Nick Cobb

PRODUCT AND ENGINEERING OPERATOR AND ANGEL INVESTOR

I'm currently the Founder of Loyalty Ventures and AngelStat, based in San Francisco. I'm a self-taught systems engineer with product and engineering experience working on mobile apps like Uber, Uber Eats, and Kyte, on both the core products and the developer platforms of each. In my roles as a leader, I've led Product and Engineering teams of more than 60+ people. My focuses as an executive span software engineering, ops, finance, growth, and product. I focus on a mix of tactical engineering execution and long-term strategy and vision.I'm originally from Memphis, Tennessee and found my way to a career in tech after running two gas stations, working in a tire shop, and umpiring baseball. I studied psychology, criminology, and sexuality at WKU, where I got my start in traditional IT and endpoint management.In my free time, I enjoy weightlifting, long walks, visiting family, investing, health and cooking. I like to experiment with barbecue on the grill using my homemade rub and sauce for friends and family.

Investing

In September 2020, I lost my Dad to pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed in April of the same year; the speed of his disease has been a catalyst for modifying my investment thesis and fostering continual learning about oncological study and outcomes.To further my own knowledge, I pursued a myRisk genetic mutation test to determine if I had genetic mutations that matched those of Dad's adenocarcinoma. With the results of that test deemed inconclusive, I decided I would regularly undergo PreNuvo scans to keep an eye on any potential biological changes during my life. In August of 2021, my first Prenuvo scan detected a tumor on my right kidney that I would later learn was a renal cell carcinoma at the T1a stage. I'm all better now after removal, but the experience has changed me forever.As a result, I am on the hunt for biotech startups that are pursuing early detection and treatment of rare cancers.I invest in companies that are post-revenue and raising seed or early rounds across a broad range of industries. Historically I've invested through syndicates, but I am now focused on making direct investments in founders through my network. I continue to invest in a wide range of industries and am especially excited about expanding investments in companies that fit the 🇺🇸 American Dynamism thesis.If interested, you can learn more about my investing experience -- reach out if you want to meet!

Portfolio

🏛️ Acquired
🇺🇸 American Dynamism
🧬 Biotech thesis
💰 Exited
🚀 Ex-Uber
🦺 Helping or Advising
😭 Shutdown

Advising

My experience spans software engineering, product management, infrastructure and developer experience, and startups. I advise companies on technical, product, and business strategy, working hands-on with company leaders and ICs. Below are a few companies that I have successfully worked with.If you're looking for help or advice -- let's chat!

“Nick is a forward working technical leader that not only has a wide vision for depicting/detailing the proper strategic high ROI & efficient architecture path for any start-up to mass enterprise solution & can explain it for even the simplest of users; but equally important, Nick understands the business & numbers discussion associated with these conversations from both an internal cost perspective and an external revenue driving opportunity. Nick has that unique desirable blend to properly balance vision for the future versus focus on the today. If you earn a chance to work with him; you’ll find he’s an impactful high value-add team leader/member for all portions of the organization he touches.”- Tom Schnell, VP Global Sales & Success, MacStadium

“Nick’s knowledge in the Developer Tools industry is extremely valuable. After his experiences building mobile CI systems at Uber, we worked with him on product advisory and testing for Anka, our flagship product. Anka boasts some of the top mobile engineering firms in the world as customers. Our experience working with Nick was invaluable at that early stage of our business.”- Manisha Arora, CoFounder, Veertu

"Nick and I worked together while he was managing cloud infrastructure at Uber ATG and was a customer of nOps. After several conversations with him, it was clear he had a unique grasp on the core metrics that were key to not only his team but our target customer base as well. Since then, we've collaborated with Nick to design product features that have been huge value additions to our platform. His experience and perspective are extremely valuable to our work at nOps.io."- JT Giri, Founder and CEO, nOps.io

"Nick was introduced to me during the first few months of our startup journey, and has been critical to achieving revenue and MoM revenue growth in our first year. It's important to note that as an EdTech company, our tech solutions are simple; the value Nick adds is in overall company building: product roadmap, product vision, operations, business model development, fundraising strategy, and team building and culture. Nick quickly understands the big picture, asks the right questions, and pushes us further every step of the way. I am at a loss for words to describe his unique ability to synthesize so much information into impeccable insights and actions to take, but I can say that if Nick is on your team, you will achieve your fullest potential faster and more efficiently than you would otherwise."- Malinda Coler, Founder and CEO, Roadmap

Speaking

I've had the privilege of working with awesome people and sometimes we get to talk publicly about our work. Below is a list of talks I've done with members of my teams. Lately I've also begin talking about my experiences, both as an investor and about my transition from IC to Manager. You can find these interviews below -- reach out if you have questions!

Contact

I'm always interested in talking to new folks, especially founders with new ideas doing amazing things.
If you'd like to chat or need some help, use the form to reach out below!