I first met Brian Cohen in a noisy auditorium at a business school competition at New York University. There were scores of investors and entrepreneurs, all trying to get their voices heard. It was hard not to be taken aback by Brian’s desire to talk with every person in the room. What stood out to me was the fact that he treated everyone more like a long-lost relative rather than a potential investment or stepping stones on a path toward personal financial gain—he treated us like humans.
Starting a company is a journey into the unknown, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. In May 2008, I started this journey by leaving a job at Google to build a mobile app with my friend Paul Sciarra.
That initial app was called Tote, a collection of catalogs that you could browse on your phone. Tote had a few decent features, but none stood out as being great. We soon learned that in order to succeed, we needed to excel at one thing. Nearly two years later, in March 2010, Paul and I launched Pinterest along with our friend Evan Sharp. We focused on one core feature: the ability to collect in one place images that users found inspiring.
Four months later, we had only a few thousand people on the site compared to the millions that other successful consumer startups now see within weeks. Nevertheless, with Brian’s guidance, we kept moving forward.
When Pinterest finally started growing, we realized that, for our first users, Pinterest was an extremely personal tool. People spend time on Pinterest planning the most important things in their lives, such as a wedding, the addition of new family members, or what furniture they will put in their homes. As we grew our team, we wanted to make sure we worked with people who understood what Pinterest meant to us and to our first users.
When the time came for Pinterest to raise money, we knew we wanted to find not just a financial backer but an angel investor who would also be able to help us navigate the journey on which we would embark. Advice from others indicated that the best angel investors are those who provide not just money but guidance, contacts, and wisdom—all backed by personal experience.
Brian is ever optimistic and has shown me the value of being a positive leader. At a time early in Pinterest’s journey, he believed in what this very personal project of ours could be. He understood what Pinterest meant to our small team and what it could mean to millions of people. This book is full of advice on how to work with angel investors like Brian, but it’s important to note that not every business deal will follow the same rubric. Every entrepreneur’s journey is different, making it especially important to surround yourself with people who truly care for your cause.
Ben Silbermann
Cofounder and CEO
Pinterest
Palo Alto, CA