Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

This is the fourth article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). The first three skills I espoused were: access to the highest-quality deal-flow, domain knowledge of the topic area in which you’re investing and access to VCs to help fund the next stages of development.

angel investing 283

angel investing investment investing disruption 283

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

I was meeting regularly with entrepreneurs and offering (for better or for worse) advice on how to run a startup and how to raise venture capital from my experience in doing so at two companies. I know that I have not yet earned these kudos based on investment returns (although my partners have. It really started simply enough.

startup 373

startup advice communities VC 373

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2013

.” In the article I discussed the downside of raising capital at a too high of a price and referred people to a previous article I had written encouraging founders to raise “ At the Top end of Normal ” as opposed to stratospheric prices. There is an important psychology that exists in investments. A down round.

advice 302

advice investing investment VC 302

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2013

I with every entrepreneur would forward that article to their favorite journalist so we could stop having this conversation of “yeah, but company so-and-so isn’t profitable!” If that’s you, you can ignore my advice. Startup Advice' ” But some businesses take time to find their magic.

VC 412

VC advice strategy accelerator 412

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

There is one source that was always problematic for me – intros from investment bankers. This is no criticism of the investment banking industry (although I’m sure some will read it this way) for which there are very useful purposes. They are venture bankers not investment bankers. Big difference.]. Big difference.].

VC 347

VC advice pitching entrepreneurs 347

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

There is one source I never liked and no early-stage VC should – investment bankers. This is no criticism of the investment banking industry (although I’m sure some will read it this way) for which there are very useful purposes. They are venture bankers not investment bankers. Big difference.]. International money.

advice 361

advice VC pitching entrepreneurs 361

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. 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.

mix-use 389

mix-use advice VC technology 389

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

The original post of this article on appeared on GigaOm in a more concise version here. And the only way to do that is to help them calculate the ROI (return on investment) of using your product. We’ve investing in R&D at a faster rate than the competition which is why we raised $10 million to fund extra development.&#.

advice 289

advice consulting investing investment 289

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

I’m not sure I really even need to write this at length because Nivi absolutely nailed the topic in his article “ The Option Pool Shuffle.&#. In an early round of investment where there is not an extremely high price relative to normal valuations this is anything but benign. Investors own 25%, the founders own 75%.

founder 405

founder VC venture capital entrepreneurs 405

Entrepreneurs' Organization

OCTOBER 2, 2020

What is your advice during this time of uncertainty? . Seek professional advice. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received—and that I consistently share with my clients—is that we should never make long-term decisions based on short-term emotions or circumstances, particularly when it comes to our finances.

advice 264

advice financing finance communities 264

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 19, 2024

When you invest in your business with your own money rather than investment dollars, you pay attention to every penny. The so-called J-curve of business growth — a period marked by initial investment losses before the eventual upturn — was a dark and isolating time. and more articles from the EO blog.

financing 255

financing finance entrepreneurship mentorship 255

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. She provided me with so much advice on business strategy, business channels and HR. and more articles from the EO blog.

founder 262

founder advice entrepreneurship entrepreneurs 262

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2009

One of the questions I’m most often asked as a VC is what I’m looking for in an investment. For me I’ve stated publicly that 70% of my investment decision is the team and most of this is skewed toward the founders. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. Next on the checklist.

entrepreneurs 338

entrepreneurs peer-to-peer advice VC 338

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. So the advice I’ve been giving many VCs from my experiences is that “in VC it’s important to play offense, not defense.” Consider what Paul Graham said in this article. It’s exhausting. Perhaps unsustainable. Lines, Not Dots.

peer-to-peer 317

peer-to-peer pitching VC accelerator 317

Entrepreneurs' Organization

OCTOBER 27, 2023

We both went on to have successful careers as consultants and entrepreneurs, and had a passion for working with and investing in younger entrepreneurs. We reconnected in 2016 and began angel investing in startups in New York City.  But, even then, we knew that many things could go wrong and that our investments were risky.

entrepreneurs 251

entrepreneurs startup advice angel investing 251

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

There’s an article making the rounds in tech circles titled “ Growth Hacking is Bull ” written by Muhammad Saleem. I’d like to make the case that the article is wrong. Startup Advice' I’d strongly encourage you to read it. Avoid the spin, stay heads down and deliver the goods.

peer-to-peer 384

peer-to-peer strategy culture advice 384

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 20, 2009

But I’m not one to take on the big investment banks – I’ll save that for somebody else. See this article talking about previous class action lawsuits. Tags: Start-up Advice. Frankly, it disgusts me. It dupes uneducated or elderly people into spending thousands of dollars. It absolutely disgusts me. … $$$?

education 263

education advice board financing 263

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. I acknowledged this in the article. I said both in the article but felt compelled to provide a statement up front for the skimmers. It’s the one bit of advice I find myself giving most frequently these days, “raise money at the top end of normal.&#. billion.

