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.

board 251

board advice founder construction 251

Paul G. Silva

APRIL 1, 2025

As I shared in a previous post , when I was president of Click Workspace, a startup coworking space, our board chairman delivered feedback that hit me hard: I wasn’t paying enough attention to our financials. Many founders would leave board meetings with lengthy to-do lists. What are the biggest risks to the company?

frameworks 147

frameworks leadership coworking spaces coworking 147

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. I got to see all of the top VCs pitching their funds. Technology has already made the world pretty efficient.

opportunity 253

opportunity investing investment disruption 253

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2017

Many board meetings are bored meetings. This is a shame since the value that the right board could add is immense if you select the right board members and manage them effectively. Yesterday I wrote a blog post about what the role of a board actually is. Some boards are highly functional, many are not.

board 212

board enablement strategy support 212

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 7, 2013

b) There really isn''t any more actual information to pour over--it''s just a lot of thinking and talking about the same things over and over again. The problem with dragging it on is twofold--. a) The entrepreneur is distracted from doing what they need to do--i.e. running the business.

investing 335

investing investment construction venture capital 335

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

AngelList 101 : As you know, AngelList is a platform where angels can invest in semi-screened tech deals. As an angel you can look for the social proof in deals “Dave Morin is investing …” to make your decision. AngelList Syndicate leads don’t take any fees on the investment, which should help with returns.

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VC peer-to-peer board entrepreneurs 356

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.

board 187

board peer-to-peer VC funders 187

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 16, 2016

Computer Vison Startup Nanit If you follow me on Snapchat ( msuster ) you might already know that I’ve been looking at and investing in a number of companies in the computer vision space. Today I am so excited to announce our latest investment in the category —  Nanit  — which is a smart baby monitor.

investing 208

investing investment peer-to-peer real estate 208

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 19, 2025

Next NJ Program and AI Innovation Challenge Administration Grant Program will increase AI investment and catalyze groundbreaking research TRENTON, N.J. New Jerseys continued investment in the sectors of the future will pay dividends for generations to come, setting the Garden State on a path of economic strength and prosperity.

leadership 52

leadership board economic growth economic development 52

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). Board Preparation. Board meetings.

board 338

board energy financing finance 338

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. Second is the duty of loyalty… …Loyalty to the corporate person, not to the shareholders who elected the board member.

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board advice education VC 112

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

” I found myself nodding through all of it with quotes like, “Seed investing is the status symbol of Silicon Valley,” said Sam Altman. I save room in literally every deal to invite angels (or seed funds) to co-invest with me. Another founder … “When I pitched the idea to Adam, he was super on board,” Mr. Sloyan said.

startup 323

startup advice pitching VC 323

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Why Invest? And while my relationship with Chuck was critical to my investment, so too was the leadership of Trevor Templar , the Chief Revenue Officer. In all my time investing I have never seen such a senior revenue officer join a company at this stage. Why Invest? Maybe 25% of the users would log in weekly.

real estate 244

real estate leadership board investing 244

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 18, 2019

Accelerators can be great, but they’re not giving companies enough money to achieve the kind of escape velocity needed to get on the radar of national Series A firms that will invest anywhere. At some point, a real seed round needs to get raised—and it needs to get led by someone. Raising for a seed fund is exceptionally difficult.

startup ecosystem 339

startup ecosystem real estate startup economic development 339

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2013

The timing of the announcement of this investment couldn’t have been timed more perfectly if we tried. And before that you might enjoy this longer analysis on why I invested in DataSift in the first place , which was written 2.5 ” How can businesses not incorporate information into their marketing and sales funnels?

board 358

board disruption media SaaS 358

David Teten VC

JUNE 9, 2021

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. . However, historically most private equity professionals were former investment bankers and other finance professionals. Board of Directors.

consulting 128

consulting venture capital board capital 128

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. They were effusive.

VC 360

VC communities investing investment 360

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.

board 94

board opportunity networking ventures 94

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.”

founder 414

founder VC board strategy 414

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

We think transparency and easy access to information benefit our entire ecosystem. Like many modern VCs, we’re committed to investing in the community and in our portfolio companies. To start, we believe that our industry was too closed-door and secretive. See what we did there? That seems pretty superficial!”.

