Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2012

Later today I’m presenting at the annual Rincon Ventures Summit in Santa Barbara. Startup Exits: A Primer from msuster. I speak privately a lot about getting an exit at a startup. We also are going to talk a lot about startups getting exits and ultimately: Companies are bought, not sold. They say the same about VC.

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technology startup VC ventures 323

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. I found it thought provoking because I’ve always believed startup founders need extreme focus on only their company to succeed. So I’m going to follow Brad’s advice.

board 294

board startup founder peer-to-peer founder 294

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

But if you identify investors with whom you’d like to work here’s my advice: 1. If you have good experience then the VC will be leaning forward for the rest of the presentation. Tags: Raising Venture Capital Startup Advice. Maybe this CEO doesn’t see me as a great fit. That’s OK, too.

startup 360

startup VC advice entrepreneurs 360

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Innovate In the early years of a startup there is a lot of kinetic energy of enthusiastic innovators looking to launch a product that changes how an industry works.

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innovation startup board leadership 286

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 17, 2011

I presented behind a lectern. Whether you’re presenting to a small group of people or a large audience your presentation must have a narrative to effectively get your points across. Startups should flip burgers. I told the chapter the roles I had held and why I was ready to be Vice President. That’s a fact.

peer-to-peer 365

peer-to-peer leadership support construction 365

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Her post is short & well written so definitely worth a read if you’re a startup person and want to hear some sensible views on sales. Erin’s main points: “As a former tech sales executive, I agree with many of [Mark's] lessons — when applied to later-stage, post-traction point startups.

startup 319

startup consulting pitching support 319

Startup Blogpost

MARCH 15, 2024

14 Pieces of Advice for Resolving Conflicts Among Startup Team Members Navigating team conflicts in a startup environment requires wisdom and practical strategies. Too often in fast-paced, pressure-packed startups, there are simple misunderstandings. My top advice? It’s not first grade.

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advice startup collaboration frameworks 98

Onevest

APRIL 16, 2015

By Tim Houghten Startup investing may be right for the many individuals in the U.S., Why invest in startups offline or online via platforms like 1000 Angels ? What role should startup investing play in your financial plan? A huge percentage have invested in startups or have launched their own. Invest in Startups.

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investing investment startup advice 189

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

It’s about presentations in front of large audiences. The stories he told were the stories she reported. If he opened up and gave her an angle to make him bad it was he who enabled it. This point isn’t just about press meetings. You need simple messages people can remember.

entrepreneurs 370

entrepreneurs pitching startup education 370

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. Do I have data or facts to present so the story has legs? One of the masters of this in the startup technology world is Flurry.

mix-use 389

mix-use advice VC technology 389

Paul G. Silva

MARCH 6, 2025

Safe space for brainstorming – Test ideas without judgment or politics Consistent advice – Your virtual advisors won’t forget previous conversations Customizable expertise – Add or remove advisors based on your changing needs Setting Up Your Virtual Board Ready to create your own advisory team?

board 130

board consulting creativity advice 130

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2015

I am good at cranking out documents, memos, presentations, letters and spreadsheets. I write my presentations the night before. I even learned how to mark somebody present who was absent. So if I’ve committed to delivering a presentation – you’re going to get my best effort. I rush the last 20%.

creativity 384

creativity consulting entrepreneurship energy 384

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 18, 2010

It also applies to other parts of my life such as presentations. I’m a pretty natural public speaker so I can write my presentation the day before and do just fine. The first was to do a 5 minute “ignite&# presentation – 5 minutes, 15 slides. I left that presentation and sat down in a coffee shop.

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mentorship creativity energy entrepreneurs 374

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

There are so many ways to present data to tell the story you want that I can’t even list every way data is skewed. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. I have seen this so many times I consider it routine, which is why I question ALL data that I read. How is it skewed?

consulting 415

consulting data analysis advice construction 415

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. And even this can’t stop their employees from fleeing after two years of vesting to move on to the next hot startup. Easier said than done.

advice 398

advice VC entrepreneurs transportation 398

Onevest

MARCH 31, 2015

As we tell our founders at 1000 Angels , the private investor network that connects startups with investors, time management is an important component of any business, but when it comes to launching a startup it is even more critical. Without that, your startup is a rudderless ship from the outset.

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startup founder founder startup innovation 189

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2011

Actually, I think the advice in this post applies to any sales meeting also. I wanted to write a quick post on a pet peeve that I have when teams present “who they are” whether in a bio slide or just in the up front introductions. I am a big believer in VC pitches that the bio slide should come up front.

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VC advice pitching investing 296

American Entrepreneurship

JANUARY 5, 2025

Entrepreneurs are presented with both business and personal challenges as they travel their entrepreneurial journey. 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

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

By spending more time educating your board on your business you get more valuable advice from them. Presenting at Meetings without Going Down a Rathole (this was written for VC pitches but many lessons apply). Startup Advice' .” His argument is as follows. Why Advisory Boards Give Less Value Than Most Hope.

board 365

board VC advice pitching 365

TechCrunch

AUGUST 27, 2021

The Disrupt agenda so far features more than 80 interviews, panel discussions, events and breakout sessions that span the startup tech spectrum… with more to come! Now’s the time to start planning your Disrupt 2021 schedule , and you don’t want to miss out on these informative presentations. Michael McCarthy, CEO of Repositax.

