In 2023, if we are funding technology, we are responsible for the future that unfolds, whether it be broken or beautiful, it will be up to us.

Jane Metcalfe’s recent Neo.Life piece provides a preview of 2023 Predictions-The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

We are at a crossroads in history, an accelerated timeline, in a dream that requires new consciousness and messaging. Words are like spells, they hold immense power over a narrative and can spread like magic or wildfire. Silicon Valley has placed a lot of weight on the word “Leadership”, and in turn, we have strived to define and live up to it in a variety of ways. The path forward includes “Stewardship”, and the role of the community and collective as the most powerful force that leads.

The word “Stewardship” elevates the conversation around leadership. Leadership is an individual journey whereas stewardship is about the collective journey taken together.

“Humans evolved to be able to plan for the future. We need to use that extraordinary power wisely and with an eye towards supporting people and our planet for the long run. We need to be good and compassionate ancestors and to judge what we do and build and invest in not according to quarterly earnings, but by the long term value and lasting impact.”

- David Ewing Duncan, Science Journalist and Entrepreneur

Imagine that we’ve created a legacy that lasts beyond the next seven generations because our identities are fundamental as the caretakers of the earth and each other. We have provided abundant supplies of alternative protein, ended factory farming, reduced carbon emissions, eradicated disease, and retrofitted industries (like the automotive and airline industries) to have a positive impact on the environment. Imagine that we have improved transportation, communication, sanitation, waste management, data, network, and critical infrastructure that operate more efficiently for society. Imagine that our lifespans are extended to live healthier for longer periods, hospitals turn into places of well-being and optimal health education, reduced treatment time and costs, and insurance company models update to provide more ease to patients. This is an introduction to a story that has endless possibilities, and we are writing it together in the venture capital community daily.

We are the stewards of the capital that is invested in new technology, overseeing the rebuilding of every aspect of our world. It’s a large task that requires everyone’s participation. So does the elevation of the conversation around leadership.

This is an invitation to the Venture Capital community to add your definition of Stewardship to this “working” document. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts, and to those who took the first steps:

“Stewardship is acting responsibly on behalf of the well-being and success of others.”

-Joon Yun, Palo Alto Investors

“Stewardship means that we take our job seriously of bringing together amazing people, creativity, ingenuity, and technology, all to solve the world’s biggest problems which include reversing climate change and curing disease.”

-Arvind Gupta, Mayfield Fund

“It’s actions, not just mindset, if there is a mindset, for all the people in the community that you are stewards for, it means you are actually there for them, that you give a shit, that you are involved. In that sense, we are stewards through our actions and not just the high concept of stewardship. We demonstrate it through action.”

-Po Bronson, SOSV

“We are finite, this is but a moment in time. The obligation to maximize this and improve life for those coming after us, is all about stewardship. “

-Joe Hurd, SOSV

“Stewardship means that we all have a role in creating a better world through technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem building. It really takes a whole village to make change happen”

-Victoria Slivkoff, Extreme Tech Challenge/Walden Catalyst

“Stewardship means the convergence of smart capital, with effective leadership, teams, and technology, to address healthspan, not just to help people live forever, but to have a quality of life with a sense of purpose, meaning, with equity and to extend this across the planet for this generation and the next.”

- Daniel Kraft, NextMed Health/XPrize

“It’s an important term to really understand because I view ourselves as temporary beings. When we deploy capital, how can we do the best for humanity, the planet, and for the animals? I take it very seriously that I’m not here forever, so I think about the positive impact I can make as the steward of the capital I deploy.”

-Ryan Bethencourt, Sustainable Food Ventures/Wild Earth

“Harnessing our creative joy in unison, to create a sustainable ecosystem on our planet, for all us humans, animals, plants, and our dear planet, is stewardship to me."

-Ajay Juneja, Angel Investor

“Being a good steward means understanding the privileged position we’re in standing at the intersection of brilliant founders and entrepreneurs, solving the world’s problems in human and planetary health, and the fiduciary responsibility we owe to our LPs, many of which are non-profits, endowments and retirement funds. It’s a huge weight on our shoulders which is why we get up every single day and hustle nonstop.”

-Gwen Cheni, Khosla Ventures

“Stewardship is about empowering humans to build a better world by reaching greater possibility, and working with a collective of visionary start-ups, aligned investors, and communities that are committed to creating wel-lbeing for future generations.”

-Naoko Okumoto, Niremia Collective

"Being an effective steward of capital starts with being an effective steward towards your startups. You must first have the empathy to understand the individuals behind the team and their idea at their present stage, while also deeply resonating with their long term vision. Once you have that foothold, you can help both the capital and the people behind it reach their full potentials."

-Sabrina Paseman, Omni Venture Labs

“"We’re seeing that stewardship is leading to more resilient businesses that are doing things that are more meaningful. During downturns, they actually continue to have strong financial support and customers.”

-Tom Chi, At One Ventures

" As investors, we are stewards of our economy. We get the economy we invest into. Thoughtful and responsible stewardship means aligning our investment dollars with a just, inclusive and sustainable economy. It means investing into businesses with diverse leadership offering products or services that will serve in our transition to a just and regenerative economy."

-Kristin Hull, Nia Impact Capital

This is an invitation to step into the role of “Stewards” of our planet and evolve as a global community that responsibly rebuilds the world.