Shawn joined Floodgate in 2019 as the firm’s first Senior Associate. Prior to Floodgate, Shawn was a Managing Partner of First Round Capital’s Dorm Room Fund, where he and his team were the first investors in 25+ promising companies built by student founders across America’s best universities. His writing on the university startup ecosystem has been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, and Startup Grind. While completing his graduate studies, Shawn also spent time with the investment team at Bessemer Venture Partners.
Before Shawn was an investor, he was laser-focused on launching technology companies into new markets internationally. As an operator, he managed expansion into Europe for Square and expansion into Asia for Vungle (acquired by Blackstone for $750M). Prior to these roles, Shawn was on the founding team of a YC-backed startup that built data infrastructure and software for government agencies. Shawn grew up in the suburbs of Silicon Valley and lives in San Francisco.
Education
BA/BS - UC San Diego (Global Business, Political Science, and Psychology); MBA - The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; MA International Studies - The Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania