TechCrunch

JANUARY 8, 2022

Signaling risk happens when a VC chooses to not do pro rata, or follow-on investing, in an existing portfolio company. In this instance, we failed to follow our own advice.”. The earliest investors are rethinking signaling risk, dilution and, most surprisingly, the worth of a traditional demo day.

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startup accelerator accelerator startup energy 92

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 13, 2023

Being a VC means not only honing your skills as a judge of character, assessor of business models, and calculator of risk, but it’s also a lot of difficult interpersonal communications, narrative creation, and long-term goal setting and positioning. To navigate this tightrope, I sought out the advice of a coach—Jerry Colonna.

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education advice VC startup ecosystem 195

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I told my friend that I felt that in 2014 too many new VCs feel the pressure to chase deals, to be a part of syndicates with other brand names and to pounce on top of every startup whose numbers are trending up quickly. I know I can’t be in every deal and I know that the easy part of being a VC is writing the first check in a deal.

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This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 8, 2011

How about as a VC? Fred has basically always been a VC, Mike was a reporter, and Jim worked in product marketing and management consulting. Surely--but then I realize how difficult it is to be an early stage VC in NYC. At least then you'd imagine that your advice isn't *that* bad because at least you've got some experience.

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VC peer-to-peer board advice 275

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

A few years ago it became fashionable for large VC’s to do seed funding. If the large VC doesn’t agree to do your A round then you’re in a bit of trouble. But I’m no longer an entrepreneur – I’m a VC at a $200 million fund called GRP Ventures , the largest active fund in Southern California.

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TechCrunch

JULY 15, 2021

While the format definitely works, the influx of pitch decks in a hot deal environment makes it harder to stand out. Wu gave some pointers on how she reacts to cold pitch decks, and why founders may want to take some unconventional advice. Don’t send VC a cold deck ever again: Start sending video pitches. And, it’s worked.

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VC pitching advice ventures 102

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

I recently got an email from a friend who had been approached by a well known VC. I’m an investor at [Big Name, Large Fund VC] and recently came across [Your Company]. But if that’s all that they’re after then entrepreneurs should definitely be wary of taking these calls. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice.

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 21, 2022

500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. 500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. Will quantum computing remain the domain of the specialist VC? Will quantum computing remain the domain of the specialist VC? If you want startup funding, don’t make VCs feel ignorant.

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Startup Grind

AUGUST 13, 2018

Nancy Lublin, CEO of Loris.ai, is definitely a founder to watch. What is one piece of advice you’d give every founder? While I have yet to find a company that truly addresses this theme, you can imagine a world in which each individual is able to control all of their personal data and only reveal what they want to who they want.

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TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2022

Similarly, “everyone needs 18-24 months of runway” is a nice motto, but when it takes three times longer to raise a round than it used to, it may no longer be useful advice. The rules of VC are changing: Here’s what founders should be considering in the new era. Definitely don’t chase trends,” advises Liparteliani.

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TechCrunch

MAY 15, 2023

Pure-play financial VCs are falling out of favor with startups compared to investors who bring building experience alongside their cash. If a VC has experience in a different field, it may not translate well — if at all — to a startup, and advice around certain business decisions could quickly become outdated.

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This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 3, 2012

Age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc are all topics that are deeply emotional for people--and, by definition, personal. I think Fred was trying to offer some friendly advice to young investors that you're going to "take lumps" and that it's worth learning from those who are more experienced.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2011

If you want a very quick primer on all the stuff nobody ever tells you about raising venture capital check out this video where Mark Jeffrey & I break it down on This Week in VC. All of this is covered in more detail on the TWiVC video above (and much of it is covered in text on this blog on the “ Raising VC &# tab).

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This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 22, 2017

There was a time not too long ago when VC bios read "Fab investor", "Quirky investor", and "Gilt investor". VCs can provide a useful piece of advice at a key moment--or help make a key hire, but the day in and day out grind is done by the work of the founder and the team, and they deserve 99.999999% of the credit.

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This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

I was having a conversation last night with another VC who was suggesting I monetize the pro-ratas that I don't take by creating SPVs. It's definitely not the kind of relationship I want to have as an investor. But you could charge fees or at least carry for that. You're leaving money on the table!"

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advice VC opportunity entrepreneurs 389

Hunter Walk

DECEMBER 30, 2022

We still see a ton of collaboration with the funds we’re closest with, but others have definitely taken us off their list with our model change. As now a non-lead investor we have to simultaneously remind the founders (and lead VC) that we can be quite useful to them, while also not creating additional management overhead.

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capital VC startup venture capital 58

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

I spoke about this more in depth in these two posts: 4 things I look for in an investment & how to manage VC relationships. Note that “performance&# on my chart is a loose term for my definition of perceived progress that can take the form of product, customer adoption, employees, investors, press or whatever.

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investing investment VC advice 411

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

When this first ran on TechCrunch I got the greatest comment in the world that I had to repeat here, “VC’s are like martinis: the first is good, the second one great, and the third is a headache.&# I understand the appeal of having many VC firms on your cap table. In my second company I had only 1 investor. I love that.

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Hunter Walk

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

Here’s Part II: While the venture and tech community is incredibly collaborative, VC is an inherently lonely role. But as a VC, you truly have to think in decades. Dysfunction, mistrust, and unhealthy internal competition can all prevent a VC from bring their best selves ongoing to an investment. It’s a sales job!

