About
I’m Andrew Cove. I live in Breckenridge, Colorado.
I built this site because I’m bad at keeping in touch with people. If we’ve crossed paths before – at Carnegie Mellon, during my time at Naughty Dog, in the New York startup world, through venture capital, or anywhere along the way – this is my attempt to do better.
I spent most of the last decade moving around, building things, accumulating experiences. But my connections to people suffered in the process. Too many good relationships faded into “I wonder what they’re up to now.”
What I’m doing now
I moved to Breckenridge in 2020 for what I thought would be a temporary pandemic pause. Turned out to be the best decision I’ve made in years.
Winters I teach snowboarding on the mountain. Summers I hike and mountain bike. Year-round I work on music and build things with AI.
I’m recording my first album. I’ve been saying I’d do this for decades, but I’m actually doing it now. Should be done in 2025.
I also do some angel investing in early-stage companies, usually friends or founders working on interesting problems. I’m an LP in a couple funds and occasionally help with technical due diligence or platform building.
(If you need the formal professional background – timeline, investment portfolio, credentials – I put together a professional page with those details.)
How I got here
The path wasn’t linear, but it makes sense looking back.
I started in gaming. Internship at Z-Axis, brief time at Sanzaru, then three years at Naughty Dog working on the ICE Team. This was the PlayStation 3 era – Uncharted, God of War III, lots of late nights optimizing SPU code. The technical challenges were incredible, and the people were some of the smartest I’ve worked with.
Carnegie Mellon was where I learned to think properly. I somehow convinced them to let me in despite dropping out of high school, then stuck around for a Master’s degree. The computer science program was rigorous in the best way.
After gaming, I got curious about startups and venture capital. Summer at IA Ventures, some time at AngelList, then I started Cover in New York. We built a mobile payments platform for restaurants, raised $7M, deployed to 300+ locations, got acquired by Velocity in 2015. It was three years of learning how to build a company, mostly by making mistakes.
After Cover, I did more investing and platform building. Worked with Ridge Ventures on their internal tech systems. Moved around a lot. And eventually ended up in Colorado, where I realized I should stop moving and start putting down roots.
What I’m working on
Recording music is the big creative project. I play four instruments and have been accumulating gear and ideas for years. Finally executing on it.
I’m also building AI tools and platforms. The current wave of language models is genuinely exciting – there are things we can build now that weren’t possible even two years ago.
Teaching snowboarding keeps me connected to the mountain and to people. I’m AASI Level 3 certified, working toward Level 4.
Some angel investing when I find founders or problems that interest me. Usually small checks, more about supporting people I believe in than generating returns.
Random facts
I dropped out of high school but got my BS and MS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon.
I’m credited on a bunch of PlayStation games including Uncharted and God of War III. You can see the full list on MobyGames.
I performed improv comedy on the Upright Citizens Brigade stage in New York.
I’m half-Australian. I like Vegemite.
I love cooking and have been to over 200 concerts.
Contact
Add me on these platforms:
I still control @aac on Twitter/X but discourage continued use of that platform.
If we’ve lost touch
Reach out. Seriously. Whether it’s been six months or six years, whether we worked together or went to school together or met once at a conference, I’d like to hear what you’re up to.
Life is short and good people are rare. No reason to let connections fade just because we’re all bad at staying in touch.
Want to stay connected?