Why this CFO and partner believes people-first leadership is an underrated edge in VC

Alyssa Dadoly is CFO and Partner at Silverton Partners, an Austin-based, early-stage venture capital firm that invests in startups across Texas and the United States. On a 12-person team, Alyssa's role spans finance and reporting, investor relations, compliance, HR, and firm operations. She joined Silverton while still in college and has built her entire professional career there over 18 years.

Alyssa spoke with Carta about the path from psychology major to CFO and Partner, what it means to grow up professionally alongside her colleagues, and why staying curious about people might be the most valuable quality she brings to her work.

CARTA: Tell us about your role at Silverton and what you do day to day.

ALYSSA DADOLY: My title is CFO and Partner, and similar to a lot of people in this type of role at a smaller VC firm, mine covers a wide range of areas. First and foremost, finance: The biggest part of my job is all of our reporting and financials that go to our investors, and any investor relations tied to that. I also have a hand in the fundraising process, because the financials are so vital to it.

Then, there are the other hats I wear, such as compliance, HR, and broader team coordination. I also manage our internal operations team. Because we do so much with just a 12-person team, I tend to be the point of contact for many things.

CARTA: You started at Silverton while you were still in college, working toward a psychology degree. Walk us through how you got from there to where you are now.

ALYSSA DADOLY: I'm actually very proud of this path. I started at Silverton while I was working toward my bachelor's degree in psychology. At the time, it was a job that paid the bills while I figured out what I actually wanted to do; I had no idea it would end up becoming my career. The in-office team was tiny: the founding partner, an attorney, the person who is now our managing partner, the office manager, and me.

When the office manager left and the team offered me her role, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. I was young and not entirely sure I wanted to do what I'd gone to school for. From there, I started supporting the CFO at the time on Silverton’s administrative work. As I built up my accounting and eventually my finance knowledge under the CFO's mentorship, I started taking accounting classes and eventually got my master's in accounting.

I think, because I've always loved the psychology and sociology side of things, the two paths melded together into the role I have now. Part of it happened naturally, and the rest happened with intention.

CARTA: You and the firm's managing partner have worked together for essentially your entire careers. What has that relationship meant for the firm?

ALYSSA DADOLY: Morgan and I have grown up professionally together, and there’s a level of trust between us you only get by putting in the years side by side. We lead differently: He tends to move fast and decide quickly, while I tend to slow things down and build consensus before we act. Working together this long, we’ve learned how to use both styles for the good of the team. 

We've both learned a great deal individually, and also about one another and what goes into each of our roles. There's a deep mutual respect for what the other does and the differences we each bring. It's something for which I'm incredibly grateful.

CARTA: Tell us more about leading with balance at Silverton. How does your approach show up in practice?

ALYSSA DADOLY: For me, it's important that there's a good amount of individual freedom. Maybe that's because it's something I value myself, but I would much rather hire really well and give people space to do their own thing and bring their own strengths to the firm than try to force or over-guide it. My goal is to watch closely before I step in, to understand how someone naturally works and where their strengths lie. Then, if there's a need to help guide or direct, that's my favorite time to get involved.

CARTA: For the first decade of your career, you were often the only woman in the room. How has that shaped how you show up?

ALYSSA DADOLY: The goal for a lot of women, myself included, is to create more space for others once you get your foot in the door. The way I see it, confidently bringing my own communication style and approach to the table creates a shift. It allows other people, regardless of gender, to see that you don't have to fit a dominant stereotype to have space to share your perspective and add value.

It's such a long game. For the first ten years of my career, I was the only woman in the room. As I started getting a say in hiring and making intentional choices about who joins the team, I've affected lasting change. I've received feedback from colleagues that having a different way of communicating gave them confidence to do the same. It’s inspired them to step back and ask what approach actually works for them. That shift is what I'm most proud of.

CARTA: What's been most exciting for you at Silverton lately?

ALYSSA DADOLY: We've been in the process of fundraising, and it's a challenging environment industry-wide, but our process has gone well, and I think it’s a real testament to the relationships we've invested in over the years. When LPs are ready to put money back into the firm, it's reassurance that you're running things well. I'm really proud of where we are given the conditions.

I also get a lot out of managing our internal operations team. Mentoring people early in their careers is part of what drew me to this work in the first place, and it’s one of the most rewarding parts of my job. 

And like most people right now, I've been exploring AI tools for accounting and finance. The project has been taking very traditional, set-in-stone accounting processes and finding tools that actually improve them. I've talked to a significant number of vendors in the last six months who are doing creative things to collect, analyze, and report on data. It's been fascinating to see what entrepreneurial minds are building there.

CARTA: You started college with psychology in mind but ended up building a career in finance. Is there still a thread connecting those two for you?

ALYSSA DADOLY: I think my initial and continued interest in psychology is really an interest in and curiosity about other people. When you're genuinely curious about people, it's easy to find remarkable qualities in them, things to truly respect. And tied to that, when you view people that way, you end up with a glass-half-full perspective. You believe in what people can bring to the table, especially things that complement what you deliver. 

That viewpoint has been the core of everything I've done at Silverton. And when you think about what venture capital actually is, the ideas connect directly. 

Our philosophy at Silverton Partners is not just about putting money into founders. We believe in them and provide time, effort, care, attention, and mentorship. We are people-forward as a team. If you can see the good in people, you can see the good in their ideas, and that drives our firm and our portfolio companies’ growth.