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Dan Bartus
Dan Bartus
Partner, Head of Research
Bio
Dan Bartus is a Partner and leads Research at Felicis. As Head of Research, he works alongside the investment team to deepen understanding of key market trends and companies. He also supports portfolio companies by leveraging the unique insights he uncovers. Dan drives several other strategic initiatives for Felicis, such as spearheading an innovative Scout program where he works alongside 14 operators investing across the AI, Data, and Security sectors.
Previously, Dan was a Vice President at Bank of America where he spent over seven years as an Equity Research Analyst. At BofA, he was focused on technology companies spanning the software, semiconductor, and hardware sectors. His team was consistently ranked #1 by Institutional Investor for the Data Networking sector, and most recently he focused on Cyber Security and Enterprise Software. His coverage as a Senior Analyst included high-growth software companies like Zoom, Twilio, Zscaler, CyberArk, Proofpoint, Qualtrics, and others.
Dan splits his time between Connecticut and NYC, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hamilton College, where he was a member of the Economic Honors Society.
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Q&A
How did your early life affect your viewpoint today?
I grew up in a small town in northern Connecticut and lived there my entire childhood. It was a blue collar community and upbringing, where I had a daily newspaper route and spent summers also working on farms. This instilled in me a drive to work hard and also appreciate that “hard work” comes in many different forms and styles. Sports were a big part of my childhood. I primarily played team sports and the team mentality carries over into my attitude toward work today. Hockey was my top sport and it helped shape the course of my early life, eventually opening the door for me to attend boarding school at Deerfield Academy. This was a big turning point that broadened my horizon and exposed me to many different cultures and walks of life. My experience gives me an added appreciation for how small, fortunate events can really alter the course of your life. I believe that many people are often one break away from a much different trajectory. I’m most interested in what drives people and their hunger level rather than what’s on their resume.
What are your sectors of interest?
I covered cybersecurity companies for many years as a Wall St analyst and continue to be excited about the opportunities in this sector. The cat and mouse dynamic of hackers and security teams will always fuel new innovations and attack vectors. Then you add a new technology like AI, and you have the makings for a new golden age for cyber startups. Climate Tech is also an area I’m passionate about. The climate crisis remains far from solved, and other themes like AI and Defense now make the intersection of power, abundance, and sustainability even more interesting.
How I work with founders
Founders have a ton on their plate, from assembling a team of A plus talent to building and breaking into early customers. To help accelerate their time to product market fit, and then eventual platform expansion, we like to help add to their knowledge and capabilities with research. Our research is often on market dynamics, competitors, new product considerations, go-to-market intelligence, pricing strategies, and more. My experience as a public markets equity research analyst also gives me a deep perspective on what companies will need to look like as they approach IPO, have a successful IPO, and continue to execute in the public markets. Those learnings can also help founders think about their north stars and navigate their journey to become multi-product and platform companies. I find the most successful founders are always building toward very long-term visions and 10 steps ahead.
Perspectives
