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Belsky, regarded as one of the leading pioneers in digital design, will become a member of the innovative venture capital firm that specializes in funding design driven startups.
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Scott Belsky, Vice President in charge of Community Products at Adobe Systems, is reportedly taking all of his extensive knowledge in digital design as well as an undisclosed percentage of the $150 million that he banked when he sold his own design based startup, Behance, to Adobe in 2012.
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement Scott Belsky might have been obliged to stay with Adobe for a set period, after which he may be tempted to establish another company in his own name. However, it appears that Scott prefers to continue to help startups who are interested in furthering the portion of improved design standards as much as creating smart code.
That is the reason that Belsky has given for choosing to form a collaboration with theFounder Collective venture capital organization, as well as the level of flexibility that it will provide him to invest in companies without in any way jeopardizing his position at Adobe.
Founder Collective’s philosophy differs from that of a mainstream venture firm, who generally require 100% exclusivity on any investment capital deals. Where Founder Collective is different is explained in their name, which they interpret as “a collective of founders” who get together to help exciting companies who are design orientated to move forward in an increasingly algorithm driven world . Among the startups that have been backed to date by Founder Collective are BuzzFeed, Hotel Tonight and Uber.
Announcing his decision to form a collaboration with the Founder Collective, Belsky took the trouble to explain that he did not see himself as a serial entrepreneur and more of what could be described as a mission entrepreneur, who wanted to only mentor and invest in companies fitting into his particular expertise and understanding of multifaceted industry
Founder Collective, founded in March of 2010 by entrepreneurs Zach Klein and Caterina Fake, so far have provided backing for more than 170 companies from its Round Two investment funding of $70 million, conscripted in March of last year .
Scott Belsky graduated from Cornell University later going on to earn his masters from the Harvard Business School.
Belsky began his professional career with Goldman, Sachs & Co, where he was responsible for the development of the Pine Street Leadership Development Initiative, particularly focused on the company’s organizational improvement and strengthening its relationships with their clients, before leaving to form Behance with co-founder Matias Corea in late 2005, originally as web site for digital designers to host their portfolios, and enjoy exposure to recruiters.
Scott is also a published author, with his book, Making Ideas Happen, published by in April 2010, regarded as being a “ must read” for many making their way in the world of digital business. .
Belsky is also an active angel investor and advisor, involved with a number of icompanies including Circa, Pinterest, Shake and Uber.
In December 2012, Behance was acquired by Adobe Systems with Belsky remaining with the software superstore, in the role of Vice President of Creative Community at Adobe. Belsky is also a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
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