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ventures venture capital advice VC 343

NZ Entrepreneur

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

While spreadsheets might seem sufficient in the early days, investing in a proper accounting system from the start can save you countless headaches down the line. This isn’t just about crunching numbers; it’s about gaining valuable financial insights that empower you to make informed decisions.

startup 104

startup consulting sustainability frameworks 104

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Investors let him control the board as long as he continued to make them paper rich, and then actually rich--so they couldn’t technically force him out. When it happens at companies run by women, the media, disgruntled employees, and their investor board members, burn them at the stake. Two reasons: One, they had no other real choice.

coworking spaces 545

coworking spaces hospitality culture coworking 545

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). Who is this program for and why does it exist?

VC 279

VC peer-to-peer startup advice 279

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 6, 2020

At the same time, many investors are being more cautious with making new investments, preferring to focus on their existing portfolio before investing in new companies. It’s important to enlist the ideas of others that are invested in your venture. For more information, please visit [link] and follow the author on Twitter.

peer-to-peer 321

peer-to-peer startup advice entrepreneurs 321

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?

frameworks 233

frameworks board creativity SaaS 233

Ben Franklin Technology Partners

JANUARY 4, 2022

The largest early-stage investor in the region, Ben Franklin provides investment capital, business support services, BIG IDEA Contests, and Startup Boot Camps to emerging tech-entrepreneurs and small manufacturers located in central and northern Pennsylvania. For more information: www.dmi-llc.com. For more information: [link].

technology 98

technology investing investment startup 98

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2012

I've only recently started leading investments a little over two years ago. My track record of leading deals consists of only seven investments, luckily no zeros (knock on wood) and one exit. Try and figure out exactly what a startup had to show at the moment a VC chose to invest in them. I mean, what do I know?

advice 416

advice startup VC strategy 416

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. Fred Wilson wrote perfectly about sticking with struggling investments. Industry or Operating Experience? It’s not you.

VC 364

VC advice board leadership 364

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

Fred Wilson also wrote on a similar topic in his usual more succinct manner , with a great quote being: “One thing I know for sure is that those who advise and invest in startups cannot and should not meddle in the day to day decision making. Let information flow up but direct your staff and execute through hierarchy.”

startup 339

startup board leadership culture 339

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 5, 2022

The first two MyEO DealExchange conferences in 2018 and 2019 made a significant impact on the members who attended—including a 7-figure investment in Scott Mesh (EO New York)’s company. Each person gets 90 seconds to share the details of the investment opportunity or the “deal need” they’re presenting or seeking.

accelerator 273

accelerator networking pitching real estate 273

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures , the pre-seed and seed stage VC fund I run in NYC, has invested in 64 companies in the last six and a half years. 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.

venture capital 413

venture capital capital ventures peer-to-peer 413

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 6, 2013

Board meetings are a pain in the ass. Investors are less likely to ping you with random stuff when they feel well informed on a consistant basis. Whether it''s their money or their investor''s money, a lot of trust went into investing in you. 2) If Investor Communication is Too Hard, Perhaps Your Management Process is Broken.

entrepreneurs 330

entrepreneurs venture capital board capital 330

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

I am often asked how we make decisions on investments at Upfront Ventures. A typical investment discussion is not a bed of roses. ” In other words, just because you liked my last investment is no reason for me to be nice now. He took two words where I take 1,000! A company presents. Only the best survive.

advice 332

advice peer-to-peer startup frameworks 332

American Entrepreneurship

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Strategic investment fund BankTech Ventures invests in companies that are developing innovative technologies that enhance the ability of community banks to serve their customers. The Fund just announced their investment commitment of $13.5 as of December 31, 2022, according to the FDIC.

communities 98

communities ventures investing investment 98

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JUNE 10, 2019

I have worked in three venture capital firms over the last thirty-three years and am intimately familiar with the performance of the fifteen (ish) venture funds raised and invested by these three firms. And The Gotham Gal started angel investing around the same time, often writing the first check into startups. It just takes time.

angel investing 223

angel investing venture capital board investing 223

David Teten VC

MAY 19, 2021

One of the best business models ever is creating a marketplace between investors and investment opportunities. I’ve been meeting lately with more and more family offices interested in investing directly into companies, in lieu of via funds. Investors there are outsourcing the decision-making about individual investments to the GPs.).

investing 105

investing investment peer-to-peer real estate 105