Remove 2007 Remove entrepreneurs Remove strategy
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Should You Really be a Startup Entrepreneur?

Both Sides of the Table

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.&#. On Being an Entrepreneur.

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What is the Definition of a Seed Round or an A Round?

Both Sides of the Table

This is something I think entrepreneurs don’t totally understand and it’s worthwhile they do. There weren’t a lot of seed funds in 2007 so this was often done by angels, funding consortia or sometimes early-stage funds that existed then (First Round Capital, True Ventures, SoftTech VC, etc.). Why the latter?

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Praying to the God of Valuation

Both Sides of the Table

2001–2007: THE BUILDING YEARS The dot com bubble had burst. SEEING THINGS FROM THE VC SIDE OF THE TABLE While I was a VC in 2007 & 2008 those were dead years because the market again evaporated due the the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Until we weren’t. Nobody cared about our valuations any more.

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How I Got the Monkey Off My Back – Today Was a Good Day

Both Sides of the Table

I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 Working with early-stage teams : coaching, mentoring, setting strategy, rolling up sleeves: 9/10. “I think the best VCs help drive exits alongside their entrepreneurs. years ago. Sourcing high-quality leads : 9/10. Since then? None have exited.

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Optimize for authentic relationships, not bluster

This is going to be BIG.

More importantly, I know them both for a while--Hilary since August of 2007 through twitter and, of course, getting to work with her at Path 101, and Kara since I used to e-mail her about her Boomtown columns in the WSJ over ten years ago. Does that make it a viable strategy for every new entrepreneur? Not in the slightest.

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How to Avoid Being Disrupted as a VC

Both Sides of the Table

And Greg has had the most influence on Upfront Ventures’ strategy since he joined. I joined Upfront Ventures in 2007 and took over as co-Managing Partner in 2011 along with the founder, Yves Sisteron. I asked for the responsibility of setting out the firm’s future strategy and our daily operating tasks. I keynoted.

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Some Reflections on VC Investment Decisions

Both Sides of the Table

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). Of course these are great places to network with other investors, meet great entrepreneurs and keep your connections strong with senior execs at larger companies like Yahoo!,

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