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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board peer-to-peer VC funders 187

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 30, 2025

When Tinybop first launched, before they ever made their first app for kids, they started a newsletter that featured products they loved for kidsfrom everything from books to board games. Collect Contact Information Its not enough to have a big following on a social network that has an algorithm between you and your following.

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startup communities networking media 308

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Associates often shadow partners at board meetings so that they can help follow up with the company on important initiatives between board meetings. I think it’s great for some people because it really does give you some solid benefits: board exposure / experience. Helping be the VC “presence” at key events.

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investing investment VC board 365

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

One area I’ve had much discussion with the companies in which I’ve invested in is bringing on board an operationally focused CFO. I think Ophir would agree that the business was transformed after we brought on board Phil Schraeder at the CFO (and later promoted to COO). And board confidence matters in growing companies.

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board energy finance financing 338

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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board technology leadership economic growth 111

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 19, 2025

March 18, 2025) Last week, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board approved the creation of the Next New Jersey Program – AI and the AI Innovation Challenge Administration Grant Program. For more information, including additional eligibility requirements, click here.

leadership 52

leadership board economic growth economic development 52

Berkonomics

MARCH 28, 2024

All other board functions are secondary. Even venture capitalists who sit on boards where they have significant investments often forget this point. Actually, there are two legal duties of board members. Sometimes, there will be a conflict of interest between the people representing the various shareholder classes on a board.

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board advice education VC 112

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

Pre-seed is just a narrower segment where you might raise $1–3 million on a SAFE note and not give out any board seats. There are of course many Seed VCs who take board seats, don’t over-commit to too many deals and try to help with “company building” activities to help at a company’s vulnerable foundations.

ventures 471

ventures VC venture capital funders 471

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

They will have to sit on boards. ” That means sitting on boards and helping entrepreneurs to handle the most difficult things that pop up like: lawsuits. I sit on less than 10 boards precisely so that I can be deeply involved when I’m most needed. They will have to step up before anyone else does. founder fighting.

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VC peer-to-peer board entrepreneurs 356

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2020

I am not a lawyer nor can you use my advice for the basis for your application but I’d rather provide more public information to help you have the right conversations so please take this posting for what it is (and accept that I may have typos or inaccuracies, which I will amend if pointed out). You should discuss with your board second.

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VC peer-to-peer startup advice 279

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2013

Put simply, the amount of public, real-time information that is now being created by hundreds of millions of users and soon billions of objects will change the way every major business, organization or government must operate. ” How can businesses not incorporate information into their marketing and sales funnels? Chris Smart.

board 358

board disruption media SaaS 358

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 18, 2019

A lot of these strategic entities have boards that are filled with some of the most successful high net worth individuals, family offices, foundations, etc. Yet, do you know how many of those investors came through intros made by those who have a strategic economic development interest in fostering the NYC ecosystem?

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startup ecosystem real estate startup economic development 342

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Often they waited until they were in the office but then the value of the information we got was limited. I also have really enjoyed working with Satish Dharmaraj at Redpoint who like me was an enterprise software CEO (he was the founder & CEO of Zimbra — so he’s a perfect board partner for Tact). I am not over-selling.

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real estate leadership board investment 244

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 13, 2022

VCs aren’t experts at every aspect of a startup at the same level across the board. I’ll keep you informed on other parts of the business, of course, but just want to let you know that it would be helpful if you gave some context or relevant examples you’ve seen when you weigh in on other things.”

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founder VC board strategy 415

Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

While you may be a strong leader, she asserts, the ability to adapt your strengths to each new organization, or to changes within the organization—new board members, new staff members, new shareholders—is the quality that will help you remain successful. .

leadership 292

leadership peer-to-peer advice board 292

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

Another founder … “When I pitched the idea to Adam, he was super on board,” Mr. Sloyan said. But we’ve gotten the point where ENIFA and they will invest with no information based solely on the name of who else has invested. Information Leaks are a Real Problem. Having too many investors can lead to information leaks.

startup 323

startup advice pitching VC 323

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Now that he’s become a VC he’s promising me he’ll provide way more public information and discourse so please welcome him by following him on Twitter and better yet welcoming him with a Tweet of your own linking to his Twitter handle or this post. Thank you. The idea immediately resonated.

ventures 340

ventures investing investment board 340

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2016

It is a hugely compelling show because Zakaria covers world issues that will affect all of us in ways that are accessible and with frameworks for processing disparate information. I have a board meeting coming up this week and I just reviewed the agenda. Is she getting enough board exposure? Is she feeling motivated?

