Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

I’m over-paying for every check I write into the VC ecosystem and valuations are being pushed up to absurd levels and many of these valuations and companies won’t hold in the long term. However, to be a great VC you have to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time. By definition?—?I’m So in a way it’s self selecting.

ventures 471

ventures VC venture capital funders 471

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

I would argue that the shut-down of September 2009 was equally severe yet there are signs that this “VC Ice Age” has begun to thaw. The rest of this post series deals with the reasons why VC froze up in the first place, why investments have heated up recently and why the future of VC funding at the current pace is not certain.

VC 263

VC board investing investment 263

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2012

I read this book, " Why We Make Mistake s " and it talks a lot about "recall bias". Try and figure out exactly what a startup had to show at the moment a VC chose to invest in them. What you should be doing is thinking about this more like a Pinterest board--meant to inspire and not necessarily for you to just buy everything.

advice 416

advice startup VC strategy 416

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

And awesome to get to spend time with Ian Sigalow “comparing notes” (VC speak ). 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). I really enjoyed learning more about Buddy Media and meeting Michael Lazerow.

peer-to-peer 279

peer-to-peer advice VC board 279

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2011

I will argue that LPs who invest in VC funds will also need to adjust a bit as well. These two trends had a major impact on the computing industry from 2000-2005 but the effects weren’t yet felt by the VC industry. That little online book company. When I built my first company starting in 1999 it cost $2.5 Enter Amazon.

venture capital 334

venture capital capital ventures VC 334

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 21, 2021

A well-known entrepreneur turned VC, who will go unnamed because I am not sure he would want me to share this conversation publicly, once told me “if you remove a founder, you must sell the company within a couple of years or it will start to decline in value.” Some founders are this rare breed of visionaries who can operate too.

leadership 279

leadership VC advice sustainability 279

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

This is a very common scenario when entrepreneurs pitch VCs and frankly is a very common scenario when VCs try to raise money from LPs. It’s predictable, there is no reason to get mad about it and with a well-designed play book you can overcome this much of the time. I call it, “Remind me why I love you again?”

pitching 381

pitching board funders entrepreneurs 381

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

She told of the teaching of the Talmud – a book which scholars use to debate doctrine and from which Jewish people are reminded to always learn and to debate. But as I rose in my career (and post MBA) I moved into a role in which I was to advise board-level executives on topics where I was expected to rapidly become an expert.

peer-to-peer 337

peer-to-peer entrepreneurs consulting VC 337

David Teten VC

JUNE 9, 2021

See How to negotiate a partner role at a VC or private equity firm.) You can work as a consultant, an interim executive, a board member, a deal executive partnering to buy a company, an executive in residence, or as an entrepreneur in residence. . At Versatile VC , we’ve used all these models. Board of Directors.

consulting 128

consulting venture capital board capital 128

Dream It

MAY 19, 2021

VC funds value-creating milestones, not runway. If there is sincere interest on the part of the investor, offer to review a smaller raise and revised plan with your board. By Elliot Levy , Healthtech Associate at Dreamit Ventures Book Office Hours with me. Investors expect to see cash needs aligned with time base milestones.

pitching 393

pitching board health VC 393

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

I believe that over capitalizing companies too early often favors the VC. Talking about whether to raise more money or not, their VC allegedly said to them: “If you had more capital, could you get to the future faster? And having too much money certainly raises board expectations that you will do big things quickly.

entrepreneurs 374

entrepreneurs incubation board VC 374

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

But honestly there are times when being a VC can feel like that, too. One day if you’re lucky you’ll be big enough to work with recruiters to hire senior members of your team or your board. And in it he profiles the work of Coach Campbell who was once on the boards of both Google & Apple. EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS.

startup 363

startup real estate VC venture capital 363

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

It’s sort of like having an Encyclopedic history book before just launching your product and seeing whether anybody uses it. Here’s the thing – as Michael Lewis talks about in his book, the adage of investing is that “if you’re reading about something in the papers it’s already too late.”. Part three will be published shortly.

angel investing 288

angel investing investment investing advice 288

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

I recently read a book I’d highly recommend to every reader of this blog called “ Yes, 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive &# by Robert B. Cialdini who is also author of a very well received book called “ Influence &# (which I plan to read). You should, too. (no, This is all explicit decision making.

strategy 293

strategy venture capital SaaS investing 293

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

I love the enthusiasm, the boundless energy and the sense of possibility that comes from having an idea that hasn’t yet been beat up in the marketplace of competing ideas, customer contracts, VC skepticism, jaded journalists or fickle consumers who are on the The New, New Thing. And board confidence matters in growing companies.

board 338

board energy financing finance 338

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

” Strangely, the best I’ve ever heard this exemplified is in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential - which is really a book about startups as told through kitchen stories. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Writing a book will be fun.

board 320

board VC construction opportunity 320

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

I’m not saying that VC behavior is always impeccably honorable but the truth is that there are so few VCs and the reputational costs of bad behavior are now so high that becoming known as somebody who leaks confidential information can have immediate negative consequences. Has written a book on venture capital.

venture capital 352

venture capital VC board financing 352

Dream It

MAY 4, 2021

Valuation is not set by you, your team, your investors, or your board. It’s important to understand VC Math 101. The VC believes your company has a reasonable chance of achieving a certain exit valuation. “The The VC believes your company has a reasonable chance of achieving a certain exit valuation. It’s that simple.

