Mentors Close the Experience Gap

Theresia Gouw

12.22.20

If you are committed to growth over the course of your career, you will eventually find yourself in over your head. How does Theresia handle uncertainty? She looks to her mentors!

Summary:

If you are committed to growth over the course of your career, you will eventually find yourself in over your head. How does Theresia handle uncertainty? She looks to her mentors!

Thuy

Were there areas where you felt nervous or scared or felt you didn't have enough experience, and how did you make up for that gap?
Theresia_Gouw

Theresia Gouw

I think if there are areas where you don't have enough experience, the biggest thing is try to get people on your team who fill in the areas where you're not as strong or you don't have that experience. And then also, I mean, I think just this - mentorship. If you're lucky enough to know people who have done something before that you haven't done. So, as I was saying, you know for sure in the first go round and starting Aspect and then now spinning out and starting Acrew, Arthur Patterson was one of the co-founders of Accel. He continues to be one of my mentors. He's the one who helped me make my very first cybersecurity investment. He also continues to be a big investor in my funds. So he's my go to for things that I hadn't done before around founding a firm and raising your first funds and those types of things.

Thuy

He's your mentor.
Theresia_Gouw

Theresia Gouw

He is. He has been.