Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

Back in 1999 when I first raised venture capital I had zero knowledge of what a fair term sheet looked like or how to value my company. 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.&#.

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This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

This is a company that, according to the article, got term sheets from half of the VCs that expressed interest in the company. On top of that, the article comes with a chart--this chart to the left entited "Fewer Bets". Not a bad close rate, I'd say--and a pretty great pay day. Did I mention it only took the founder a month?

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David Teten VC

JUNE 9, 2021

Would you like to work with private equity and venture capital funds? There are relatively few jobs directly inside private equity and venture capital funds, and those jobs are highly competitive. Venture capitalists often come from an operating background. Venture Capital. Private Equity.

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. Think USV is only invested around Union Square in NYC? Think again.

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communities startup venture capital capital 378

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 29, 2012

And no wonder, lately he and his partners are on a tear, investing out of their $200+ million VC fund. They recently exited their investment in Gaikai for $380 million while their rival OnLive (who had raised > $200 million) just went through bankruptcy. I’ve laid out my policy on seed investing pretty clearly and publicly.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 8, 2024

Women still only get about 2% of venture capital investment money, and we want to see that change,” said Cindy Boyd, EO Houston. “By I approached several EO women colleagues and nCourage Investment Group was born. I also love seeing women introduced to the world of early-stage investing.”

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education support entrepreneurs mentorship 256

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.

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startup advice communities VC 373

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

If you track the venture capital industry it would be hard to miss the conversation going on this week over AngelList “Syndicates.” AngelList 101 : As you know, AngelList is a platform where angels can invest in semi-screened tech deals. Less investments, more active. Social proof can be helpful.

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VC peer-to-peer board entrepreneurs 356

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 22, 2015

I''m incredibly excited to announce Brooklyn Bridge Ventures'' investment in Plum Print. I''ll talk more about my investment in another post, but what I really loved about their announcement today was how great the article in Techcrunch was. Venture Capital & Technology'

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 14, 2023

It took me a while, but I’m realizing that my startup love language is discussing any attempts to standardize the opaque and often informal world of venture capital. There are funds that invest entirely based on data. Monique Woodard has closed $17 million for her debut fund at Cake Ventures. Talking points. Chat soon, N.

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venture capital capital ventures pitching 84

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. Any other angle is just sour grapes.

investment 214

investment investing VC pitching 214

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Even after Fowler’s article came to the forefront and investors Freada and Mitch Kapor broke ranks with their silent co-investors in their now-famous open letter , things didn’t get better. It makes me want to quit venture capital entirely. They got worse. It’s an embarrassment to the ecosystem.

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coworking spaces hospitality culture coworking 545

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. Contrary to popular opinion I actually believe crowd-funding is best used after seed capital or venture capital. I do it myself.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. 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.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

This article was originally published on TechCrunch. Venture Capitalists typically have partners’ meetings on Mondays. By 2008 I had gotten more serious about championing companies through our investment process. And just when I thought I had the deal that was worthy of bringing to investment committee the world changed.

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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.&#. When you think about the success that is Silicon Valley, the unfair advantage is not just the huge amounts of available venture capital. So it was newfound capital I wasn’t expecting.

communities 317

communities VC innovation entrepreneurs 317

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. 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.

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advice VC pitching entrepreneurs 361

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Scott Kupor of A16Z responded with a comprehensive overview of valuation methodology in a post that while accurate feels more targeted at sophisticated Limited Partners (LPs) who invest in funds. What about those RETURNS the WSJ article spoke of? What’s an LP to do in deciding which funds to invest in? We can’t know.

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AsiaTechDaily

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Register Established in 2016 and headquartered in New York, SoGal Ventures is a venture capital firm dedicated to early-stage investments in diverse founding teams, operating in both the United States and Asia. Background Pocket Sun’s journey in the investment industry has shaped her into the leader she is today.

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ventures investment investing venture capital 98

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MARCH 28, 2022

So I saw this tweet by Semil Shah yesterday: A friend who works in an industry far from tech startups & VC asked what would be the single article I’d share to read on each topic. So I am reposting it below: The venture capital business is highly competitive. Tell them how much you will invest and how much ownership you want.

