Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 3, 2010

This was really a fun week at TWiVC because we decided to have an entrepreneur come and talk about raising capital rather than having a VC come on. It’s always such a pleasure for me to spend time with Farb because he has all of the enthusiasm and energy you love to see in entrepreneurs. Tags: Start-up Advice. MetaMarkets.

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VC founder advice ventures 214

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

Our 3rd fund began investing in March 2009 (raised in 2008) and our 4th fund started in April 2012 so this fund will naturally begin investing around March / April 2015. As I like to say when asked, “For entrepreneurs you generally need to go to 2-3 cities max and probably pitch 5-15 investors. Was it hard to raise the fund?

ventures 396

ventures VC venture capital real estate 396

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

And so do entrepreneurs who are quick to pivot to new businesses or to sell in an acquihire. It’s been high tide since 2009 so an entire batch of entrepreneurs don’t know what low tide even looks like. And the “stay lean” argument isn’t only good for entrepreneurs, it can be good for VCs, too.

startup 390

startup VC venture capital entrepreneurs 390

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Starting in 2009 I began writing checks consistently, year-in and year-out. I was in it for the love of working with entrepreneurs on business problems and marveling at technology they had built. During this era, from 2009–2015, most founders I knew were in it for building great & sustainable companies. Let’s deploy faster!

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VC culture sustainability capital 466

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 25, 2021

Kent Gregoire is an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member and founder of Symphony Advantage, which helps CEOs achieve ongoing success through strategic thinking, advice and planning. EO asked Kent how entrepreneurs can embrace the tenets of Conscious Capitalism. Contributed to EO by Kent Gregoire.

capital 278

capital culture sustainability leadership 278

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

It was 2009 and it was terribly difficult to get any financing (if you can remember a time like that!) and I thought if we brought the community together for common purpose we could create more of a sense of community to help new entrepreneurs get funded, assemble teams, raise profiles and help with biz dev, product, etc.

accelerator 290

accelerator mentorship peer-to-peer VC 290

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

This is the third article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). I should say that I agree that naive optimism in entrepreneurs can produce higher beta (upside or flops) and that’s good from an investment standpoint if you’re looking for big returns.

angel investing 284

angel investing investment investing VC 284

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2015

These are all normal things but in this big run since 2009 we’ve all gotten used to nearly 100% follow-on financing rates, valuations only moving up, deals clearly the convertible note caps and low mortality rates. The impact hits VCs in an immediate way that most entrepreneurs don’t realize. Watch the market closely.

finance 344

finance financing ventures real estate 344

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 1, 2011

years ago you’d remember RIP Good Times from Sequoia, which still strikes me as having been prudent advice in late 2008. But they weren’t there in 2009 when you were up late nights shitting yourself whether you really were smart for pursuing this idea. .&# That’s how it felt then and a bit how it feels in May 2011.

advice 391

advice VC finance financing 391

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

In my previous post, The VC Ice Age is Thawing (for now) I wrote about the reasons why the VC market came to a screeching halt in September 2008 and remained largely shut until at least April 2009. This post highlights some of the reasons why the market is moving again and what entrepreneurs should do about this.

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VC venture capital networking innovation 255

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

In the early spring of 2009, the fundraising nuclear winter of the previous year hadn't yet thawed. Many of you entrepreneurs know that feeling. That product isn't money--it's their time, attention, sound advice and network. It would be months before Foursquare's first round touched off a NYC venture frenzy.

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ventures pitching VC startup ecosystem 280

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2010

I’d like to offer you two “life hacks&# that I implemented in 2009 and one that I’m test driving in 2010. Dmitry was giving me advice that he only ever has two folders at any point in time. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. I’m just getting started.

advice 280

advice entrepreneurs networking innovation 280

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

My mom was an entrepreneur – she was kind of my inspiration for entrepreneurship. And no one could see me as anything but a startup guy, so I started a second company and called myself a serial entrepreneur. Then everyone just started calling me a serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur you have to suspend disbelief.

startup 337

startup entrepreneurs consulting board 337

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

I would argue that the shut-down of September 2009 was equally severe yet there are signs that this “VC Ice Age” has begun to thaw. But any entrepreneurs raising capital should keep in mind that this opening of the markets could possibly be temporary. Despite my cynicism of MBA’s , this class was very valuable to me.

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VC board investing investment 263

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

Because my wife is a superstar she published them all on a blog here along with much other wonderful type-A mom advice. I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs.

VC 292

VC peer-to-peer investing investment 292

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

The idea is simple enough: several female VC partners at top funds will hold 1-hour meetings with 40 promising female entrepreneurs looking to get advice on their business and pitch in a friendly, non-judgmental, safe environment. Of the 106 judges who preceded her 105 of them were men (Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman).

founder 256

founder peer-to-peer VC mentorship 256

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

If you do a capped note it’s bad for the entrepreneur. Since 2009 I have been counseling people to offer discounts to the first angel investors. Here is what I recommend very often – privately – to startup entrepreneurs for angel funding. I recently wrote about my views that startups rounds should be priced.

finance 294

finance financing pitching VC 294

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

In a world where the economy only heads in one direction (read: 2009-2014) most investors & entrepreneurs forget to pay attention to gross burn. But while Net Burn is the more critical figure at first blush and what most investors will focus on, Gross Burn is not irrelevant. But this strategy great depends on point 3.

startup 383

startup VC frameworks capital 383

Gust

OCTOBER 8, 2014

This is something I think entrepreneurs don’t totally understand and it’s worthwhile they do. Entrepreneurs started demanding that VCs call their first-round financings “seed” rounds even if they were $3 million. Whom you take advice from really matters. Whom you take advice from really matters. Why the latter?

