Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

It spoke to me because it so resonates with my nearly daily advice to entrepreneurs and VCs alike. I went as far as to call it the best Tweet of 2015 so far because it encapsulated my advice so succinctly. A company presents. I saw this Tweet recently by Scott Belsky, co-founder and CEO of Behance. conviction > consensus.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

He wrote a post this long weekend on how he manages the board of DataSift. In his post he asserts, “You get the VCs you deserve” and the corollary “You get the performance out of your board that you deserve.” By spending more time educating your board on your business you get more valuable advice from them.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

In a standard Forum meeting, a member makes a presentation about an opportunity or challenge they are facing and asks for the group’s input. After the topic at hand is presented, each Forum-mate is given a set amount of time to share their perspective. However, most Forum organizations train members to specifically avoid giving advice.

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TechCrunch

AUGUST 31, 2022

Two weeks ago, longtime venture capitalist Chris Olsen, a general partner and cofounder of Drive Capital in Columbus, Ohio, settled into his seat for a portfolio company’s board meeting. ” He also says that it isn’t the first time a board meeting hasn’t happened as planned lately. They stopped having them.”

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

As a revenue leader at large and small technology companies, I’ve spent the last 15 years attending a lot of quarterly board meetings. This is all necessary because the board meeting is such a high-stakes event. As a wise mentor once told me, no one ever gets a promotion from a board meeting, but people sure do get fired afterward.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

Most people suck at presenting to big groups. It’s a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs. – No great presentation can be delivered like a conversation.

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TechCrunch

AUGUST 2, 2022

shared her advice for entrepreneurs who are focused on climate and sustainability: “If your business activities have produced desired results and repeatable cycles — like developing a new product and distributing it through local markets — then you are ready to multiply.” Build a solid deck for your quarterly board meetings.

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Dream It

MAY 4, 2021

Board meetings can be very powerful events where founders get valuable feedback, ideas, and strategic direction. Oftentimes, founders dread board meetings and look at them as low ROI events. Their primary role is to confirm the board meeting agenda. Tip #3: Focus on key issues How do you know what a “key issue” is?

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 15, 2023

Miranda is Board Director of CRDB Bank Plc and Board Chair of the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative that empowers hundreds of women from across the continent. She is Board Vice Chair of CCBRT Hospital and an active member-leader of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization where she serves as Chair of Global Learning.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Be more present. As female entrepreneurs, we are independent-minded and innovative, and this advice is critical for securing our future and the future of our families. She provided me with so much advice on business strategy, business channels and HR. Stop multitasking and instead, do one thing. Enjoy each activity.

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TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Here’s another edition of “Dear Sophie,” the advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at technology companies. Any advice or insights on how to present a strong case for an O-1A or EB-1A? The information provided in “Dear Sophie” is general information and not legal advice. Ask it here.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2012

I recently read Brad Feld’s thought provoking piece encouraging founders to sit on the board of another startup company. You’ll be on the other side of the financing discussions (a board member, rather than the CEO). . But I also agree with his warning, “I usually recommend only one outside board.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 12, 2010

I recently wrote an article on how to respond to board members between meetings. It seems to me this is the main problem with boards. So when I read my post it sounded to me more like a new philosophy for “The Agile Board,&# so I put that as my subtitle. This post is really about getting information to the board faster.

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Y Combinator

JULY 15, 2019

One of the most common questions we hear from founders is “How do I manage my board?” It’s something that provokes anxiety, because this is the first time the founder/CEO is subject to external supervision, and the board has powers that include the firing of the CEO and the senior management. But first, what’s the purpose of a board?

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

Bijan Sabet – investor & board member in some small companies you might have heard of like Twitter, Tumblr, Boxee & OMGPOP – took issue with the whole notion that you even need a Powerpoint deck anymore. The “Triple Play&# of VC Presentations. Be ready to map your presentation to their preferred method.

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This is going to be BIG.

JULY 8, 2013

That''s kind of like what it''s like being on board with these companies after you make an early stage investment. You can try and alert them to other traffic, slow it down, ease pain by being calm and present, but ultimately, it''s up to them to get stronger and stronger with every step and continue on down the road.

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 5, 2023

To put that timeframe in perspective, here’s a picture of analyst me taken at USV’s first office in 2005, dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt versus a picture of me, a GP at my own firm, over 100 deals later, now on my latest Zoom board call from my couch at home with my junior analyst of about a year and a half.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Startups that are backed by professional financial investors almost always have a Board of Directors that consists of some set of founders, investors and sometimes independent directors. What exactly is the purpose of a Board of Directors and how do boards best function? I plan to write a series of posts on the topic.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2019

Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash Several members of your executive taken hours to prepare board materials so that you can inform your board of how things have gone since you last met 3 months ago and you have 3 hours together to make sure they have an accurate picture and to make sure you have their input into how to proceed in the months ahead.

