Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2010

I’m writing this series because if you better understand how VC firms work you can better target which firms make sense for you to speak with. It in not uncommon to see a VC talk about “total assets under management&# as in “We have $1.5 What is a VC fund? VC’s don’t invest 100% of their own money.

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VC venture capital investing investment 269

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 5, 2021

There has been this narrative about investing in VC funds that you have to get into the top quartile (25%) or possibly the top decile (10%) in order to generate good returns. I have heard that for as long as I have been in VC and probably have written it here a few times. Well, it turns out that is not right.

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VC board investing investment 279

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

This morning we heard from Jamie Montgomery, CEO of the venerable Montgomery & Co investment bank who is at the heart of what is going on in M&A for venture backed companies. They do around 7% of the total VC-backed deals in the US per year or just under 40 deals / year on average (present year excluded!). per year.

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VC venture capital ventures capital 241

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2016

I laid out the following goals: Hire investment partners with operating experience combined with investment experience and deeply committed to LA Tech, but with strong relationships in SF, NYC and beyond. Build out our junior staff including pulling through some younger professionals into the investment ranks. I sat on panels.

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disruption VC communities ventures 226

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

Because my role as a VC requires me to take and endless stream of meetings I long ago decided I need to learn as much as I can from the meetings I attend so I often just ask tons of questions and assimilate knowledge. When I think about what defines us as a VC I think: Operationally knowledgeable / strong startup competence.

VC 360

VC communities investing investment 360

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

I’d rather be Roger Ehrenberg with a thesis around data-centric companies and base my investment decisions on my background. 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.

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angel investing investing investment VC 152

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

OCTOBER 5, 2020

Most of USV’s big wins have been in companies where we were the first institutional VC to talk to the company or where we had way more conviction about the opportunity than other investors at the time of our investment. ” He was surprised and said “You are the first VC to say that.”

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VC pitching investing investment 254

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

by Michael Woolf that is worth any startup founder reading to get a sense of perspective on the reality warp that is startup world during a frothy market such as 1997-1999, 2005-2007 or 2012-2014. otherwise I prefer to invest less and risk less). (it is also the title of a fabulous book from Internet 1.0

startup 383

startup VC frameworks capital 383

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

I am a VC. But through expressing points-of-view I can raise above the consciousness of my customers (entrepreneurs and limited partners who invest in VC funds) in ways that I couldn’t without breaking through the noise of the hundreds of others of VCs who also have money. I hand out money.

mix-use 389

mix-use advice VC technology 389

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

When I work with community leaders I often encourage them to “pool capital” together from many angels into a fund structure run by a small investment committee that can make more rapid funding decisions, take more risks (it is pooled capital so goes across more investments), and standardize investment terms.

startup 390

startup communities venture capital angel capital 390

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

The interview was wide ranging and discussed everything from USVs investment thesis over the past 10 years to what some emerging themes are around blockchain and artificial intelligence. Dan asked Fred about “generational change” at USV and in the VC industry more broadly.

VC 176

VC peer-to-peer board disruption 176

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

It represents the great majority of entrepreneurship and eschews the fairytale rags-to-VC-riches stories we so often read about in the press. Sam is the managing director of Launchpad LA and we were about to pick our 2012 class of entrepreneurs. Just not the kind you would initially read about on TechCrunch. That may soon change.

peer-to-peer 363

peer-to-peer entrepreneurs startup entrepreneurship 363

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. They take fewer bets, they don’t mind being counter-conventional and investing in things that make others scratch their heads. Year in, year out.

advice 398

advice VC entrepreneurs transportation 398

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2012

For me Silicon Beach doesn’t quite encapsulate the wonderful, dynamic, creative, large, thriving community that is the 13 million proud Angelinos any more than Silicon Alley captures the bustling 2012 community of New York City. IA Ventures – Roger Ehrenberg was doing angel investing before he became a VC.

communities 304

communities startup creativity VC 304

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

Throughout all of these years I was a full-time VC so Launchpad really came out of evenings and weekends for me. Adam had a full time startup and then was doing consulting (he later raised a VC fund). Throughout 2012 & 2013 we funded many companies and then pulled together a second fund. We decided on the latter.

accelerator 290

accelerator mentorship peer-to-peer VC 290

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

.” I applaud all efforts by people to take on this issue and especially be Adeo who – let’s be honest – was really the first champion of trying to make the VC world more transparent by launching TheFunded, which didn’t exactly endear him to VCs initially. They’ll get priced soon enough by a VC.”

startup 354

startup VC entrepreneurs financing 354

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Recently the firms two founding partners (and also Managing Partners) —  Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham  — decided to transition management of the firm to Andy Weissman (who joined in 2012) and Albert Wenger (joined in 2008 and writes one of the most thoughtful blogs in our industry ). Lindel Eakman led the discussion with Fred and Andy.

leadership 161

leadership VC venture capital ventures 161

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

This followed an investment late last year by Time Warner in the company in a round totaling $36 million , led by Rachel Lam , head of their investment group. Ynon & I first discussed Maker in early 2012. Why I Invested in Maker Studios in the First Place. This has been a very welcome addition. billion deal to Disney.

peer-to-peer 320

peer-to-peer media networking board 320

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

And now that I''m an investor out on my own, one of my best performing companies is an investment that the founder could hardly give the equity away for in the beginning. My story as a "picker" really starts with two deals I didn''t even invest in. I wasn''t even at a VC fund at the time. Make quick decisions.

venture capital 297

venture capital ventures education pitching 297

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

While that post resulted in term sheets for Dennis and Naveen from VCs, the original intention was actually to get Yelp to invest in the company. As far as I know, they never reached out, and 200k, pre-VC blitz probably would have been worth over $50 million now.

