Lak Ananth built his career at the unusual intersection of investing and dealmaking, having led acquisitions like Meraki and Starent Networks at Cisco and later built HP's Pathfinder program before leading Next47. He's also known for writing openly about why startups fail rather than just their upside, through his book Anticipate Failure, and for arguing that founders should choose investors based on how well they can actually help solve the risks still facing the business, not just write a check.