Recently Mark Boslet, reporter at Venture Capital Journal asked me what my background as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps had to do with being a better VC. A lot actually. Our service members get extraordinary opportunities to learn about integrity, leadership and teamwork first hand, myself included. Therefore my background shapes the way I evaluate entrepreneurs and their ability to influence and change the world. Here's an excerpt from our interview.
6 Quick Questions:
Micah Myers Former Top Gun fighter pilot says his years in the Marine Corps give him a unique perspective on leadership, teamwork and entrepreneurs
Q: Can you describe the excitement of flying an F/A-18 Hornet?
A: It's an incredible, unconstrained feeling. Imagine a 1,000-mile-an-hour roller coaster that doesn't have any rails. … Imagine flying a few hundred feet above the earth's surface and in less than a minute you can be over eight miles in the sky.
Q: What did the Marine Corps teach you about leadership and entrepreneurs?
A: The one common trait I see in leaders who impress me is they genuinely care about the people over which they are responsible. Another is influence. I look for influence in a founder. Does the founder have the influence to call people to action, to convince the company to trust him or her? Has he or she influenced seed investors and advisors to offer their time?
Q: Are there new clean technologies you are tracking?
A: energy storage we think is a very exciting opportunity. Imagine a solar farm with a co-located energy [storage] facility. If you can economically install energy storage—whether it is a managed battery system, a flywheel, compressed air or pumped hydro—it will make a big difference.
For the full interview please go to the Venture Capital Journal website: www.vcjnews.com. It is a subscriber only publication but you can get a free limited subscription.