Before becoming a venture capitalist, Masha Bucher worked in PR and marketing. This experience fundamentally shaped how she runs Day One Ventures. After years in communications, including executive roles that gave her deep insight into startup operations, Bucher faced a choice. She could use her business acumen to become a top PR representative, or she could evolve into something more.
She founded Day One Ventures in 2018 after a key realization. She could create greater impact and achieve better returns by investing in startups and providing them with integrated PR support. Combining these two functions allows her to help portfolio companies more meaningfully while only backing stories she truly believes in.
Bucher criticizes the traditional PR model, noting its structural misalignment. PR firms on retainer often work slower to stretch out client payments, but startups need to move fast. Cost is another barrier. Early-stage companies should not pay tens of thousands per month for months just to secure a single announcement. She does not believe that is fair or sustainable.
Day One’s integrated model allows Bucher to work with startups at the most critical early stages. Young companies might pivot or experience founder changes, and they need a trusted advisor to help them make decisions. Backing a company financially gives her something traditional PR firms cannot offer: she is literally invested in the story.
Her ambition is to be the first investor in the most important and ambitious ideas of our time. She believes this starts with understanding the field and gaining conviction in the business. That conviction, proven by the investment, gives her the integrity to introduce the company to reporters. Having access to everything from investor decks to data rooms provides serious advantages in positioning a company and understanding what is at stake. For Bucher, this makes the work more compelling. Doing PR for any company that can pay might be good business, but that does not mean it is a good story.
As a VC, Bucher answers to her investors. Day One has over 70 limited partners, including institutions, individuals, and more than 15 of the firm’s own portfolio founders. This means her investments must be carefully considered. When choosing companies, she asks not only if she wants to see their vision become reality, but also if the founder has the ethics and moral compass to maintain their values as the company scales.
She points to Valar Atomics, a startup developing advanced nuclear reactors, as an example. Day One recently co-led a $130 million round into the startup. Bucher says she cannot think of a better founder than Valar’s CEO, Isaiah Taylor, noting she trusts him with literally life-and-death decisions.
This moral filter means there are companies she would not back, even if they are gaining hype. For instance, she was not swayed by the marketing strategy of an AI startup that promoted cheating. Instead, she is proud to invest in innovative technologies in areas like reproductive tech, accessible healthcare, and law-enforcement software.
Day One’s portfolio includes early bets on companies like Sam Altman’s World, the email app Superhuman, and the remote work platform Remote.com. It boasts at least 12 unicorns and over $115 billion in portfolio value. Last year, Day One closed its third fund with $150 million, targeting early-stage founders solving humanity’s most pressing issues. Over the past six years, the firm has grown from $11 million in assets under management to well over $450 million today.
Bucher’s goal is clear: to use communications to solve companies’ business goals, unlock new opportunities, and ultimately help them grow shareholder value.