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venture capital ventures capital board 54

David Teten VC

MARCH 21, 2024

My Partner Winter Mead, Founder & CEO of Coolwater Capital , the accelerator for emerging VC fund managers, said: “Fewer than 5 of the 180 emerging managers we’ve worked with are raising via 506c, in order to get in front of more retail LPs, who are generally already following the GP, e.g., through the GP’s newsletter or community.

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AsiaTechDaily

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

As the team is not from a VC background, the typical investment strategy for seed or early-stage fund on diversifying into a portfolio of companies and then follow-on investments into potential winners is simply not in our DNA who came from corporate finance and business advisory background. Build trust. front seat now to drive the valuation.

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ventures startup VC strategy 73

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Several months later, we’ve since learned that cutting marketing budgets doesn’t make early-stage startups healthier, but it is a great way for VCs to reduce burn rates across their entire portfolio. As Rebecca Szkutak reported this week, SaaS startups that ignored this advice outperformed the ones that followed it.

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Hunter Walk

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

As Our Colleague Kate Stern Departs Homebrew To Go Back to Company Building, Here’s Her Advice. VC is a relatively opaque industry, and it was hard to know what to expect. Of course I knew that wasn’t the whole picture, but there were definitely some things I needed to adjust to.

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venture capital ventures capital advice 73

TechCrunch

JANUARY 28, 2023

All to say, there’s definitely an opportunity to find talent if you are hiring. My big question is if VCs are taking the same advice that they’re dishing. Don’t forget VCs, you have VCs too. ( At least most of you do! Smart, and common. Wouldn’t that be a story? Book your pass ASAP!

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TechCrunch

MARCH 7, 2023

However, it appears that even though VCs are proceeding more cautiously than before and taking their time with due diligence, they are still investing. CB Insights recently found that two of the largest global VC firms, Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, actually backed more fintech companies in 2022 than any other category.

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TechCrunch

MARCH 12, 2021

The advice is to “be frugal to accommodate to the new situation and roll on.”. What is your advice to startups in your portfolio right now? What is your advice to startups in your portfolio right now? What is your advice to startups in your portfolio right now? elíková , partner, Nation1.vc. Lukáš Kone?ný

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opportunity mix-use advice startup ecosystem 108

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

This is part of my Startup Advice series of posts. I definitely don’t rule out first timers – I just invested in one to be announced soon who I am really excited about – but I greatly prefer experience. They do what VC’s like to call “pivot.&# Boy did I pivot. I’ve been a VC for 2.5

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TechCrunch

MAY 7, 2022

For more thoughts, read a round-up of all the tech layoffs this past week , and then head to TechCrunch+ for some advice on how to navigate the market. Need advice on navigating a tough startup market? Early-stage founders, it’s definitely a stressful time to be in your seat – but also clearly a pivotal one. Start here.

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TechCrunch

APRIL 8, 2021

Despite being a lawyer with an MBA, she said she found herself “just totally unprepared for all these real world things,” whether that was figuring out housing or heath insurance — something I (a non-lawyer, non-MBA) can definitely relate to. “There’s not one place that defines adulthood.”

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communities advice VC ventures 99

David Teten VC

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

One of the first decisions we had to make in setting up our new VC fund, Versatile Venture Capital , was our CRM and marketing technology infrastructure. . I’m very interested in the tech stack of private equity/VC firms , both to improve the efficiency of Versatile VC and also as a focus area for our investing.

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venture capital capital ventures VC 123

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 13, 2022

We were built — by definition — to serve the smaller part of the small business market,” COO Adler added. A lot of folks are moving really aggressively toward that top side of the market — like a Fortune 500 company or a VC-backed startup, but the fact of the matter is that both of those markets are really niche,” said COO Adler.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

The “sure, let’s continue the process” by definition are not yeses so the no’s rack up and the yeses stay stuck at zero. In the next post I’m going to talk about “funnel management” and how to handle all of your VC pipeline discussions and how to keep your process alive but the first step is to keep your confidence alive.

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

AUGUST 16, 2023

What advice would you give your past self? The question I asked them was this: If you could go back in time and give your younger self some advice just as you were starting your founder journey, what would you say? 2) I wish I had better understood the VC model and incentive structure when fundraising. And I do remember them.

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TechCrunch

AUGUST 31, 2022

Asked whether he is routinely seeing co-investors showing up less frequently or canceling board meetings altogether, he says, “I’ve definitely seen that. For sure I’ve seen other venture firms where participation is definitely reduced.” Are they giving you advice?” They stopped having them.”

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 9, 2013

Raise a big VC round – yeah! I had foregone my VC term sheets to accept an offer yet I knew it wasn’t 100% probability to close – it never is. Surreal, it definitely is. Startup Advice' I know it’s not what it used to be, but news flash – it’s still a million dollars! Five million?

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advice VC creativity opportunity 405

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

” This is a frequent theme of mine when asked to speak to audience about the VC industry. And this is fueled by the VC culture in Silicon Valley. I was recently talking to a VC about a business I was looking at and I was asking whether he found the business interesting, too. It is VC math, like it or not.

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 6, 2023

A definitive founder’s guide would have to include chapters like, “So you’ve hired the wrong person,” or, “Five ways to tell if an investor is lying to you.” Money is power, and VCs know it. It’s impossible to plan for everything that can go wrong while building a startup.

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