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Get to Know Richard de Silva of Highland Capital

Both Sides of the Table

He was introduced through mutual friends to Highland Capital. At the time consumer internet venture capital was still suffering from the collapse of the Tech Bubble. But it was an attractive time to enter because the successful internet companies were scaling and in need of capital. So it is a combination of markets and people.

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Because the Domain Makes it Really Real

This is going to be BIG.

I tried to write a book for college kids in 2002-2003, couldn''t get it published, so I started blogging in February of 2004. Venture Capital & Technology' I started a business newspaper in 1998 in college covering the stock market and the economy. I got my first job in venture--at GM--in February 2001. Yeah, so, somewhere in there.

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Why You Need to Ring the Freaking Cash Register

Both Sides of the Table

I remember just a decade ago in 2003 when we all laughed at how dumb people in the 90′s were talking about the race to “capture as many eyeballs as possible” before your competition. I know it’s not as sexy as a faster growth rate and a larger round of capital. Nobody seems to want to make money any more.

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Rustic Canyon Speaks out on GaiKai Exit, Changing Nature of VC, LA Tech & More

Both Sides of the Table

We also spent a fair bit of time talking about the changing nature of venture capital and in particular the hand-on practitioner role of early-stage VC led by accelerators such as YC, 500Startups, Betaworks and the like. 33:15 Have you noticed a change from 2003 to now in the “serendipity factor” of Santa Monica?

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Making Sense of the Stock Market Drops in Relation to Venture Financing

Both Sides of the Table

I’ve seen friends (and family members) lose much of their savings that way over the years because “Black Swans” happen and in 1987, 2001, 2003 & 2008 (just to name a few from my memory) huge market gyrations caused much financial distress to people seeking short-term gains. At least later stage investors.

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Tattoos and YCombinator Demo Day

This is going to be BIG.

It was June of 2003. I sat in a little ink shop on Rivington Street called Porcupine Tattoo. Emma was tracing the design I had given her--some wrap around barbed wire--onto my arm with a pen. She had flower sleeves of spectacular color. Seven Nation Army was playing. I never really thought much of tattoos.

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How Venture Funding For Early-Stage Startups Will Change During the COVID-19 Crisis

Dream It

Paul Martino, General Partner at Bullpen Capital. During our recent Dreamit Kickoff week, Bullpen Capital Founder and General Partner Paul Martino ( @ahpah ) spoke with our Spring 2020 cohort about the state of the VC ecosystem in the current economic crisis. Will a financial crisis affect how venture funds deploy capital?

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