Summary List PlacementNaomi Ionita, a partner at Menlo Ventures, knew her competitors were circling around a promising new company called Endgame, and she wanted to make it the crown jewel of her enterprise software-focused portfolio. So when Endgame's founder went to visit San Francisco earlier this year, Ionita met him for a hike in Bernal Heights. She was 35 weeks pregnant and made her pitch, panting, on why he should take Menlo's money over another firm's. "I needed that connection in person to lead that investment and partner for the next decade," Ionita said.