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frameworks board creativity SaaS 233

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

We are expected to know everything and many people rush to conclusions given a limited set of information. 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. We are their sparring partners, their sounding boards.

peer-to-peer 337

peer-to-peer entrepreneurs consulting VC 337

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

I see this in cases where sometimes board members don’t want to take on the “Pottery Barn Rule” that if you break it, you fix it. While everybody can easily point at VCs or board members and accuse them of being meddlers, the same is actually true of many CEOs. I speak from experience. CEO’s beware.

startup 339

startup board leadership culture 339

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 2, 2023

The venture asset class seems to have already decided that AI is the next great investment opportunity, but I’m not so sure it’s going to disrupt business and create the across-the-board wealth that has been predicted. Google, on the other hand, was a digitally native business model, with no offline analog.

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opportunity investing investment disruption 254

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

We think transparency and easy access to information benefit our entire ecosystem. At any moment in time one of Upfront’s associates are likely to be working on: a pricing strategy, a market-expansion strategy, an M&A review, or helping build a company’s first board deck template. We’ve done all of these recently.

ventures 343

ventures venture capital advice VC 343

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

I’ve sat on ad tech boards with board members who clearly knew little about impressions, fill rates, CTRs, RTB, eCPMs or the difficulties & opportunities of embedded mobile SDKs vs. HTML5. Industry or Operating Experience? Now you’re talking. It’s not you. It’s all of you.

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VC advice board leadership 364

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2014

As an alternative I’ve also found board meetings to be a good rallying call. It gives a tangible goal and also the reward of the team that completes the project the opportunity to interact with the board. In summary – I have been involved with software development for 25 years. Set hard deadlines.

creativity 344

creativity leadership board energy 344

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

As an investor, it’s easy to come into a board meeting asking probing questions, demanding information, and sharing your opinion without first having built up a base of trust. You feel like these people will have your back—and this is a form of privilege when the group dominates your industry.

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venture capital capital ventures peer-to-peer 413

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 10, 2023

I have watched so many leaders over the years in my various roles as lead investor, board member, board chair, investor, and advisor. And one thing I have learned from this front-row seat is that leading from the heart is very powerful. We are taught to project strength in moments like this.

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board founder entrepreneurs development 245

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2019

I’m going to focus this post around the concept of a “board dinner” or “board lunch” since this is part of a series around how to more effectively run board relationships but most of these tips can be broadly applied. Why a Board Dinner (or Lunch)? Managing a board is a bit like flying?—?the

networking 262

networking board construction disruption 262

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 6, 2020

Brad says: “Talk to people you trust, whether they’re investors, board members, co-founders, mentors, whatever; make sure you’re open about the stress and the struggle you’re going through both financially in the business and personally.” For more information, please visit [link] and follow the author on Twitter.

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peer-to-peer startup advice entrepreneurs 321

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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board advice founder VC 100

Entrepreneurs' Organization

OCTOBER 15, 2021

The Board approved the choice, and the new CEO was announced without ­explanation or context. As my team gathered information to formulate a winning strategy for our client, we asked the leadership all about the current crisis and other relevant details that could inform our path forward. Is the Board aligned with management?

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leadership strategy board entrepreneurs 275

American Entrepreneurship

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

By automating your accounting, you shorten the number of steps, saving time to spend on other areas of your business that benefits from informed decision-making. Trello allows you to create boards for each project, break tasks down into cards, and assign deadlines and responsibilities.

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collaboration media support accelerator 111

NZ Entrepreneur

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

This isn’t just about crunching numbers; it’s about gaining valuable financial insights that empower you to make informed decisions. It forecasts revenue streams, anticipates expenses, and facilitates informed decision-making regarding investments, resource allocation, and financial management.

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startup consulting sustainability frameworks 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

These can be called: Operating Partners, Venture Partners, Board Partners or similar. They might sponsor an occasional deal, they might be looking to jump in and run a company or they might take the board seat if the firm invests. We also take input from our board partners and from our non-partner investment staff.

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VC board investment investing 314

Dream It

MAY 4, 2021

Board meetings can be very powerful events where founders get valuable feedback, ideas, and strategic direction. Oftentimes, founders dread board meetings and look at them as low ROI events. Their primary role is to confirm the board meeting agenda. Tip #3: Focus on key issues How do you know what a “key issue” is?

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board startup advice founder 352

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

He shared tons of information about how how they were using marketing to quantitatively make marketing decisions at HauteLook and acquire customers for prices that were far cheaper than similar companies. Like any firm we of course invest in the San Francisco Bay Area where 33% of my personal boards are.

VC 360

VC communities investment investing 360

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2012

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. New entrepreneurs seem to lack discernment--the ability to take the firehose of information coming at them and weed out what is relevent and sensible for them. Does it work for your customer?

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advice startup VC strategy 416

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

.” The reason is that at a VC you have a group of partners who often have different focus areas of excellence, each pursues deals in their respective field, each makes investments and sits on boards and each spends their most difficult hours tackling problems at portfolio companies vs. solving the challenges at the VC itself.

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