Inevitable Podcast 07. John Cowgill (Costanoa)
Jun 7, 2021
John Cowgill, partner at Costanoa Ventures and former McKinsey consultant, shares stories from theater to VC life. He talks about building tech curiosity as a kid, organizing Tech Week Miami, moving between ecosystems, breaking into venture, and the importance of founder-first investing. Conversations touch on post-investment board work, slow feedback in VC, and routines that shape his day.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
New Cities Aren't Panaceas
- Moving to a new city rarely solves all personal problems; each ecosystem has trade-offs and imperfections.
- John is bullish on Miami and Austin but warns the grass isn't uniformly greener elsewhere.
From Intern To Consultant
- John interned at McKinsey, struggled, then committed fully and earned a return offer, later joining full-time for two years.
- The experience taught him structured problem solving and exposed him to diverse industries and international work in Milan.
Serendipitous Path Into Venture
- John got lucky into venture when a recruiter connected him to Costanoa after he decided he didn't want private equity or big tech biz-ops roles.
- He joined Costanoa in 2016 expecting to stay two years but found venture work and post-investment support addictive.
