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- Yard Call - April '25
Yard Call - April '25
Another investment, Carta's Henry Ward on the pod, and another edition of Research from the Rock!
Ryan Mitchell & Daniel Dart
April 02, 2025
Coming to you the first Wednesday of every month the Yard Call is your monthly update on what we’re up to at Rock Yard Ventures — podcasts, perspectives, events, investments, you name it!
If you’re building something great or investing in the same spaces, reach out to Daniel or Ryan - we’d love to chat!
If you were forwarded this and found it interesting, please sign up!
This Month’s Headlines:
Our Newest Investments: Welcoming Artifact to the Rock Yard family!
Dart Board Ep. 10: Henry Ward — the ‘accidental founder’ of Carta joins the pod!
Research from the Rock: The ballooning challenges (and opportunities) in reverse logistics — courtesy of our very own, Lavina Kalwani!
Rock Yard Travel: NYC, NOLA, LA, and SF!
Welcoming to the Portfolio — Artifact
We’re excited to announce our seventh investment!
Welcome to the Rock Yard family — Artifact!
We’re incredibly excited to work with Antony Samuel and Corbin Klett and to support them on their journey as they build a modern workspace for electrical design — from concept to connector!
Check it out below!
Stay tuned for exciting updates, career opportunities, and more from Artifact and the rest of our portfolio!
🚨If you have something you want featured next month — let us know!
{ EVENTS } ROCK YARD EVENTS Cool events, courtesy of the Rock Yard team! OTHER EVENTS Some other interesting stuff going on: Austin, TX New York, NY | { READS } Some good reads from the last month:
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The Dart Board Episode 10: Henry Ward | Carta
on being an ‘accidental founder,’ scaling a unicorn in a ‘non-hype’ sector, and how to build effective teams and manage mental health
Meet Henry Ward, CEO & co-founder at Carta, a platform that connects founders, investors, and LPs, helping over 40,000 companies in 160+ countries manage cap tables, valuations, equity, compensation, and more.
In this conversation, we talk about how he ‘fell in love’ with being a founder, how he grew Carta from a simple cap table tool into a one-stop shop for private market companies and funds, and the scaling challenges and lessons he learned along the way.
We also explore his approach to hiring, the challenges of fundraising in 'non-hype' sectors, and how he stays accountable while keeping Carta customer-centric.
🎧 Where you can listen…
Spotify Podcasts - listen here
Apple Podcasts - listen here
Research from the Rock - Rethinking Reverse Logistics
A core focus for us here at Rock Yard is Supply Chain — the way goods and products get from point A to B faster, safer, and smarter. But the journey doesn’t always end there. As e-commerce booms, reverse logistics has become a major operational and financial challenge for retailers and manufacturers of all sizes.
In this edition of Research from the Rock we look at the major challenges in reverse logistics, where startups are stepping in to address them, and where we think venture-scale opportunities are most likely to emerge.
Read the full piece HERE
Where You Can Find Us
Here’s the latest info on where the team will be traveling in the coming months. If you’re around hit us up!
April 18-22 / New York, NY
Daniel will be in town for some meetings.
April 29-May 2 / New Orleans, LA
Attending: Daniel will be in town for some meetings around Alpha on the Delta
May 3-7 / Los Angeles, CA
Attending: Daniel will be attending Milken Global
May 11-18 / San Francisco
Attending: Daniel will be attending Camp Hustle, followed by another 4 days in the Bay Area
June 5-12 / New York, NY
Daniel will be in town for some meetings.
That’s it for now! ‘til next time.