John Otterson Email Address

Partner

Jackson Square Ventures (JSV) is an all-partner venture capital firm focused on Series A financings for SaaS and marketplace startups from our offices in the heart of the innovation ecosystem in San Francisco at Jackson Square.

John Otterson is a senior alternative investment fundraising professional. He helped build SVB Capital from less than $200 million to over $2.3 billion in assets under management across its venture capital direct and fund-of-funds programs. In doing so, he enabled the Limited Partners who invested therewith to access exceptional fund managers with outsized returns. He has also advised a select number of venture capital and growth capital investment managers, helping them raise private capital and cultivate enduring partnerships with leading Limited Partners. His extensive global Limited Partnership relationships include Family Offices, Foundations, Endowments, Pensions as well as Sovereign Wealth Funds. He also has deep relationships with those consultants who are active in the alternative investment sector. Over the course of his alternative investment career, he has led fundraising teams and campaigns, managed LP relations, served on Investment Committees for SVB Capital funds as well as the University of San Diego Endowment, served on the Boards of start-up and emerging growth companies, and invested in same. At Silicon Valley Bank, he was the first hire for the Southern California technology practice, providing commercial banking products and services to start-up and emerging growth companies, and he subsequently founded and led SVBs San Diego office. Otterson currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego. He also serves on the Advisory Board to the UCSD Moores Cancer Center, where he co-founded the annual Luau & Longboard Invitational, raising over $10 million for the Cancer Center’s early stage research. Specialties: Alternative investments, venture capital, growth capital, limited partner relations, raising private capital