We decided to climb the second mountain. If the first mountain was about defining the self – knowledge, relationships, growth – then the second mountain is about contribution of all of our Knowledge Capital. That is the reason we decided to build Cota. Anchored in the belief that it is possible to reimagine and redefine tomorrow, Cota partners with exceptional teams to build and grow companies of consequence that enable the future – to develop cancer treatments, create tomorrow’s modern infrastructure, construct inclusive financial platforms, and architect cutting edge networks that help us make and cultivate meaningful, lasting connections. Humanity has the incredible, unusual, and inspiring capacity to better itself, especially under pressure.
Today, the world is working to solve major new challenges and conflicts, all the while advancing into the fourth industrial revolution that will fundamentally alter our society and lives. We are being challenged, and have witnessed how collective action, innovative thinking, and commitment to a mission can spur extraordinary world-changing results that impact every one of us. We know that no matter what curveballs are thrown at us, we adapt, innovate, and improve. We heed the lessons of history and recognize how they have shaped us, but we do not allow previous challenges, or failures, to define our future. Everyone has a role to play in our effort to develop a more peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, and healthy world. Humanity has hope – hope defines us, and it drives us. When we founded Cota, we decided that it would be our role to help drive the development of innovative enterprise technologies that impact everyone, everywhere, every single day. We are not alone in believing that technology plays a critical role to our future prosperity, but Cota takes a unique approach to working with these visionaries to foster the creation and development of their companies.
We are laser-focused on backing the bold.
Our team seeks out founders and companies with bold ideas and disruptive visions. We are excited to invest in individuals and companies with a “Net-New” vision – products and services that can fundamentally change how the world operates and make possible a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive future. “Net-New” is authentic, solves new challenges, and addresses new opportunities. When we back the “Net-New”, we back the size of the change and its potential. As a company grows and learns from the markets and its customers, we nurture the non-linear progression of the innovation and the founders’ development as bold leaders.
These bold leaders include immigrants from all over the world.
We’ve learned that a core component of innovation stems from approaching problems from a wide and diverse range of perspectives. The U.S. is the best place for enduring technology companies. But it didn’t become the global technology leader by happenstance. This country’s diversity and support for limitless opportunities have created an environment that enables and encourages the brightest minds to cultivate the boldest ideas and drive transformative change. At Cota, we are excited to be a part of America’s innovation story and contributors to the nation’s prosperity. Cota believes the U.S. is the best place for technology companies to thrive and we seek to contribute to the fostering and acceleration of American innovation. We are disruptors and changemakers with different upbringings, cultures, ideas and beliefs. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of Cota’s DNA.
Together with our colleagues, our founders, and our investors, we at Cota are building for tomorrow.
Truncated timelines defined solely by quick gains lead to small, unimpactful results. We embrace the journey with our founders and visionaries. Long-term support of durable companies will benefit founders, employees, investors, the economy, and society. We consider our relationship with founders as a partnership of equals. We don’t just provide capital; we offer Knowledge Capital. Knowledge Capital is a differentiated combination of financial capital, deep operational expertise, industry know-how, impactful and data-driven market insights and intelligence, and a vast industry network – our relationships. Our team has worked across the life cycles of emerging and established companies and can add value from idea inception to IPO. During defeats and victories. During big moments and the constant churn of running a company. True partners show up for highs and lows. We do not shy away from hard work. We roll up our sleeves and work side-by-side with our portfolio companies, not only at the strategic level, but also the tactical level. Together, these elements are put to work to empower exceptional leadership teams to execute their vision, unlock scale, minimize risk, and build enduring companies that will transform the future and sustain positive long-term change.
Our investment strategy is simple and distilled into a single sentence: we invest with wisdom.
We believe in the power of learning combined with the lessons of experience – the power of collective wisdom. Both are critical in executing a successful, long-term investing strategy. Our success is driven by specialized investing and operating in areas where we have deep domain expertise and focused learning. We are not a group of generalists. Every Cota partner is an expert in their field, and allies closely with founders and CEOs. This choice encourages disciplined learning, investment, execution, and decision-making, essential to how we and everyone on our team has helped to build our business. Our role as investors comes with a set of distinct and requisite fiduciary responsibilities. We adhere to the highest ethical principles. We set a high standard of excellence and integrity and hold ourselves accountable for our actions and decisions. We apply intellectual and operational rigor to what we do and strive to create repeatable successes and repeatable risk management. We are responsible to our founders and portfolio companies, who trust and count on us to be steady partners and to help guide them along the way to success. We are responsible to our colleagues and investors, who trust us to lead Cota with respect, empathy, diligence, and authenticity, and to create an atmosphere that fosters career learning. Furthermore, we have a responsibility to solve consequential problems. Cota does not expend resources or expertise on vanity or consumerism, nor in technologies that encourage either. Shiny objects do not lure us. We are not captivated by the trendy investment of the day. Money needs religion – to better our communities and to offer innovative solutions for global challenges. Our objectives are not simple to come by, but nothing worthwhile comes easy. Positive change requires significant and sustained involvement, resources, expertise, and a fearless, resilient attitude. There is much work to be done – and we are excited to forge ahead.
Bobby Yazdani
Founder & Managing Partner
Babak Poushanchi
Founder & Partner
