{"id":209205,"date":"2025-12-04T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/why-day-one-ventures-masha-bucher-thinks-vcs-and-storytelling-go-hand-in-hand-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:00:00","slug":"why-day-one-ventures-masha-bucher-thinks-vcs-and-storytelling-go-hand-in-hand-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/why-day-one-ventures-masha-bucher-thinks-vcs-and-storytelling-go-hand-in-hand-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Day One Ventures&#8217; Masha Bucher thinks VCs and storytelling go hand-in-hand | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before she was a VC, Masha Bucher worked in PR and marketing \u2014 an experience that has shaped the way she runs Day One Ventures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After years of working in communications \u2014 including executive roles that gave her deep insight into how startups operate \u2014 Bucher realized she could either use her business acumen to become one of the most effective PR reps in the game, or evolve into something more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was seeing what was going on in business, and because I could understand the context, I understood business, and because I understood business, my PR pitches would be very business focused,\u201d Bucher told TechCrunch on today\u2019s episode of Equity.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"tcembed-iframe tcembed--megaphone wp-block-tc23-podcast-player__embed\" height=\"200px\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=TCML3879732763\"><\/iframe>\n\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She founded Day One Ventures in 2018 after realizing she could create more impact \u2014 and make better returns \u2014 by investing in startups and providing them with integrated PR support. By combining these two functions, she could help portfolio companies more meaningfully while backing only the stories she truly believed in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe structure of PR services is very misaligned,\u201d Bucher said, noting that PR firms working on a contract basis often lean toward working slower so they can stretch out client payments. \u201cFor startups, it\u2019s really important to move fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond speed, there\u2019s a cost barrier: \u201cEarly-stage companies shouldn\u2019t be paying $10, $20, or $30 grand per month for six months to get one announcement in TechCrunch. I just don\u2019t think that\u2019s fair, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Day One\u2019s integrated model allows Bucher to work with startups at critical early stages when they need support most. Younger startups might pivot or experience founder shake-ups, and \u201cyou need to be trusted to advise and help them make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-techcrunch-inline-cta\">\n<div class=\"inline-cta__wrapper\">\n<p>Techcrunch event<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-cta__content\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"inline-cta__location\">San Francisco<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"inline-cta__separator\">|<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"inline-cta__date\">October 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Backing a company financially gives her something many traditional PR firms can\u2019t offer: She\u2019s literally invested in the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have an ambition to be, ideally, the first investor in the most important and ambitious ideas and companies of our time,\u201d Bucher said. \u201cI think that starts with you understanding the field, understanding the business, getting a conviction on the business. And once you have this conviction \u2014 which you\u2019ve proved by investing in the company \u2014 you have the right to introduce it to reporters with much higher integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Someone in PR who gets access to everything from investor decks to a startup\u2019s data room has serious advantages in positioning the company and understanding what\u2019s at stake. And for Bucher, it makes the work more compelling. Doing PR for whatever companies are big enough to pay might be good business, \u201cbut that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s a good story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As with any VC, Bucher answers to her investors \u2014 in Day One\u2019s case, that\u2019s more than 70 LPs, including institutions, individuals, and more than 15 of the firm\u2019s own portfolio founders. That means her bets need to be carefully considered. When Bucher chooses companies, she\u2019s not only asking whether she wants to see their vision become reality, but whether the founder has the ethics and moral compass to maintain their values as the company scales.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She points to Valar Atomics, a startup developing advance nuclear reactors, as an example. Day One <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/11\/10\/nuclear-startup-valar-atomics-raises-130-million.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">co-led a $130 million round<\/a> into the startup last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can\u2019t think of a better founder,\u201d she said, referring to Valar\u2019s CEO Isaiah Taylor, noting she trusts him with \u201cliterally life-and-death\u201d decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That moral filter means there are companies she wouldn\u2019t back, even if they\u2019re getting hype. Bucher said she wasn\u2019t swayed by AI startup Cluely\u2019s rage-bait \u201ccheat on everything\u201d marketing strategy. Rather, she\u2019s proud to have invested in some of the most innovative technologies in areas like reproductive tech (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.orchidhealth.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Orchid\u2019s<\/a> embryo selection technology), accessible healthcare (<a href=\"https:\/\/superpower.com\/?srsltid=AfmBOook08N1SgXG4iVTDvxlWKNNMJcRxLx4dMEiu8WjpSoSWpDSEmim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Superpower<\/a>), and law-enforcement software (<a href=\"https:\/\/abelpolice.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Abel\u2019s<\/a> AI-optimized report-writing tools).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Day One\u2019s portfolio includes early bets on companies like Sam Altman\u2019s World, the email app Superhuman, and the remote work platform Remote.com, with at least 12 unicorns under its belt and $115 billion-plus in portfolio value. Last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/06\/11\/vc-queen-masha-bucher-largest-fund-150m\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Day One closed its Fund III with $150 million<\/a>, targeting early-stage founders \u201csolving humanity\u2019s most pressing issues,\u201d and has grown over the last six years from $11 million in assets under management to well over $450 million today, says Bucher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to use comms to solve companies\u2019 business goals, unlock new opportunities, and to help them, ultimately, to grow shareholder value,\u201d Bucher said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/12\/04\/why-day-one-ventures-masha-bucher-thinks-vcs-and-storytelling-go-hand-in-hand\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before she was a VC, Masha Bucher worked in PR and marketing \u2014 an experience that has shaped the way she runs Day One Ventures. After years of working in communications \u2014 including executive roles that gave her deep insight into how startups operate \u2014 Bucher realized she could either use her business acumen to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":209206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-209205","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tech"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}