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

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Seed investments are down by any measure (funds, deals, dollars) over the past 3 years in deals < $1 million AND in deals between $1–5 million. thus the rise of “pre seed” investing). It’s very noticeable in terms of funds raised, dollars invested and deals completed. What gives?

investing 328

investing investment VC venture capital 328

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).

board 236

board startup venture capital financing 236

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 254

opportunity investing investment disruption 254

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 10, 2014

I''m excited to see Christina and Logan''s vision come to life and I''m excited to be on board as an investor. They launched the pre-sale of their first set of rings today--their own design. You should check it out. Venture Capital & Technology'

ventures 415

ventures investing investment venture capital 415

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JUNE 14, 2021

It may be silly and crazy, but it has also been a good investment for my friend and anyone who bought it in the early years. The combination of memes and investing is a powerful cocktail that I have been ignoring for a long time, probably incorrectly. It is easy to dismiss meme investing.

investing 243

investing investment communities board 243

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

When you get an investment from Brooklyn Bridge Ventures—you get me. My investment thesis is shaped by the sum of my personal experience and so are my values. Limited partners judge my investment acumen. A co-op board is going to judge me at my next apartment. We get judged all the time.

investing 266

investing investment communities founder 266

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. 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. That used to be called A-round investing. A seed round these days is $3–5 million or more! of the fund.

ventures 471

ventures VC venture capital funders 471

The Seraf Compass

JUNE 9, 2021

When you combine great leadership with a strong board of directors, the likelihood of a successful outcome for a business increases by an order of magnitude. As members of the board, they occupy leadership positions. Legally, directors are required to provide governance and oversight.

capital 246

capital investing investment leadership 246

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.

board 112

board advice education VC 112

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

American Entrepreneurship

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

This critical investment will enable Apptronik to ramp up the production of its groundbreaking humanoid robot, Apollo, and accelerate the development of next-generation robots tailored for a wide range of industries. The investment also supports the companys commitment to creating human-centered robots.

investing 79

investing investment collaboration enablement 79

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

We also spoke about what it takes to be an effective board member. On the one hand I often find that some board members are seemingly reading the board materials on the fly and don’t have a firm grasp of the business fundamentals while on the other hand some board members like to tinker in the running of the business.

advice 327

advice board VC investing 327

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 19, 2021

” Unlike public markets, private market investments are held for many years, often a decade or more. I also think startup boards need to evolve. There should be many more independent directors and many fewer investor directors on startup boards. There is no divorce court for startups.

board 276

board financing finance sustainability 276

Paul G. Silva

MARCH 25, 2025

Facing Reality Just in Time: The River Valley Investors Story After running the River Valley Investors (RVI) angel group for 15 years, I watched as attendance dwindled and investment activity slowed to concerning levels. The organization was rapidly declining and close to not having enough members to run effective meetings.

leadership 130

leadership angel investing entrepreneurship investing 130

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Investment experience (5 years a VC at Battery Ventures). Operating experience (Helped run parts of CitySearch & UrbanSpoon, tons of product management experience, Board of Hatch Labs which helped spawn Tinder). For starters we’re an LA-based venture fund who invests nationally (and sometimes internationally, but less so).

VC 408

VC networking ventures board 408

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

I left the meeting and had to attend a 3-hour board meeting where two founders have been fighting and each want the other one fired. After my board meeting I had to do an interview with a CFO candidate that one of my portfolio companies asked me to speak with. I think you’d really enjoy meeting her wether you decide to invest or not.

pitching 381

pitching board funders entrepreneurs 381

The Seraf Compass

AUGUST 28, 2019

Over the past few years, there has been much talk about the importance of investing both financial and human capital into the rapidly expanding entrepreneurial ecosystem. From our perspective, human capital is as important as financial capital in driving the long term success of startup companies.

entrepreneurial ecosystem 225

entrepreneurial ecosystem board capital investing 225

Paul G. Silva

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Breaking the “Impossible” at VVM When I was at Valley Venture Mentors, we set this BHAG: “In ten years, catalyze entrepreneurs to change the economy of Western Massachusetts by generating $1 billion in cumulative revenue and investment.” ” At the time, we were running a startup accelerator for 6 companies.

innovation 130

innovation accelerator angel investing entrepreneurship 130

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 16, 2014

There''s been some writing about how VCs and founders interact with each other and it inspired me to take a step back and reflect on what my role is supposed to be with regards to the investments I make and the founders I deal with. Here''s what I came up with. Here''s what I am not: I am not necessarily an entrepreneur''s friend.

