Before she was a VC, Masha Bucher worked in PR and marketing — an experience that has shaped the way she runs Day One Ventures.
After years of working in communications — including executive roles that gave her deep insight into how startups operate — 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.
“I 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,” Bucher told TechCrunch on today’s episode of Equity.
She founded Day One Ventures in 2018 after realizing she could create more impact — and make better returns — 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.
“The structure of PR services is very misaligned,” Bucher said, noting that PR firms working on a contract basis often lean toward working slower so they can stretch out client payments. “For startups, it’s really important to move fast.”
Beyond speed, there’s a cost barrier: “Early-stage companies shouldn’t be paying $10, $20, or $30 grand per month for six months to get one announcement in TechCrunch. I just don’t think that’s fair, and I don’t think it’s sustainable.”
Day One’s 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 “you need to be trusted to advise and help them make decisions.”
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Backing a company financially gives her something many traditional PR firms can’t offer: She’s literally invested in the story.
“I have an ambition to be, ideally, the first investor in the most important and ambitious ideas and companies of our time,” Bucher said. “I think that starts with you understanding the field, understanding the business, getting a conviction on the business. And once you have this conviction — which you’ve proved by investing in the company — you have the right to introduce it to reporters with much higher integrity.”
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