we are
investors, but also
operators
CEO's
techies
listeners
chefs
learners
foodies
musicians
parents
doers
husbands
coaches
academics
consultants
advisors
small business owners
readers
attorneys
nerds
builders
elected officials
entrepreneurs
students
athletes
programmers
JJ Kasper
partner / Founder
JJ is a former academic (critical theory), lawyer (not for him), management consultant (loved it, but glad to be out of it), and operator (tech and restructurings). He devotes time these days to singing, walking Louis and Kiwi (dogs), reading, and investigating crack-pot conspiracy theories. JJ is an uncle and god-father many times over, but has yet to move beyond dogs in his own household
Brian Stafford
partner / founder
Brian is a former small business owner (car dealerships), entrepreneur (one of those 2001 tech boom stories), chef (CIA-trained), management consultant (also loved it, but glad to be out of it). Brian is currently CEO at Diligent (a fast-growing enterprise tech company you’ve never heard of). In his spare time, Brian serves as nanny for Teddy and Emma (his children) and husband to his more-successful wife
Jay Trickett
Partner / CAO
Jay is a former minister-in-training (gave up the calling but still thoughtful) and lawyer (good at it and liked it too) and still an expert skier (apparently there are benefits to growing up in Minnesota). Jay lives in Maine with his more-successful wife (a trend on our team) and his three children (all boys who all look just like Jay). Jay serves as an elected member of the Falmouth Town Council and spends his weekends working on his “camp” (a fancy Maine word for vacation property)
Josh Berns
senior Associate
Josh is a former entrepreneur (Whisk was his startup, he sold it, but he’s not yet rich). Josh is an Ohio native who went South for undergrad (way south to Tulane) and has since come north to be an investor (and one day, a real New Yorker) with Blue. Josh always knows the best restaurants and chefs in NYC and beyond and is becoming a pretty good investor too
Nicole Friedman
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Nicole is a squash player and a really, really good squash player. Beyond that (and of much less importance), she is also an Investor at Blue. Nicole joined the team after a few years working in the startup world, and before that, she was studying Psychology at Williams College. Nicole also has the distinction of being the only member of the Blue team who is a New York native by birth and not by time-lived (a distinction for which she is secretly envied by all other team members)