A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 22, 2021

Last June, I wrote about board diversity and suggested some things we are doing and that you can do to diversity your board. In the ten months that have passed since I wrote that I am pleased to say that we have seen a noticeable increase in board diversity in our portfolio. It is that important to me and USV. Just do it.

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Hunter Walk

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

For startups, a good Board is better than no Board, but a bad Board is worse than anything. One component of a good Board is a high value add Independent Board Member, which in my experience, often doesn’t get added early enough (for a variety of reasons). I knew I wanted to help build it from the ground up.

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The Seraf Compass

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

As a director on an early stage company board, how do you deliver on your main responsibility as a board member - maximizing shareholder value? Those are very important questions that very few early stage company boards take the time and effort to ask early on when it is still possible to have the biggest impact.

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Ben Franklin Technology Partners

APRIL 23, 2024

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA (Ben Franklin CNP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Angie Singer Keating to its Board of Directors as President. Her thought leadership extends to her role as the former board president of i-SIGMA, the International Secure Information Governance and Management Association.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

I have been writing a series on how startup boards get selected, who sits on them and what to avoid. I started this series in part to help entrepreneurs but also to help newer investors because I’ve know with so many new companies you have so many new board members and many people are trying to figure out there respective roles.

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Paul G. Silva

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

The great folks at Slidebean took the Lean Validation Board and gave it an update. Whereas the Business Model Canvas or the Lean Canvas map out your entire business model, this tool focuses only on the most critical things right now. It is a tool that helps you stay focused on the right priorities by putting them very clearly in your face.

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Berkonomics

AUGUST 22, 2024

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 And push back.

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A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Bolster came out of stealth and into a beta period today and is opening up its marketplace to companies that want to access fractional talent and to executives who want to work at high growth companies in interim, fractional, advisory, or board roles.

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Meet OpenAI’s new board of directors: Bret Taylor, Larry Summers and Adam D’Angelo. Or, more precisely, the board for the time being. We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo.

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Berkonomics

MAY 23, 2024

Give one percent equity to each outside board member vesting over two to four years of service. Many early-stage CEOs and board members have asked for some guidance regarding pay and time commitments for board members. Here is my best advice, based upon many boards and many years. Realistic human images.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

One of the things that founders have the most angst about is whom they should have on their board and at what stage of the business. This is smart because amazing board members can be transformative with important advice and access and can also help attract other great board members (and team members).

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

When you set up a board it is often initially a combination of the founders and the early investors. This post sets out how I believe founders (and investors) should think about independent board members having worked with many of them for the past 20 years. The board is where large equity investors get their representation.

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A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 16, 2020

I’ve been asked this question a bunch in the last few weeks in response to my post about more diversity on Boards. A Company should have a Board the day it is formed. The Board should contain one Founder (or possibly two) and at least two independent Directors. My answer to this question is simple.

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INBIA

OCTOBER 10, 2020

The post InBIA Board of Directors Welcomes New Directors appeared first on InBIA.

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TechCrunch

JULY 29, 2022

10 tips for running effective board meetings. A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece on TechCrunch about how to run a successful board meeting. Since then, I’ve been asked one question over and over: What does a good board update actually look like? Learn who your board members are and find out which other boards they’ve served on.

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Meet OpenAI’s new board of directors: Bret Taylor, Larry Summers and Adam D’Angelo. Or, more precisely, the board for the time being. We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo.

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Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2024

Picking up where we left off… In my last insight, I described the CEO who stacked the board with two friends, making a majority for control purposes and relegating the investor representatives to insignificance. If the CEO does not fight for balance of the board, outside board members must fight for this to protect the corporation.

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Berkonomics

JUNE 6, 2024

I’ve been sued as a board member too many times over the past twenty-five years of board service. Here are some examples: Entrepreneurs blaming their board for failures of a fragile, early- stage company. As a result, I now insist upon D&O insurance for every board upon which I sit. Five times. Does that shock you?

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Berkonomics

APRIL 18, 2024

No board member should be grandfathered, guaranteed a board seat forever. We have investigated the restrictions imposed by investment documents and the obvious need to keep continuity on the board with the retention of the CEO position at the very least. How about non-profit boards? And that’s not good.