VC 136

VC advice finance financing 136

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

My initial reaction to Adeo when we spoke was that while it may have solved some issues (debt versus equity) it didn’t solve the ones that I’ve been warning entrepreneurs about most loudly. A standard entrepreneur retort I heard back then (2008-09) was “I don’t know what my company is worth now.

startup 354

startup VC entrepreneurs financing 354

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

This is the third article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). And if I were an entrepreneur I’d rather find investors who understood “my space&# so that in tough times they felt comfortable about “doubling down.&#. Not everybody agreed.

angel investing 152

angel investing investment investing VC 152

TechCrunch

MARCH 28, 2023

Laurie Fabiano, the president of the Tory Burch Foundation , said the foundation decided to launch the tool after realizing that women entrepreneurs are often unaware of their funding options or how to navigate the form of capital that might best suits their needs.

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capital founder education startup ecosystem 94

Founders Coop

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Just two years later, in 2009, we worked out a deal to create the Techstars Seattle program, with our first program running in 2010. What did we owe our sponsors, and did that put us in conflict with our commitments to give founders the best possible advice, and to never waste their time?

startup ecosystem 189

startup ecosystem accelerator communities support 189

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

In the long term, there needs to be foundational change to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs. of the funding raised since 2009, while Latinx female founders saw only 0.4% It’s also worth noting that women VCs are not only more likely to invest in women-founded companies, but also those founded by Black entrepreneurs.

VC 123

VC startup leadership communities 123

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 5, 2016

This article was originally posted on Inc.com, a partner of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization , the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs. What’s the best advice on productivity you’ve ever received? I’ve received great advice from many people over the years. It’s the most adaptable.

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mix-use advice pitching opportunity 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 5, 2010

This is part of my series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Entrepreneurs are inherently risk takers.

entrepreneurs 293

entrepreneurs VC advice consulting 293

StartupNation

JANUARY 20, 2022

As the e-commerce industry continues to boom and work from home remains a trend amongst the corporate sector, more entrepreneurs are using their funds to create new digital startups in a number of niches. In fact, VC-based funding has boomed within the last decade, reaching a whopping $753B worth of investments since 2009.

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venture capital capital ventures startup 89

Startup Grind

AUGUST 13, 2018

Floodgate exists to invest in prime movers - entrepreneurs who build movements that become category defining companies - before the rest of the world believes in them. Taskrabbit; Nov 2009 What is one question you ask yourself before investing in a company? What is one piece of advice you’d give every founder? I love teaching.

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VC entrepreneurship pitching strategy 111

Smart Hustle Magazine

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

But if you are starting a company, responsible for part of an organization, or making bets on entrepreneurs, you are most likely to succeed if you act as a sponge. Before founding db5 in 2009, Chris served as Chief Executive Officer at Hall & Partners USA. Likely, you’re probably not the next Zuckerberg or Bezos.

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peer-to-peer media leadership advice 114

abovethecrowd.com

JUNE 17, 2014

Many entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley believe that the financial services industry in the United States is “ripe for disruption. ” Consumers want faster, simpler, and cheaper transactions, and entrepreneurs want to give it to them. Many blame Dodd-Frank and the consolidation post 2009 for the loss of free checking.

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disruption finance financing incumbents 83

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

As evidence of that, the firm led Credit Karma’s Series A in 2009; led Remitly’s Series A in 2014 and participated in Nubank’s Series A in 2014. Very, very few can augment that with proven, actionable advice and insight that can help them tomorrow.”. That’s especially true as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to (sadly) rage on.

investing 91

investing investment capital advice 91

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 7, 2009

If you’re thinking about raising VC and have not yet started the process, you’ve probably already missed the boat for 2009. Maybe it’s partially because many entrepreneurs are pre-kids and many VC’s are post kids that VCs take off large blocks of time in the Summer? May 16th – June 30th (yellow zone).

VC 304

VC venture capital advice capital 304

Smart Hustle Magazine

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

He started teaching e-commerce and helping others with it in 2009 and has been a staple in the industry. John got into e-commerce a little differently — he was going bankrupt about 20 yrs ago and started selling stuff on eBay to make some money. His eBay business took off and he voluntarily left his job in 2004 and never looked back.

real estate 111

real estate media strategy innovation 111

Smart Hustle Magazine

OCTOBER 18, 2019

So, in 2009, Adrian created Adrian’s Network , an innovative and (very) successful business networking community that combines virtual networking (think conference calls and webinars) with in-person meetings. Ramon Ray got some great networking advice, plus a few do’s and don'ts directly from Adrian herself. Become a Great Networker.

networking 75

networking peer-to-peer consulting communities 75

Entrepreneur's Handbook

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

(Any views expressed in the below are the personal views of the author and should not form the basis for making investment decisions, nor be construed as a recommendation or advice to engage in investment transactions.) Remember March 2009, when the Fed began buying bonds as part of its Quantitative Easing (QE) money printing operation?

hospitality 104

hospitality investment investing advice 104

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

A great recent example of this was a successful group of entrepreneurs who had created a company that will do $10-12 million in revenue at their system integration business (read: services business) in 2011 after having done $5 million or so in 2010 and $2-3 million in 2009. They wanted advice. This team is talented.

VC 332

VC advice finance financing 332

TechCrunch

AUGUST 10, 2021

Last week, Kickstarter announced that people have backed more than 200,000 projects with $6 billion in pledges since the company launched in 2009. We frequently run articles with advice for founders who are working on pitch decks. Kickstarter’s CEO on the future of crowdfunding. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin.

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pitching disruption mix-use leadership 96