startup 336

startup advice pitching investment 336

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 15, 2020

Before diving into entrepreneurship, wouldn’t it be ideal to tap into the knowledge of experienced, thriving business owners for advice on failure-proofing a new business? Do whatever legwork is possible to validate your product-market fit before investing everything in your concept. marketplace. Validate product-market fit. “Do

strategy 255

strategy entrepreneurs peer-to-peer mix-use 255

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

Otherwise, grab a cup ‘o coffee … Clicking on any graph below will take you to that article. My advice to entrepreneurs was and is “ when the hors d’oeuvres tray is being passed take two ” (e.g. Either won’t bode well for angels if they’re also hurting on non tech investments.

entrepreneurs 298

entrepreneurs real estate VC advice 298

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

I read this story on Ivan Kirigin’s blog that shows that Quora was posting which articles you’re reading to other people without your consent. But is that worth it if it means that people no longer trust reading Quora articles for fear of being outed? Of course not. It’s funny timing for me personally.

communities 328

communities advice startup entrepreneurs 328

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

In that article I talked about how PR drives: recruiting, employee retention, biz dev deals, funding and even M&A and that often “attribution” to your PR activities is unknown. And the most important advice I could give you is that Point-of-View Marketing is much better than Narcissistic Marketing. I do it myself.

pitching 319

pitching media advice venture capital 319

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013

His article is well worth reading anyways. Often you ask somebody, “Did you see that article on Google buying so and so?” ” I invested in a social-media analytics & engagement platform company called Awe.sm and as an investor I always play around with the products in which I’ve invested.

media 326

media advice investing investment 326

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

My articles never appeared on Digg so I didn’t focus on it at all. So in those years where you were simply submitting articles to Digg there were a cabal working together that would undermine you. Startup Advice' If you’re nowhere near the line of acceptability you’re playing in the wrong rink.”

peer-to-peer 379

peer-to-peer mix-use consulting advice 379

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. VC can’t don’t invest in these kinds of companies because they can’t get out (no liquidity event). No minority shareholder.

education 403

education disruption entrepreneurship venture capital 403

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

I was recently interviewed for an article that appeared in Fast Company titled, “ Why you should start a business in LA.&# If you’re interested in the topic it’s worth a read, but I thought I’d elaborate on the topic since it comes up all the time. Go on, have a bit of fun down memory lane!).

technology 290

technology advice entrepreneurs innovation 290

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” But local VCs don’t deserve to get beat up for not investing.

investing 214

investing investment VC pitching 214

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2010

This article was originally posted in a much more concise version over GigaOm if you prefer the shorter version. Tags: Sales & Marketing Advice Startup Advice. This is part of my ongoing Sales & Marketing Series. This is obviously a marketing & CEO activity.

peer-to-peer 286

peer-to-peer advice culture leadership 286

American Entrepreneurship

JANUARY 5, 2025

This article will explore how one-on-one mentoring can transform your entrepreneurial experience and help you achieve your business goals. Personalized Advice and Guidance One of the most significant advantages of one-on-one mentoring is the personalized advice you receive.

entrepreneurs 98

entrepreneurs mentorship entrepreneurship advice 98

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 26, 2012

I'm way early in my career, so I won't say I've perfected anything yet, but after 8 years on the investing side and 3 in startups, I've come up at least one thing: Be open. This article on Groupthink reasons that: ".dissent They've been through a half of one investment cycle and they think it will always been this good.

VC 384

VC pitching venture capital creativity 384

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2013

This article originally appeared on Inc.com. But you can’t count on this so you must create your own compelling events and the only way I know how is a business case / return-on-investment (ROI) study. Sales & Marketing Advice' This is a very important to do when you first start a company.

startup 393

startup frameworks advice consulting 393

TechCrunch

MARCH 18, 2022

TechCrunch Experts continues to gather and share authoritative advice for founders who need help with growth marketing and software development. Here are a few related articles we’ve run in recent weeks: Growth marketing. Among other topics, this article covers the K-factor formula, which helps measure virality.

development 92

development consulting advice SaaS 92

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2010

Quite honestly I see way too many company pitches that are designed for Techies but I only want to invest in products designed for Normals. As per Chris’s article, Techies will use your product. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. Here’s my take on the topic: 1.

advice 348

advice entrepreneurs sustainability pitching 348

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 25, 2021

This article is the second in a series of three about having “The Talk” with your business partners , parents and adult children. Financial arrangements, including but not limited to: bank accounts, investment portfolio information, properties, LLCs or partnerships, safe deposits boxes. CRN-3730060-082421.

hospitality 286

hospitality advice education opportunity 286

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

This article originally ran on TechCrunch. It’s why my investment philosophy is called, “ the entrepreneur thesis.&#. I was meeting with a first-time CEO of a very promising young startup recently and offering my advice on what his priorities should be. I’m in Seattle this week. Of course I have.

communities 317

communities VC innovation entrepreneurs 317

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 18, 2009

That next round of investment is proving difficult. Journalists have just written an article that wasn’t favorable. I jumped on a plane and immediately flew to New York for just 1 day to meet with the Chief Investment Officer of ETF. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice.

entrepreneurs 298

entrepreneurs advice VC SaaS 298

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2010

I have read much commentary on my Twitter stream (ironically) and in the press about how investors are going to abandon investments in the Twitter ecosystem because they seem to appear hostile to ecosystem partners. If you want to understand what the company believes about Twitter’s positioning please read the linked article.

advice 276

advice energy support media 276