VC 399

VC frameworks venture capital opportunity 399

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

The Seraf Compass

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Many years ago I joined the board of a company after my angel group became the lead investor in the company’s seed financing round. As part of my compensation for being a board member, the company issued me restricted stock.

board 347

board advice financing finance 347

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 3, 2016

We're "kingmakers" whose investment has the "Midas Touch." Perhaps if we spend more time talking about board participation, counseling entrepreneurs on decisions, helping them solve problems and working hard to recruit people, the type of people who apply to the job might change. 2) Self selection for judgemental power seekers.

VC 401

VC venture capital entrepreneurship ventures 401

Tomasz Tunguz

OCTOBER 7, 2021

Passive venture capital investing is a relatively new idea. If the public equities market is any indication, passive investing is here to stay. In public equities, passive investment funds constitute 54% of total dollars in the market, according to Bloomberg Reseearch. The board is fully staffed, the executive team as well.

venture capital 145

venture capital capital ventures investing 145

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 18, 2024

These are people that didn’t make their money through a tech startup or startup investing. Governance Moreso than a lot of actual VCs, a lot of high-net-worth folks tend to ask for board representation—even in the super early stages of a company where boards tend to be a little less formal. I’m not talking about active angels.

investing 221

investing investment startup real estate 221

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2015

As a single GP (a firm with one investment decision making professional), I get asked a lot of questions about how I manage my time considering the number of investments I make. I think that's probably less than most early stage VCs take, but I think I've gotten pretty good at being decisive about what I'm *not* likely to invest in.

VC 419

VC pitching board construction 419

The Seraf Compass

AUGUST 23, 2023

Now let's take a closer look at the time commitment involved when you're ready to invest in a company, what's required when serving as a board director, and how GPs should handle communications with their LPs. In Part I of this article we talked about the challenges and responsibilities General Partners face managing a fund.

board 355

board investing investment 355

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 342

startup ecosystem real estate startup economic development 342

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2022

And while over the past few years we have been laser-focused on cash returns, we are equally planting seeds for our next 10–15 years of returns by actively investing in today’s market. We are excited to share the news that we have raised $650 million across three vehicles to allow us to continue making investments for many years ahead.

ventures 408

ventures startup peer-to-peer venture capital 408

Dream It

MAY 19, 2021

At Dreamit, we coach founders to use a snapshot slide at the beginning of the deck which covers this element and highlights why you’re an exciting investment. If there is sincere interest on the part of the investor, offer to review a smaller raise and revised plan with your board. The amount you're raising is your ask.

pitching 393

pitching board health VC 393

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 15, 2015

They could have created a reasonable, nuanced set of rules that allows me to rent my place out when I'm not there, like the four times a year I'm out in San Francisco trying to convince valley VCs to invest here, to someone who needs it.

real estate 419

real estate coworking transportation innovation 419

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2014

Last week, for just the second time ever, I passed on an investment opportunity because of the terms of the deal--both the price and the legal structure of the agreement. No wonder people are questioning where the boards of these companies were. No one from the firm leading the deal will join the board.

founder 392

founder board venture capital financing 392

Revolution

MARCH 10, 2025

When we first invested in Cambium, we were drawn to the clarity of the teams vision: create a transparent and traceable logistics operating system that takes local, fallen trees (that would otherwise end up in landfills) and turns them into high-quality, lower carbon building materials. billion board feet of usablewood.

construction 130

construction sustainability disruption board 130

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

When I work with community leaders I often encourage them to “pool capital” together from many angels into a fund structure run by a small investment committee that can make more rapid funding decisions, take more risks (it is pooled capital so goes across more investments), and standardize investment terms.

startup 390

startup communities venture capital angel capital 390

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.

board 116

board VC advice support 116

American Entrepreneurship

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Recognizing this, The Veteran Fund announced the winner of its $100,000 Veteran Pitch Competition and the recent closing of its inaugural oversubscribed investment Fund I. With one click of a smartphone’s camera, building owners and service providers gain much-needed insight in 50 to 80% less time and cash invested.

leadership 98

leadership startup accelerator mentorship entrepreneurship 98

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 8, 2013

That''s kind of like what it''s like being on board with these companies after you make an early stage investment. Even the best and most active board members can still feel pretty helpless. In VC, no one''s investment gets bought on the first day, or the second day, or the third day.

venture capital 419

venture capital VC advice capital 419