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American Entrepreneurship

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Board will work to increase capital to minority-owned startups, create diverse innovation economy WOODBRIDGE, N.J. The board will provide knowledge, guidance, and insights on ways to best increase capital, access, and investments in New Jersey’s diverse entrepreneurs.

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 27, 2023

Chroma , a startup working to build a new type of audiovisual entertainment specifically for mobile devices, is now adding a Twitter co-founder to its board. As a board member, Stone expects to be meeting with the startup several times per month, in addition to the actual board meetings. million in seed funding (5.1

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TechCrunch

MAY 2, 2023

Of all the things an early-stage founder has to figure out, one of the most unexpected is how to get the most from your board. But effectively leveraging your board for guidance and support is essential. The slides you use can help you run efficient, effective board meetings that get the most out of the discussions they elicit.

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Berkonomics

APRIL 25, 2024

While the CEO and management offer the vision, strategies, and tactics as well as the proposed budget, it is the board that controls with its votes the execution of strategy, the expenditure of cash, the taking on of debt or new equity, the very direction of the company as well as its ultimate health. Does this ever happen?

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Ben Franklin Technology Partners

APRIL 23, 2024

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA (Ben Franklin CNP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Angie Singer Keating to its Board of Directors as President. Her thought leadership extends to her role as the former board president of i-SIGMA, the International Secure Information Governance and Management Association.

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Angel Capital Association

JANUARY 3, 2024

Angels often make their first real impact post-investment by helping a portfolio company develop a “real” Board, by insisting on documented processes, key metrics and measures and a more rigorous approach to corporate oversight and accountability. In the latter case, returns improved by 20%. with an average of 5.7 Director seats.

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TechCrunch

JUNE 7, 2021

Boards are facing pressure to be strategic and thoughtful on how to evolve in the rapidly iterating world of technology, and a CTO is uniquely positioned to address specific challenges. There are now more reasons than ever to consider adding a CTO to your board. A unique mind (and skill) set. Deep understanding of tech.

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The Seraf Compass

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

As early stage investors and advisors know, mastering the techniques to hack the board can pay back a CEO’s effort many times over. Helping a CEO prep for a board meeting is super important, but it is a waste if the CEO cannot actually run a good meeting. Well-run board meetings are essential for the success of a company.

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Berkonomics

APRIL 6, 2023

Some of you have gotten along forever without a board of directors, or used your spouse as the “other” board member from the start. But there are some very good reasons to build a great board composed of some outside members. And good board members can add real value to you and the company. Generative.

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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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The Seraf Compass

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

There are reams of advice pieces out there warning startup CEOs that they must pick the perfect board. As early stage investors know, mature companies may be able to pick a dream board, but startups don’t have a lot of flexible slots open to allow for shaping.

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TechCrunch

JULY 6, 2022

Just about every electronic contraption you care to think of contains at least one printed circuit board (PCB), which serves to house and connect the various components that allow the device to function as a whole. Thus, the global PCB market is big business, expected to grow from a $60 billion industry in 2020 to $75 billion by 2027.

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TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

Electrical engineers have been designing custom circuit boards on computers for years, but this approach simply moved the paper and pencil method to digital. Jitx , a startup from three Berkeley alumni, recognized that the digital approach to board design hadn’t changed much and they saw an opening. Image Credits: Jitx.

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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. I’m not a big fan of governance; I think if you engage as a team member with a founder, you have much more influence than if you’re sitting on a board and voting,” he said.

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American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 15, 2024

Tesla co-founder joins TELO board timely guiding the company through its next development stage EV manufacturer TELO gained significant support for its innovative mini-truck via a $5.4 TELO’s funding announcement coincided with Ma rc Tarpenning , co-founder of Tesla, joining its board, having also participated in the latest funding round.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I’ve written a few posts about boards recently as part of a series on the subject. I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions.

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TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

Board meetings are quickly increasing in their significance to foster consistent and vital interactions as an organization. As we move into 2021 and Q1 meetings are being put onto calendars, take some time to modernize how you conduct your board meetings. Remember the board works for you, so be sure to put them to work.

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TechCrunch

OCTOBER 3, 2022

Meanwhile, CFOs and CTOs need to get ready to answer some tough questions at board meetings. Gross margins are a board-level concern. Gross margins, previously seen as a problem to be solved at some indeterminate point in the future, have become an immediate board-level priority.

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