Why Rubix?
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life," sage advice from Confucius. The wisdom in this quote is evident, people would love to be doing what they're passionate about, but the realities of day-to-day life pose a challenge. The paradox most of us face is how to find fun in our work while earning enough to sustain our lifestyle and support those who depend on us.
Two groups of people who find themselves in an opportune situation that delivers both earnings and fun are founders and athletes.
A founder sees a gap, need, or opportunity to create change and devotes immense focus to achieving that goal. They are dedicated and resilient in their quest to be successful. Athletes share this focus. From a young age, athletes dedicate their existence to being the best they can be. Many sports require absolute commitment from athletes and their support networks to effectively achieve their goals - pursuing medals, podium places or, in some instances, to get to an event in optimal condition.
I have been fortunate in experiencing life as both an athlete and later a founder. As a younger chap, I spent hundreds of hours pedalling up and down hills, scrutinising my nutrition and even giving my body to science to enable me to understand more about being better. I tried to surround myself with the best people, and although the Tour de France win never arrived, I learned a lot, developed as a person and built an ecosystem of people who guided me.
Then later, I found sport opened doors. I was no longer a skinny kid who wore lycra at the weekend, cycling was becoming cool, and so many senior figures in business joined the 'clique' of cycling and understood the dedication it required.
As a founder, I used my focus, energy, and drive learned as an aspiring athlete to climb a different mountain. Skills developed from experience, examining my errors, and studying the positive and negative ways of working allowed me to build an approach based around consistent and continuous improvement that would otherwise have been out of reach. I continue to have fun and have shaped a business around my core beliefs and values.
Rubix Ventures has been built based on those values, and just like athletes, we have surrounded ourselves with amazing people who play a part in driving us forward. We don't know everything, but our experiences have given us excellent knowledge and expertise, and our ecosystem expands this.
I wouldn't have experienced the same success on my journey without listening to people who I trust. I am genuinely grateful to the people who, out of kindness, gave up their time to offer advice and open doors for no other reason than they knew it was helpful.
As our founding athlete, Dan Martin announces his retirement, it struck me how much people value a trusted partner. Twenty years ago, I committed to supporting this young man who became a world-class professional athlete. It makes me proud to celebrate his successes as one chapter ends and the next begins.
Outpourings of positivity from Dan's fans and supporters have been incredible. He's been exemplary in sticking to his core values; in doing so, he's been reliable to others, and over the long term, he's built unbreakable trust, which is often something we seek but seldom find.
As Rubix evolves, we will stick to our values and build a business where all parties win. Our experience tells us that success will come through aligning everyone's interests and being the squad that does the right thing for others.
Whether supporting founders, athletes, or fellow investors, we will do so as a trusted partner.
Andy Birley
Managing Partner
Rubix Venture Partners
