Why Masha Bucher of Day One Ventures believes venture capital and storytelling go hand in hand

Before becoming a venture capitalist, Masha Bucher worked in public relations and marketing – an experience that shaped the way she runs Day One Ventures.

After years working in communications—including executive roles that gave her deep insight into how startups work—Bosher knew she could either use her business acumen to become one of the most effective PR reps in the game, or evolve into something more.

“I would see what was happening in the business, and because I could understand the context, I understood the business, and because I understood the business, my PR presentations would be very business-focused,” Bucher told TechCrunch on today’s episode of Equity.

She founded Day One Ventures in 2018 after realizing she could make more impact—and generate better returns—by investing in startups and providing them with integrated PR support. By combining these two functions, I am able to help venture firms more meaningfully while only backing stories they truly believe in.

“The structure of PR services is very inconsistent,” Bucher said, noting that PR firms that work on a contractual basis often tend toward working more slowly so they can extend client payments. “For startups, it’s really important to move quickly.”

Beyond speed, there’s the cost barrier: “Early-stage companies shouldn’t be paying $10, $20, $30 a month for six months to get one ad in TechCrunch. I don’t think that’s fair, and I don’t think that’s sustainable.”

The integrated Day One model allows Bucher to work with startups at critical early stages when they need support most. Younger startups may change founders or experiment, and “must be trusted to advise them and help them make decisions.”

Backing a company financially gives it something that many traditional PR firms can’t: you’re literally invested in the story.

“I have an ambition to be, ideally, the premier investor in the most ambitious ideas and companies of our time,” Bucher said. “I think it starts with understanding the industry, understanding the business, and having conviction about the business. Once you have that conviction — which you’ve proven by investing in the company — you have the right to present it to journalists with much higher integrity.”

A PR person who has access to everything from investor groups to a startup’s data room has serious advantages in positioning a company and understanding what’s at stake. For Bucher, that makes the work more urgent. Doing PR for any company big enough to pay for it may be good work, “but that doesn’t mean it’s a good story.”

As with any venture capital, Bucher responds to its investors – in its Day 1 case, there are more than 70 LLCs, including institutions, individuals and more than 15 of the company’s portfolio founders. This means that its bets need careful consideration. When Bucher selects companies, she asks not only whether they want to see their vision become a reality, but whether the founder has the ethics and moral compass to maintain their values ​​as the company expands.

She points to Valar Atomics, a startup developing advanced nuclear reactors, as an example. First day He co-led a $130 million round In startup last month.

“I can’t think of a better founder,” she said, referring to Valar CEO Isaiah Taylor, noting that she trusts him to make “literally life and death” decisions.

This moral filter means that there are companies that you will not support, even if they make noise. Bucher said she was not impressed by AI startup Cluely’s marketing strategy of “cheating everything.” It is even proud to have invested in some of the most innovative technologies in areas such as reproductive technology (Orchid embryo selection technology), accessible health care (Great power), and law enforcement programs (Abel AI-optimized report writing tools).

Day One’s portfolio includes early bets on companies like Sam Altman’s World, email app Superhuman, and remote work platform Remote.com, with at least 12 unicorns under its belt and a portfolio value of more than $115 billion. last year, Day 1 closed its third fund with $150 millionwhich targets early-stage founders “solving the most pressing humanitarian issues,” has grown over the past six years from $11 million in assets under management to more than $450 million today, Bucher says.

“We want to use communications to solve companies’ business goals, open new opportunities, and ultimately help them grow shareholder value,” Bucher said.