Pelion | Venture Partner | Draper/Alpine | 37
Tyler Hogge’s mission? To invest in and help build exceptional startups. The job title may sound simple, but the impact is immense. Pelion Venture Partners’ portfolio includes Divvy, Owlet, Weave, Entrata, Lucid and so many more startups whose reach have spread well beyond Utah — and Tyler is a critical part of the team. Tyler’s resume also includes leading the product and risk organizations at Divvy for four years through the acquisition by BILL for $2.5 billion. He’s kind of a big deal (and so are the relationships made through Pelion) — but his focus is on helping startups, rather than shining a spotlight on himself.
MAIN MOTIVATION To help exceptional founders build enduring technology companies. PERSONAL GROWTH I have become increasingly picky on who I will choose to work with. SHARPER SKILLS A skill I’ve gained is learning how to build software products after starting my career in sales. CODE RED During Covid, Divvy faced tremendous challenges and threats to our business. But we had an excellent team who used the crisis to create a much stronger company as a result. COMBATING DOUBT I remember that my wife doesn’t doubt me, so I shouldn’t doubt myself. CAREER DREAM To start, invest in or build over 10 companies that eventually go public and to help bring Utah to its potential as a top technology center, second only to Silicon Valley. PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS Surrounding myself with people I admire and who push me to be the best version of myself. GOOD BIZ ADVICE My closest friend and partner Sterling Snow taught me that everything in business boils down to the right person and the right structure. If you have both, magic happens. MENTOR WINS The person I look up to most is my dad, who is the best leader I know. The second person I look up to is my mentor Andy Rachleff, who started a venture capital firm named Benchmark as well as a fintech company named Wealthfront. LIVING LEGACY I hope to see Utah become one of the few technology geographies in the country, and I hope to be a part of many successful, enduring, Utah-based tech companies that are able to become public businesses.