John Cowgill

I entered VC from a background in startups and management consulting. I saw in both experiences my passion for working with others to identify creative solutions to big problems. I’ve found venture capital to be the perfect environment to do this. I’m incredibly grateful to be able to work with and learn from brilliant entrepreneurs every day. Solving problems together with entrepreneurs post-investment is the most gratifying part of being an early stage investor.

I joined Costanoa in 2016 and have invested in companies across the entire enterprise technology spectrum--from software for car dealerships to satellites in space. Behind every investment I make is a founder I can’t wait to work with. I love diving deep into markets with founders who know their business cold, and who combine unshakeable belief in themselves with the humility to learn and grow. My goal is to earn the trust of every founder I work with to be the first call when things are going well, and especially when they aren’t. Before I came to Costanoa, I was a consultant at McKinsey, advising consumer and technology companies on strategy and operations projects. Before McKinsey, I worked in business development for Techweek, a nationwide technology conference company. This has had the unfortunate event of giving me tech conference PTSD, an occupational hazard in this job (at least pre-COVID).