VC 270

VC opportunity investing investment 270

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

I remember when seed funds first started (they were being incorrectly called “super angels” and then Micro VCs before Seed Funds stuck) and every LP (who invest in VCs) told me they weren’t convinced about Seed Funds (too small, too hard to pick winners, would they be able to follow on?). Non VC Growth Rounds.

venture capital 271

venture capital capital ventures VC 271

TechCrunch

AUGUST 29, 2022

Andrew Chan is a senior associate at Builders VC , investing in early-stage companies that are transforming pen and paper industries. In the last couple of years, a large group of “Gen Z VCs” have come to the forefront of what one might consider “hip” venture capital investing. Andrew Chan.

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VC media venture capital investing 100

Dream It

AUGUST 29, 2019

But this topic is always in the back of mind for VCs and other investors, so it’s important to formulate a plan around the topic, even if those exit strategies might change as you grow your startup. Investors are giving you capital to make 10x, 20x, or 100x their investment. To realize this, there must be an exit.

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strategy VC energy disruption 299

Dream It

APRIL 26, 2019

In late-March, the United Kingdom's Huawei Cyber Security Centre Oversight Board reported that the company had not fixed critical security flaws in its products, even after promising to patch specific issues back in 2012. Mangrove Capital Partners led a $6 million investment in security operations center services provider CyberHat.

consulting 250

consulting networking board VC 250

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2017

Mayor Eric Garcetti at Upfront Summit, February 2017 I first sat down with then councilman Eric Garcetti on the Ides of March 2012 — almost 5 years ago exactly. Snap, Riot Games, Tinder, SpaceX and on and on — these are great things for LA as is every new VC fund launching in LA to create the next big innovation. Are you kidding me?

energy 191

energy innovation venture capital capital 191

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 25, 2013

It's even more relevant now that I've started the first venture capital fund in Brooklyn-- Brooklyn Bridge Ventures --and invested in four Brooklyn based companies. Three companies from the Studiomates community-- Sherpaa , Tinybop , and Editorially --received VC dollars in 2012. via Brownstoner.

communities 315

communities innovation creativity real estate 315

David Teten VC

AUGUST 19, 2019

Does the traditional VC financing model make sense for all companies? VC Josh Kopelman makes the analogy of jet fuel vs. motorcycle fuel. VCs sell jet fuel which works well for jets; motorcycles are more common but need a different type of fuel. . So what is Revenue Based Investing? Absolutely not.

founder 99

founder investing investment VC 99

Entrepreneurs' Organization

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

As business owners, we often have a huge amount of wealth tied up within our businesses, but don’t form the habit of creating other income streams and forms of wealth, such as investments outside our businesses. From my mentor, Jane Bianchini, I’ve learnt so many things, both about business and about myself.

founder 262

founder advice entrepreneurship entrepreneurs 262

TechCrunch

MARCH 10, 2021

Since launching in 2012, Savannah Fund — led by Mbwana Alliy and Paul Bragiel — has backed more than 30 startups. Some of its well-known investments include South African car subscription company, FlexClub; Kenyan on-demand logistics company, Sendy; and Nigerian fintech company, Lidya. Mbwana Ally (Managing Partner, Savannah Fund).

investing 100

investing investment startup venture capital 100

TechCrunch

JULY 18, 2022

Investing in private markets has long been reserved for the ultra-rich. The new fund will be evergreen, meaning it will have an indefinite life, a structure that unlike the traditional VC model provides investors with the ability to come and go as they please. Fundrise manages over $2.8

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real estate venture capital capital ventures 91

AsiaTechDaily

OCTOBER 11, 2023

Register Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has announced the launch of First Cheque@Jungle , a new program aimed at investing in startups during their pre-seed and seed stages. Second, the program offers an initial investment without imposing minimum ownership criteria. Over the years, it has consistently grown in size and impact.

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investing investment startup accelerator 98

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2022

Rebecca Mitchem is a partner at Neotribe Ventures , which invests in early- to growth-stage companies developing breakthrough technologies. Over the last several years, VC money has been abundant and relatively cheap. Source: PitchBook data from 2012-2022. Source: PitchBook data from 2012-2022. Rebecca Mitchem.

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VC founder capital ventures 94

TechCrunch

APRIL 13, 2023

Amazon’s unending drive to outflank the rest of the world birthed an industry with its 2012 acquisition of Kiva. Investments began flooding into robotics around this time. Robotics was in a nice little bubble when the VC slowdown began, as well, though not even it was immune.

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investing investment construction ventures 112

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” I hear it when I visit LPs (the people who invest in VCs) all across the country, “Yeah, I haven’t been out there for a few years but I keep hearing that something is going on there.” No less than Fred Wilson has credited Carlota’s work with having a major influence on his investment strategy at USV.

entrepreneurs 376

entrepreneurs creativity technology capital 376

Onevest

MARCH 19, 2015

Join the rest of the nation including equity crowdfunding platforms like 1000 Angels , the private investor network that connects startups with investors, where currently only accredited investors are allowed to invest. Even 2012's Congress agreed, passing the JOBS Act with bipartisan support through both the House and Senate.

advice 189

advice investing investment startup 189

Gust

JUNE 28, 2012

This was one of the primary subjects for discussion at Venture Forward 2012 ( ventureforwardconference.com ).

ventures 143

ventures capital VC investing 143

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 22, 2020

I’m betting on Duolingo (and have been since we made our seed investment in the company in 2012). Both TOEFL and IELTS, after spending a lot of time saying that online tests were no good, now have online options. So now the market is open to competition and the best product can win.

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incumbents education investing investment 192