Karl

Karl

Family Man, Venture Capitalist, Ex-Monkey Boy

“You have to have a military mind. You have to execute, stay perfectly calm and not get lost in your emotions. Everyone in their 20’s is a robot. I was guilty of that too. You take Adderall and stuff that will keep you awake. It’s like legal cocaine. It’s not sustainable. You don’t get enough sleep. Not enough sleep causes depression and then you’re in a bad cycle.”

“ People expect that we’re gonna be these huge, moneymaking asses. I’ve found that a lot of the guys who’s been around a while aren’t really that nasty. They’re genuine and smart. Media helps craft it to this wizardry. Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street. I think people want it to be that way, so media feeds it back to them.”

“Before you settle down to have a family, there is so much to absorb in this city. Some people get enough of that, some people don’t. They keep on going. My wife calls them Peter Pan’s. The boys who never grow up.”

“Once you have a child, it’s like taking care of your artery. It’s a piece of you and it tempers me. It’s the best part of the day seeing this little person light up, seeing her dad. She opens the doors and come running towards me. I pick her up and kiss her. It’s crazy. I’ll tell you: No-one in venture capital does that to you when you get into a room.”

“It’s expensive to have a daughter raised in the city. It’s insane with the school system. We had to put our 2 year old daughter into a private school. Up until nursery school we pay $15 000 a year. Then it’s like $30-40 000 a year.”

“There’s always a drive here. Every person I meet has something special about them. Even if you first see them, and they seem a little weird or boring, once you get to talk to them, they’re doing something really cool.”

“I love the access to so many different types of people. Otherwise it’s just sement. You get to guide your own path here. If you want something to move and happen fast, you can make it happen. If you fail, it’s because you failed. There’s access to all the money, all the people. You just have to do your best to get it. It takes that type of person in New York. Someone who’s self-starting.”

“New York. Dirty minds. Dirty place. Dirty people. Keep on living it!”

Favorite neighborhood? Tribeca is my favorite neighborhood to hangout in but to live, Riverside.

Favorite street to stroll? Well, not a street but the Riverside Walk way from 50th up is a nice escape from the city heat.

Why? Escape the people and look at some nice calming waters.

Favorite restaurant? Il Baretto – tiny place with the best Italian in the world.

Favorite bar? Ward III – best cocktails in town by far.

Hidden gem? Raines Law Room – Victorian speakeasy, great for quiet social and cocktails are amazing.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? Be yourself!! The best part of the city is that people are different, be weird, be funny, be whatever you are when you look in the mirror.

Your New York soundtrack? Jay Z — Empire State of Mind.

5 THINGS THAT TELLS A STORY ABOUT KARL

PIANO “I grew up with pianos and spent hours just nailing the thing. It is a gift I’m passing on to the next generation.”

RING “We decided to get married 3 weeks after we met, skipped the engagement and went to townhall. It was passionate.”

MONKEY “I was a monkey-boy once… I had the exact same monkey when I was a kid.”

PICTURE 1 “Nothing has changed in the Andersen family in a long time. You see my grandpa in toga. My great granddad playing the ukulele. We’re always doing ridiculous stuff.”

PICTURE 2 “It was a fun wedding. Deli stand style. Here we are taking our number 13. You see we are so in love and the woman behind the counter is like aha-next.”