VC 300

VC board pitching health 300

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Board Meetings. How do VCs break out of group think when they are shuttling from one board meeting to the next, from one conference to the other and talking with all the same people? I want to make sure that my sixth year as a VC doesn’t just become an automatic continuation of what I’ve done in my first 5 years.

creativity 400

creativity venture capital entrepreneurs board 400

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2014

Contrast that with a VC conversation I had. In case you don’t know – as VCs we have have 2 sets of customers: LPs (limited partners) who invest money in our funds and entrepreneurs (who we in turn give money to and help support them in building businesses we hope will be valuable). If not, somebody else will.

peer-to-peer 341

peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurs support 341

Dream It

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

VCs are judging your ability to sell If you are running a B2B company, investors know that you need to “sell” to potential early adopters. The Dreamit team has said it before, raising money from a VC is a lot like sales. Improve your selling skills by studying the many books and videos available on that very skill. co-founder).

startup founder 397

startup founder founder startup pitching 397

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2014

One of the main co-investors was High Peaks capital and one of their team members, the uber talented Rahul Gandhi , loved the deal so much he quit his career as a VC and jumped in as a co-founder. They did customer pickups, the drove vans to storage facilities, the deal with booking and customer support issues – everything.

real estate 380

real estate ventures innovation pitching 380

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

One of the books that first made me aware of the “creative brain&# was “ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain &# by Betty Edwards. All are known creativity drivers and are covered in the book mentioned above. She literally encourages you to draw things upside down. For others they swear by music.

creativity 356

creativity frameworks media innovation 356

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

bang on the windows of a board meeting recently and stick his tongue out at all of us. Unsurprisingly for Kara is was the VC connections. When you think about physical stickers and activity books every parent can understand. Aka Punky Brewster. We’ve had many celebrities walk through our doors including a-list film stars.

startup 398

startup creativity advice entrepreneurs 398

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2010

So it was my great pleasure to host Chamillionaire on This Week in VC this week talking marketing, entrepreneurship, old media and, of course, music. I often tell teams that you need to create product deadlines that are semi-public (or maybe board commitments) that help you focus on shipping product.

entrepreneurs 356

entrepreneurs media creativity VC 356

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

You’re not lecturing to a college class, you’re not at a cocktail party and you’re not chatting with a small group in a board meeting. She wrote the book that inspired the way that people at McKinsey and Accenture do presentations. But seriously her book is spot on. You’re on stage!

advice 362

advice VC entrepreneurs education 362

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 18, 2010

The concept comes from a Stephen Covey book called “ First Things First ,&# which is a worthwhile book ( Wikipedia overview here ) but if you haven’t read his seminal book “ 7 Habits of Highly Effective People &# you should start with that. When I first discovered the concept I found it enlightening.

mentorship 374

mentorship creativity energy entrepreneurs 374

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

I shifted my thinking a few years ago after I read Tim Ferris’s book The Four Hour Workweek (link is to a short summary I wrote). I had a 3-hour board meeting with another. I sent an email to another about what I thought we should cover at his next board meeting and what was missing from the deck he sent. Is that OK?

advice 314

advice culture board VC 314

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

What is the True Sentiment of VCs? I recently survey more than 150 VC friends from all stages and geographies what they thought about the market by asking “Which of the following statements best describes your mood heading into 2016?” This is how VCs feel. Now for every dollar a VC raises $2.50

startup 285

startup VC entrepreneurs investing 285

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 25, 2015

We built a business with $36 million in bookings and real customers who relied upon our service. So we as a board kicked off a search for the next CEO. As we went from a small band of missionaries hell bent on making our idea a reality, raising capital, getting press, and selling to customers – we were all having fun.

leadership 327

leadership SaaS board education 327

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

He then brought her to board meetings so nobody could accuse him of not having a business model. He calls this competing with “non consumption” It was the most profound business strategy book I had read and greatly influenced how I thought about company building and certainly how I think about investing. Markets decide.

strategy 401

strategy startup peer-to-peer advice 401

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I’m sitting at my computer now at 9.00pm writing this – which is an hour earlier than I normally write (there are about 8 women at my kitchen table having a book club (aka excuse to drink wine & gossip so I’m locked in another room writing. I don’t think any serious VC or angel thought it was “collusion.&#

peer-to-peer 287

peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurs board 287

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 31, 2022

Gotham Gives is run by Jennifer Klopp and we are joined on the board by our long-time friend and philanthropic partner Sarah Holloway. USV TEAM POSTS: Albert Wenger — May 30, 2022 Joseph Tainter: The Collapse of Complex Societies (Book Review). You can subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more videos as they come out.

culture 219

culture education venture capital board 219

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 3, 2021

In MyEO groups, you can: • Gather a group for a poker night • Sail with EO members in the Caribbean Sea • Learn how to write and publish a book • Enjoy a whiskey-tasting tour • Learn and share industry-specific knowledge. My book, From Bad to Worse to Best in Class: A Refugee’s Success Story , was published two years ago.

education 236

education VC pitching support 236

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

As an early-stage VC I love this phase. After numerous discussions we held the line and all agreed as a board that profitability was much more important than chasing new markets and that perfecting our systems and methods was critical before we expanded and just increase the scope of our problems to solve. Startups are like families.

innovation 286

innovation startup board leadership 286

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 9, 2019

I am reading a friend’s book which is still in proofs and so I’m not going to talk about it yet. But there is one part of the book that really rang true for me and that is when he talks about certain kinds of problematic employees, particularly one he calls The Heretic.

coworking 186

coworking advice board strategy 186

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

After my first Tweet with the Notorious mothafucka quote , I thought about my role as a VC and I Tweeted the following. And I spoke with the CTO of another great company I used to be on the board of and enlisted his support in potentially being an advisor to one company. It came from my weekend activities.

networking 366

networking peer-to-peer advice mentorship 366