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disruption advice leadership energy 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2010

Last night I co-hosted a dinner at Soho House in Los Angeles with some of the most senior people in the media industry with executives from Disney, Fox, Warner, media agencies and many promising tech & media startup CEO’s. Tags: Startup Advice This Week in Venture Capital.

entrepreneurs 356

entrepreneurs media creativity VC 356

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 11, 2011

There’s tons of more great advice from real-world experience from Jon so please watch when you have time. Give up page views – Many websites give you presentations or lists and make you scroll through 10 pages to see the entire list. Can we take this video and put it in 10 different contests? There’s no cost!&#.

advice 354

advice creativity culture VC 354

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2021

The thesis is that before investing in an early-stage startup it is close to impossible to know which of the deals you did will break out to the upside. The Denominator Effect I want to share with you some of the most consistent pieces of advice I give to new VCs in their career journey and the same advice holds for angel investors.

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advice angel investing venture capital investing 301

TechCrunch

JULY 23, 2021

Startups developing so-called deep tech often find it challenging to raise capital for various reasons. At TechCrunch Early Stage: Marketing and Fundraising, two experienced investors spoke on the subject and advised startups facing a challenging fundraising path. When building a deep tech startup, find the right investor, they said.

startup 101

startup advice VC technology 101

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2010

It is about structuring your thoughts, presentations and communications. Tags: Startup Advice. I later took a course with Barbara Minto (who taught McKinsey people) and bought her book “ The Pyramid Principle.&# This was a breakthrough for me. You group items into component parts in a top-down manner.

entrepreneurs 372

entrepreneurs consulting frameworks advice 372

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Here’s another edition of “Dear Sophie,” the advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at technology companies. I’m considering either having my startup sponsor me for an O-1A visa or self-petitioning an EB-1A green card. Any advice or insights on how to present a strong case for an O-1A or EB-1A?

advice 82

advice entrepreneurship consulting creativity 82

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

It’s why I always work hard to find images for my blog posts & why all of my keynote presentations are visual rather than bullet points with words. This applies equally to VCs, startups & big company executives. It’s ironic because I believe creativity is the most important success criterion for a startup.

creativity 356

creativity frameworks media innovation 356

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2015

If all you ever do is create YouTube content then I agree – that’s not a viable startup business. ” I’ve given some specific advice on how to do this before. This kind of spend happens all day long inside startup companies and 100% of the spend on attracting customers is a cost. Startup Lessons'

media 357

media networking advice development 357

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. And why my advice to newer VCs would be not to feel bad if you’re missing out on what is perceived as a few hot deals.

VC 374

VC investing investment entrepreneurs 374

American Entrepreneurship

MAY 31, 2024

But how does an entrepreneur know if their startup is funding-worthy and meets investor expectations? That includes angel investors, venture capitalists, and institutional funders associated with various stages of a startup’s growth. Each investor type has a distinct set of criteria for assessing a startup’s business model.

startup 105

startup pitching funders strategy 105

Dream It

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Among them, VCs and startups are forced to interact remotely and make deals without ever shaking hands. We hear startups pitch everyday and far too often founders end up joining the meeting late. If you can’t find clean or presentable space, use a virtual background. Mistake #1 - Showing Up Late. Spoiler alert: there isn’t one.

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pitching advice health founder 285

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. The short answer is that you should have multiple versions of your “pitch deck” (a short, visual presentation in Keynote, PPT or similar and shared as a PDF) and each occasion has a specific goal. This is part of a series on how to improve your fund raising game.

VC 261

VC pitching advice entrepreneurs 261

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

My pal Dave occasionally presents “headline risks” for investors. And so are most startup CEOs for that matter. When my pal Dave started his venture fund, 500 Startups, he was ridiculed. How can anybody do 500 startups?”. Sometimes balance can be good for the health, soul, personal happiness and … performance.

VC 309

VC data analysis incubation health 309

Revolution

MAY 23, 2023

Part of the antidote for startups: employing a more prudent approach to raising capital and curating a diverse investor base. To shed additional light on this issue and its ultimate impact on startups, I partnered with the Center for Real Estate Technology & Innovation to ask proptech founders about their capital and strategic partners.

real estate 278

real estate venture capital VC innovation 278

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

He presented the idea at the TED conference in the mid 90′s and was literally boo’d while he was on stage. Funny story, after Bill presented at TED (back when Amazon was still a small company) Jeff Bezos was in the audience. All of that are in this week’s episode of This Week in VC. Overture (Goto.com).

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incubation entrepreneurs hospitality VC 350

TechCrunch

MARCH 6, 2023

Serial entrepreneur and seasoned investor Vinod Khosla has some strong, contrarian advice for the venture capital industry: don’t sit on your founders’ boards. Khosla says that by avoiding six-hour board meetings, he spends “more time doing decks for presentations for our founders than almost anybody I know.”

board 100

board advice founder VC 100

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