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Berkonomics

MAY 2, 2024

And it is one of the most important lessons you can learn as a manager, board member, or advisor of a company or even a non-profit enterprise. I first heard this in a governance seminar for a non-profit higher educational board upon which I sit, over 25 years ago. Where did this statement come from? The problem cannot be overstated.

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Berkonomics

JANUARY 10, 2019

And because you need their money, the temptation is to listen a bit too well, and take all of the advice thrown at you during your presentations and during due diligence and finally from the vantage point of a board seat. Some board members may show dismay. After several months on the board, he spoke up. “I

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TechCrunch

DECEMBER 5, 2022

At your board meetings, you have one investor complaining that you aren’t growing fast enough, another complaining that your burn ratio is too high and another warning you to extend your cash runway. Tracking the explosive growth of open-source software. Now, it’s not so simple. Well, investors today care about the less-distant future.

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Berkonomics

JANUARY 10, 2019

And because you need their money, the temptation is to listen a bit too well, and take all of the advice thrown at you during your presentations and during due diligence and finally from the vantage point of a board seat. Some board members may show dismay. After several months on the board, he spoke up. “I

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board strategy VC advice 48

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

I sit through a lot of presentations. These range from companies pitching me to portfolio companies presenting at board meetings. Each of these scenarios has a team presenting. Some CEO’s are masters at communicating when team members are present. Startup Advice' Some fare less well.

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pitching VC leadership advice 377

Dream It

APRIL 3, 2020

In this episode of #DreamitLive , Moore discussed the challenges we are confronted with in a downturn and the unique challenges COVID-19 presents. Identify a problem that resonates with the decision-maker at your target organization Moore recommends that you put yourself in the shoes of the CEO or Board of Directors.

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abovethecrowd.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

However, the more of these you see present in a young private company, the more concern you should have. The Lack of a Legitimate Board. Delaware law requires a board of directors, and these directors are tasked with a “fiduciary duty” to look after the best interest of the corporation. Unique Financial Data Presentations.

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venture capital capital ventures board 113

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

He listened intently through every presentation, asked questions and did a great summary of what he felt he had learned over the two days. With all the external presenters, the ones I enjoyed the most were Dan Senor who wrote the book Startup Nation (an examination of the Israeli technology scene). He says this is a mistake.

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peer-to-peer advice VC board 279

Andreessen Horowitz

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Meanwhile, FI senior leaders and board members are intrigued by new products like Microsoft 365 Copilot and how generative AI can automate their internal workflows (and improve their bottom lines). so that you can present your product as a solution to that problem.

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 9, 2013

Most board meetings are “update meetings” where management downloads its status to a group of investors. These outside board members spend most of the board meeting trying to reacquaint themselves with the company’s business and critical issues. So most board meetings become bored meetings.

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NZ Entrepreneur

AUGUST 12, 2024

You can’t perform a winning Olympic dive without leaving the safety of the diving board. If we want things to change, the choice is clear and present at all levels – individual, collective, universal… Will we keep clinging to what we are already doing? Well damn your safety, and the advice you are giving.

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entrepreneurs entrepreneurship advice board 78

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

This is part of my Startup Advice series. Getting suppliers to accept terms that they said they never normally agree, getting accepted to speak on a panel when the conference organizer initially said “no,&# getting people to moonlight for you until you have the cash to bring them on board. A couple of quick stories / examples: 1.

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Gust

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

If you are a new entrepreneur, or entering a new business area, it’s always worth your time to assemble an Advisory Board of two or three executives who have travelled that road before. Here are some tips on finding and using your advisory board effectively: Select people who complement your experience. Set a fixed term, like one year.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

I can’t tell you how many people have thanked me for this advice and say their productivity increased exponentially. One area I’ve had much discussion with the companies in which I’ve invested in is bringing on board an operationally focused CFO. And board confidence matters in growing companies.

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Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

All other board functions are secondary. Even venture capitalists who sit on boards where they have significant investments often forget this point. Actually, there are two legal duties of board members. It is the board, made up of individual members, that is responsible for the care and maintenance of the corporate person.

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HPA

AUGUST 15, 2019

Currently, she sits on four corporate boards, including a New York City technology startup called Xformative, Vantage Technology, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, and Lake Land College. What advice do you have for someone who’s looking to raise money from investors or start a company?

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Smart Hustle Magazine

MARCH 17, 2021

Check out the advice from these experts to get some insight. What if we could just invite them onto a conference call, like a Zoom call, where we conduct a round table and each person can present a two- to three-minute nugget of knowledge?”. He’s going to try to reduce salaries across the board and won’t take a salary himself.

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peer-to-peer advice media communities 102

TechCrunch

APRIL 25, 2023

I asked five early-stage investors to share frank advice for first-timers, and I’m going to save you some time: many (if not most) of you are probably not ready to pitch an investor. But, of course, part of my job as a board director and investor is making it feasible, as it is essential for maximizing the business’ success.

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