In a world where mega-investors like SoftBank write $100 million checks from SoftBank, UpFront Ventures Partner Kara Nortman says there's still a need for early-stage investors. Nortman, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday, said UpFront stepped up to lead a late-stage investment in video doorbell company Ring after another investor "got spooked" over a pending lawsuit against the company. A few months after that, Ring got acquired by Amazon for $1 billion — so her big check ended up paying off for the venture firm as well, she added. The lesson?