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VC entrepreneurs venture capital strategy 261

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 5, 2023

We can foster an ecosystem that supports and uplifts young entrepreneurs by encouraging creativity, providing investment opportunities, and celebrating achievements. Their mobile app, Climatize , empowers individuals to invest as little as US$5 in climate projects, many of which support marginalized communities.

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strategy entrepreneurs creativity sustainability 36

Revolution

OCTOBER 4, 2022

This article originally appeared in Harvard Business Review on October 3, 2022. At the turn of the 20th century, any number of American municipalities with similar access to talent, materials, investment, and transportation might have emerged as the beating heart of the automobile industry. as do manufacturing workers.

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communities real estate innovation transportation 263

American Entrepreneurship

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Eight components to successfully scaling a startup are presented in this article. If you’re wondering how to design a scalable business model for your startup, this article is a guide through the process and offers strategies to ensure your company can adapt and expand efficiently over time. What Is a Scalable Business Model?

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strategy startup leadership sustainability 67

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” If you have a market lead then raising capital and making investments now will help you as others enter the market.

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startup VC investing investment 418

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. Even the VC who invested in your deal struggles to properly position why you’re going to be huge when they’re calling big tech companies or other VCs on your behalf. It was a journalist who covered Venture Capital. It is election season.

entrepreneurs 370

entrepreneurs pitching startup education 370

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 25, 2013

Anyone who was doing something new and cutting edge should feel connected to each other--whether or not they are building a venture backed startup. 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.

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communities innovation creativity real estate 294

Dream It

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

As part of due diligence, a skilled venture capitalist confirms market demand by talking to a startup’s potential customers. Sector-focused investors can quickly get a feel for what customers in their sector are interested in and what they are leaning into from an investment standpoint. In practice, it rarely is.

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innovation venture capital ventures capital 150

Hunter Walk

MARCH 10, 2025

One byproduct of this movement, especially during the blitzscaling era , were new startups in areas such as finance, healthcare, housing, education, using venture capital to acquire customers at accelerated rates.

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ventures health education sustainability 69

TechCrunch

AUGUST 25, 2022

In late 2020, a group of Stanford students banded together to create Stanford 2020, a venture fund solely to invest in their fellow classmates’ ventures. million for the debut investment vehicle — waitlist not included. million seed funding round led by Initialized Capital, with investments from GSR, NEA and Canaan.

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investment investing peer-to-peer startup 105

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. The earlier you invest the higher the chances the company won’t work out and thus you pay a lower price than later-stage investors.

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startup advice pitching investing 336

Dream It

AUGUST 6, 2020

Today, the company announced a $10M Series A financing round led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and digital health fund Heal Capital , with participation from existing investors Karma Ventures, Inovo Venture Partners, and Dreamit Ventures. Take a look!

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health mix-use technology ventures 195

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

With the advent of platforms like Angel List, now you could be investing with just $1000—which is great for the democratization of the asset class. Everyone should be able to access any investment—but it becomes confusing for founders to figure out where they should spend their time. With new technology should come new terminology.

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board VC investment investing 261

Jason Malki

JANUARY 16, 2024

Phil Nadel: The Serial Entrepreneur and Venture Capital Visionary Transforming Startups into Success Stories I had the pleasure of interviewing Phil Nadel, a well-respected serial entrepreneur, angel investor, mentor, published author, and frequent speaker at industry events. How did you break into venture capital?

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venture capital capital entrepreneurs ventures 52

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2017

One of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs make when they start a company and raise outside capital is figuring out what an acceptable “burn rate” is. That is, how much should your company be willing to lose in cash every month as you make investments in staff and equipment that funds technology, sales, marketing and management.

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. Prorata investments rights given investors the right to invest in your future fund-raising rounds and maintain their ownership % in your company as your company grows and raises more capital. return (on paper).

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TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

It’s not dissimilar to venture capital investments — you give a promising company (or person) the money that they need to grow, assuming that eventually, you’ll recoup your investment and turn a sizable profit.

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investment investing funders capital 91

propel(x)

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Stock Dilution in Startup Investing?—?Good So, you have taken the plunge and invested in a startup and received your stock. Let us say you invest in the seed round of a startup that has issued 10m shares at a valuation of $0.10 You invest $100k and purchase 1m shares, which means you own 10% of the company. Good or Bad?

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investment investing startup angel investing 91