"We like to bet on those who believe in themselves. If you've never taken a chance on yourself, at least think about it. Unless you do, you may never know what you're missing. And neither will the rest of the world."
I have had the good fortune to have two distinct yet intersecting careers that have both molded me as a person and informed my investment style and track record. The first 20 years of my career I was a telco, cable and tech M&A investment banker working for an incredible entrepreneur, Bill Daniels, who is also known as the Father of Cable TV in the US. I also had the unique opportunity to live in Paris, London, New York City, Boulder, SF and LA and I have worked with uncommonly diverse entrepreneurs from numerous industries and countries. This distinct living and working experience as a partner, M&A banker, and investor, having done deals with various individuals and companies across 30 countries, is what sets me apart from other VCs. Additionally, my eagerness to mentor and be 100 percent available to the people I invest in is a key differentiator.
For the past two decades, I’ve been making seed investments in tech’s most promising B2B founders, with an emphasis on LA, NY and Colorado’s burgeoning ecosystems. Prior to Bonfire, I founded Double M Partners and Mull Capital and managed high-growth funds focused on Internet, media, and technology, and I often co-invested with Bonfire’s co-founder Jim Andelman – the genesis of our rewarding partnership.
In between my investment banking and VC career, I took almost two years and “gave back” as the COO of the City of Los Angeles and Senior Advisor to the then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. In this role, I experienced firsthand the value created when there’s diversity on a team working to solve big problems – a tenant I prioritize when helping founders build winning teams and a strong company culture.
I live in Los Angeles with my wife and two children, and I’m living my best life when spending quality time with them.
"Mark is reliable, extremely well connected, and always gives sound advice. When we lost a top customer Mark was our first call. When we were raising our Series A and getting term sheets, Mark was also our first call. Mark has made essential intros for us - to our head of Sales, two key customers, and our Series A VC. Mark has also taught us how to become good leaders and scale our company. We owe much of our success to Bonfire’s partnership with involve.ai."
The Trade Desk (IPO), Scopely (acquired by Savvy Games), Bitium (acquired by Google), Clique Media (acquired by Future Publishing), Edgecast (acquired by Verizon), Emailage (acquired by LexisNexis), EV Connect (acquired by Schneider Electric), Gradient X (acquired by SingTel), Lettuce (acquired by Intuit), MessageLabs (acquired by Symantec), MomentFeed (acquired by Uberall), Mover.io (acquired by Microsoft), OpenPath (acquired by Motorola), Orbitera (acquired by Google), Pathmatics (acquired by Sensor Tower), Prevoty (acquired by Imperva), Reaction Commerce (acquired by Mailchimp), Retention Science (acquired by Endurance Intl), Seismic Games (acquired by Niantic), Sense360 (acquired by Medallia), Tradesy (acquired by Vestiare Collective)
20 Minute VC: Mark Mullen on Optimizing Decision-Making in Compressed Timelines, Portfolio Construction, Price Sensitivity and More
20 Minute VC: Mark Mullen on Optimizing Decision-Making in Compressed Timelines, Portfolio Construction, Price Sensitivity and More
