. Casey’s personal mission has been to build both a network and team that fully embodies OpenView’s core value: value people above all else.

“Casey has connected Calendly to the exact folks we needed at exactly the right time. And she does so while being outstandingly fun to work with,” said Tope Awotona, Founder and CEO of Calendly.

Steve Melia joined OpenView in July 2020 as Vice President of Executive Talent. His team focuses on recruiting the absolute best talent to the companies with whom we partner, placing over 60 senior leaders annually in the portfolio. Steve firmly believes that a company’s success comes down to its people, and as a Partner, Steve is excited to find the next generation of game-changing talent to join the OpenView family.

“Top talent, especially at the executive level, has unlimited options in today’s market. Having a seasoned Talent Partner like Steve on your side will help you stand out from the pack,” said Zak Hemraj, CEO and Co-Founder of Loopio. “Steve was able to bring top-tier executives to the table that we wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”

Twelve of OpenView’s 15 Partners have joined the Partnership from within our ranks, and we’re honored that so many insightful investors and dedicated operators choose to build their careers at OpenView. This legacy of growth in our leadership team from within also extends beyond the Partnership, and I’m thrilled to share that Kaitlyn Henry, Khira Gabliani, Brendan Rempel, and Sean Fanning have been promoted to Vice President alongside our seven new Partners.

My Partner Blake Bartlett says it best: “OpenView is a unique firm with a unique approach to venture capital. This advantage comes from the uniquely talented people who join OpenView and lead the firm to new heights. We are thrilled to recognize these fantastic leaders who are dedicated to our mission of improving people’s working lives.”

Onward!