INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Josh Mohrer (pictured above) and William Barnes, two former Uber executives, are working on an investor syndicate to invest in startups led
by fellow former Uber employees, Axios reported and TechCrunch has confirmed.We believe that people who help build transformative companies
will go on to do other awesome things,& Mohrer told TechCrunch about the syndicate thesis to invest in Uber alumni
&The idea is that we can really move the needle for companies who are doing things that are Uber-adjacent — things that are in our
wheelhouse.Mohrer and Barnes have been working on this for the last nine months or so
While a lot of the emphasis is on backing startups led by former Uber employees, that not a strict requirement, Mohrer said.The syndicate,
which is made up of around 100 former Uber employees, &started pretty organically,& Mohrer said
So far, about 50 people have taken part in at least one investment.The check sizes have been modest — in the hundreds of thousands of
dollars.The focus of the syndicate is on two-sided marketplaces and transportation startups like Lime and Cargo, which partnered withUber
last week to enable drivers to sell passengers goods during rides
The syndicate other investments are in Replicated, Serviceand Salido.In the fall, we&re strongly considering what a traditional VC angle on
this would look like,& Mohrer said
Likely, that would be called Moving Capital.Last May, Mohrer left Uber to join Tusk Ventures as its managing director
Before joining Tusk, Mohrer spent about five years at Uber
While at Tusk, Mohrer led the firm Series A and B investments in Lime competitor Bird
Barnes, on the other hand, formerly led Uber West Coast operations for almost six years.
