Erik Moore is the Founder and Managing Director of Base Ventures, an early-stage tech venture fund. He was one of the first investors in Zappos (sold for 1.2B to Amazon) and an early investor in Plangrid, sold to Autodesk for $875mm. Prior to Base Ventures, Erik spent 15 years in investment banking at Merrill Lynch. He recently joined the board of the Common Ground Foundation, founded by Grammy, Oscar and Emmy award winning artist, Common, and he currently serves as a board member for P.A.C.E, a private philanthropic group. He was recognized as #10 on a list of the top 25 most influential blacks in tech by Business Insider (John Thompson, Chairman of Microsoft was ranked #1). He mentors and advises several known professional athletes. Erik earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College, an MA in French from the University of Pennsylvania, and his MBA from The Wharton School of Business.