Why we led an investment in Path

We are super excited to announce that we led an investment in Path and to welcome their team to the Redpoint family. When we consider investments, we are generally evaluating people, markets and the idea. Redpoint has traditionally veered towards betting on great entrepreneurs beyond every other variable. In this case, we were struck by the combination of audacious vision, intellect, product sense, leadership, humor and modesty of Dave Morin and the design brilliance that Dustin Mierau brings to Path. We just knew that we had to be in business with whatever it is that Dave is involved in.

With Path, the market and idea are equally compelling. Dave has re-imagined a world where mobile devices are the center of a person’s social fabric. By building an extremely personal and mobile-centric social network, Dave has tapped into the essence of what people like to do with their devices day in and day out — stay connected and share experiences. By creating a network that is both impeccably designed and conveniently available in your pocket all the time, Path has created the first truly personal network that allows people to express themselves to their family and friends in ways they can’t, or wouldn’t, do anywhere else.

Redpoint has always been interested in re-imagining networks and applications on new platforms that are nascent but hold the promise of capturing the imaginations of a new generation. This is why we invested in Rick Marini’s re-thinking of the professional network at BranchOut and Travis Katz’s innovations around social travel recommendations at GogoBot. This is why we invested in Caterina Fake’s vision of every location having a story around it at Pinwheel. With the addition of Path, we welcome my friend and brilliant entrepreneur, Dave Morin and the Path team to our family of great entrepreneurs, and thank them for allowing us to be a small part of their journey.

It is indeed humbling to know that such crazily driven, brilliant, awesome, hungry, passionate founders are working 24×7 for all of us as – both as investors and consumers – so on that note, welcome Path to our growing team. We can’t wait to see what’s next!