Where it started
Five years ago, I left Hubspot after a brutal accident that almost took me out. Shortly thereafter, I decided that I wanted to continue to expand the legacy of where I spent my time-and the ocean as a planetary superpower drew me in. I have a house in Woods Hole – down the street from the most impressive research institute working on the ocean, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The President of WHOI, Peter de Menocal, and I sat down at the Landfall in Woods Hole and shook hands on a simple idea: a venture fund built entirely around the ocean as a climate superheroine.
That handshake became Propeller.
Not long after, Steven, Devdutt, Reece and I locked ourselves in a HubSpot conference room for weeks. Whiteboards everywhere. Way too much coffee. Steven brought hot chocolate. We argued about our thesis, about how we would invest, about which founders we wanted to back and what kind of firm we wanted to be. We walked out with a vision and a strategy we still run on today.
Five years later, I'm incredibly proud of what we've built, and even more excited about where we're going.
Propeller is THE ocean fund
There are a zillion climate funds. There are a jillion deep tech funds. There's one fund that wakes up every morning obsessed with how to leverage a bunch of technology and innovation, point it at the ocean, and make it work for the good of the planet and people. That's Propeller.
We've backed some incredible entrepreneurs, many of them right at the beginning of their long, strange trip. Watching a founder go from a deck and a hunch to a real company with real customers never gets old. It's a grind, btw. Two steps forward, one step back, over and over. But it can be a ton of fun, too, and frankly, I miss it…
My news
So here it is: I’m going back to Hubspot to become (again) its next CEO.
Why now? Because this one is core to who I am. I've always told founders to build something their grandkids will be proud of decades from now. Hubspot is something I’m proud of and want to be proud of decades from now-so I am compelled to go back to it. I once wrote that being CEO is overrated and to be careful what you wish for. Apparently, I don't always take my own advice.
What it means for Propeller
Short version: I'm not going anywhere.
Longer version: Steven, Rodrigo, and Reece are running Propeller, and are doing an amazing job along with their growing Propeller team. They’ve been the workhorses here for years. They source the deals, run the diligence, sit on the boards, raise the capital, and pick up the phone at 11pm when a founder needs help. I’m color commentary. Think Tommy Heinsohn in the booth, not Larry Bird on the floor. My job has been to coach, to cheer, to open doors, and to help our founders through the hard parts of building a company.
I have total faith in this team. They're the reason I can make this move with a clear head and a full heart, and I'm still deeply excited to be part of Propeller's journey. Especially helping our founders; it’s just that I’ll have a little less time given what a CEO job does to your calendar (it's a full contact sport).
Come work with the best
I used to tell HubSpotters that the IPO is the starting line. Five years later at Propeller, it feels exactly the same. We're just getting started.
Here's the thing about a propeller: it does its best work below the waterline, out of sight, quietly pushing the whole boat forward. That's Steven, Rodrigo, Reece and the team. I'm not getting off the boat. I'm just moving to the rail, Dunkin’ in hand, calling out the storms, and helping spot the occasional narwhal.
The tide's coming in. Fair winds, everyone.
— Brian