The Art and Science of Investing

Today we celebrate the extraordinary life of John Glynn, Founder of Glynn Capital, who passed away earlier this year with a more than 50 year career as a technology investor. As an early investor in a who's who of technology companies, from Intel to Facebook, John developed a reputation as both an astute arbiter of mega-trends, as well as a capital partner of choice to talented founders.

In addition to investing, John was revered as a gifted teacher. For over 30 years, he taught courses on venture capital and entrepreneurship at his alma mater's Virginia and Stanford GSB.

Even more than his investing success and teaching accolades, John will be remembered as a devoted family man. To properly honor John, we enlisted the help of our friend Patrick O'Shaughnessy to join us in interviewing John's son, David, who is Managing Partner of Glynn Capital. I hope you enjoy our class with Patrick and David as we honor the late, great John Glynn.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

(00:04:33) - (First question) - Celebrating John Glynn's legacy as a tech investor and teacher

(00:10:19) - John’s most notable investments

(00:13:39) - John's pivot from law to venture capital to pursue innovation and risk-taking

(00:17:11) - How his father influenced David, melding success drive with a softer side

(00:20:05) - David attributes his parents' great marriage to presence and dedicated problem-solving

(00:23:47) - John's lifelong learning was fueled by his role as a coach at Glynn Capital

(00:28:08) - Why John valued ample market opportunities and the art of understanding people

(00:31:40) - Investing in Facebook early, recognizing the shift in communication

(00:37:07) - John’s passion for teaching was driven by a desire to learn and help others succeed

(00:42:11) - Creating case studies on active companies, fostering open-ended class discussions

(00:46:34) - The best questions to ask a CEO about their company

(00:51:06) - How John’s faith manifested in consistent action rather than spoken words

(00:52:15) - John's legacy at Glynn Capital

(00:54:17) - What may surprise people about John Glynn

(00:59:21) - What David aspires to build at Glynn Capital

(01:02:24) - How John’s belief in the art of investing emphasized the intangibles