“Joe Caruso has been a fabulous advisor and mentor and a great friend of Cognika. His keen business sense and understanding of the challenges of entrepreneurship have been an important part of getting our startup off the ground. In addition, his amazing circle of contacts has been invaluable.”
Shashi Kant Founder, Netra
“Over the years, Joe has proven to be a valuable sounding board for a wide range of issues including funding, Board management, team building and market strategy.”
Gail GoodmanCEO, Constant Contact
“Joe and I are co-investors in several early-stage startups. He's also an investor in my startup, HubSpot. He's a great asset for entrepreneurs and adds value well beyond his investment. Entrepreneurs will find him to be a great resource with a wealth of experience valuable to entrepreneurs. Areas he's particularly helpful are the inevitable growth, leadership and strategic issues that most startups will face. Beyond that, Joe's just a great guy and well worth talking to just to get a smart, balanced and honest opinion.”
Dharmesh ShahCo-Founder, HubSpot
“Joe was our first champion, even before we received outside investment. He took meetings with me and began coaching me as an entrepreneur. Since then he has provided his insight and encouragement at every stage of our development. As a board member, Joe brings a special type of common sense and intuition to our discussions, and is invaluable when it comes to looking at deal structures and partner landscapes. On top of all this, he has remained a stalwart investor and evangelist, in the down times and the up.”
Patrick FaucherCEO, Nimbit
“Joe has demonstrated an uncanny ability to cut through the noise and get to the heart of the matter. I rely on him to be the "sanity check" for many perplexing business propositions. Joe is an incredible resource for the early stage entrepreneur. I am grateful and honored to have him as trusted business advisor and mentor.”
Tom PiovosoFounder, Campus Fundraiser
“Joe Caruso is the kind of 'value add' investor everyone claims to be. He brings us interesting deals, is objective in describing their strengths and weaknesses, and is a pleasure to work with.”
Alex BicharaPartner, Atlas Venture
“Joe's involvment went well beyond being a co-investor. He became a trusted advisor to the founder and subequently to the new CEO hired a few years later. It was valuable to all the VC investors to have Joe serve on the board and to serve the company as advisor, mentor, confidant, and problem solver.”
Glen BressnerPartner, MidAtlantic Ventures
“Joe Caruso has had a significant impact as an investor in Softrax Corporation. My periodic interactions with Joe have always been thought-provoking and insightful. He listens closely and offers his wealth of experience in a very constructive manner. I can think of several occasions when brief conversations with Joe made me take an entirely different perspective on an opportunity or challenge. I have been extremely fortunate to have had the benefit of his counsel to help build Softrax.”
Bob O'ConnorFounder & CEO, Softrax
“Joe has been a trusted advisor to me over the years... at Third Screen Media and at my prior company, Response Metrics. He's someone I feel comfortable going to with ANY question. I can call on him at any time and know I'm going to get a straight answer, with suggestions/solutions I can rely on to be objective, with my interests at heart. He's been valuable with strategy, fundraising, contacts, and with helping me make some highly personal decisions.”
Tom BurgessFounder & CEO, Third Screen Media / Linkable Networks (formerly CLOVR Media)
“When I was starting ZipCar, Joe asked some penetrating questions that helped me gain a deeper understanding of my business... including some critical relationships between business model, operations, and performance metrics. Because of Joe, I now make it a point to advise entrepreneurs to pay attention to and value the questions they get.”
Robin ChaseFounding CEO, ZipCar
“It was quite an experience, and we were very fortunate to have had you along for the ride. You made it happen. I want to thank you for your help and guidance throughout the years. Your leadership has made my time with you a challenging, learning and rewarding experience.”
CEO for whom Joe advised for 10+ years
“Since first meeting Joe 14 years ago when he played a meaningful role in the rapid growth of Coffee Connection and its ultimate sale to Starbucks, Joe has been a strong advocate for entrepreneurs in helping them resolve a wide variety of business decisions at critical times in their evolution.”
Carlo von SchroeterManaging Partner, WestView Capital Partners
