A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

OCTOBER 14, 2020

The NVCA and Pitch Book are out with their Q3 report on the VC industry and what they report is that the VC industry continues to be very active throughout the pandemic. Deal counts and deal values are stable to up over last year. The massive expansion of later-stage private capital continues unabated.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

I can’t help feel a bit of rear-view mirror analysis in all of “VC model is broken” bears in our industry. To really assess what opportunities the VC industry has over the next decade, one needs to first look at some of the root causes of poor returns in the past decade. The number of venture capital funds has shrunk by two-thirds.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

We spoke about the disruption of VC through crowd funding. VC can’t don’t invest in these kinds of companies because they can’t get out (no liquidity event). Mr. Christensen has published a new book, “ How Will You Measure Your Life. Apple came along with proprietary infrastructure, which made it easy.

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education disruption entrepreneurship venture capital 403

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. Where are Things Headed for VC in 2031?

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

” The local kennels were full as many people had pre-booked for vacations. She sprung into action and called the house I wanted to book directly (they obviously don’t provide phone numbers for you to call directly although a Twilio integration couldn’t hurt!). ” Booked it. “Oh s**t.”

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

” This is a frequent theme of mine when asked to speak to audience about the VC industry. And this is fueled by the VC culture in Silicon Valley. I was recently talking to a VC about a business I was looking at and I was asking whether he found the business interesting, too. It is VC math, like it or not.

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startup VC venture capital entrepreneurs 390

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. They don't look cautiously at the advice given to them by their favorite VC blogger. On average, it's probably nonsensical. They don't stress test.

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advice startup VC strategy 416

Haystack

DECEMBER 29, 2018

It’s that time of year, time to look back and reflect on the most significant storylines in the tech, startup, and VC world. Telegram announced their ICO and raised over $1B from some of the best VC firms. VC funds invested directly in MakerDao’s Dai stable coin. 5/ Early Effects Of The Softbank Effect.

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VC startup venture capital mix-use 165

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

Of the first four investments I made as a VC in 2009, two have exited and two (Invoca & GumGum) still are independent and likely to produce $billion++ outcomes . My first ever investment as a VC was Invoca. He then went on the create an early-stage VC that I track closely?—? Maker Studios?—?sold Entrada Ventures? —?that

venture capital 363

venture capital capital ventures VC 363

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 23, 2023

and then BOOM they sent you a link to an app with your whole trip, completely booked, with a map driven itinerary and a text concierge available to make last minute changes, etc. Total cost was just $5 per traveler per day and Noken took a cut of the bookings. Are the consumers not deep-pocketed enough?

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incumbents VC pitching investing 370

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

The idea is simple enough: several female VC partners at top funds will hold 1-hour meetings with 40 promising female entrepreneurs looking to get advice on their business and pitch in a friendly, non-judgmental, safe environment. In Dan Rather’s book he talks about Ruth Bader Ginsberg who was appointed the the Supreme Court in 1993.

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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.” Operational leadership, fortunately, does not.

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leadership VC advice sustainability 279

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

You can now take advantage of this wisdom directly as Brad has now published it for everybody in a fantastic new book, “Startup Communities.” ” Put simply, if you care about building a successful tech community outside Silicon Valley you should read this book. Oh, and buy Brad’s book. Here are mine: 1.

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communities startup venture capital capital 378

Entrepreneur's Handbook

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

It’s not about being rich, it’s about repeatedly building value What some people think will happen when you become a founder | source I love the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Pro tip: If you’re bootstrapping, you can still take advantage of venture capital by using all the VC subsidized software available on the market.

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founder VC venture capital entrepreneurship 144

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2015

I spoke at Michael Kim’s excellent annual Cendana VC/LP conference today. You can read it in VCs discussions about hedge fund managers, activist investors or the need to have dual-share voting structures. Today I called it, “our own little VC led, portfolio-by-portfolio company version of RIP Good Times from 7 years ago.”

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

it is also the title of a fabulous book from Internet 1.0 If you have strong VC support now and a lot of cash in the bank you may be willing to accept a higher burn rate (say $300k or $400k per month) than a company with angel money and less cash in the bank. Gross Burn vs. Net Burn.

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startup VC frameworks capital 383

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JUNE 17, 2019

One of the many great things about vacations is reading books. Vacation is the one time that I can really prioritize reading books (as opposed to everything else I read). I just finished Scott Kupor ‘s Secrets Of Sand Hill Road , a book for entrepreneurs about rasing capital from venture firms. It would be a great course.

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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. In my experience many VC’s fall into this “I’m expected to know all the answers” trap. It is unknowable. Every situation is different.

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peer-to-peer entrepreneurs consulting VC 337

Hunter Walk

FEBRUARY 22, 2025

The phrase needle in a haystack is commonly credited to the book Don Quixote from the early 1600s (“needle is a bottle of hay”) but there’s also a Fujian proverb “To dive into the sea, to feel for a needle” that is thought to be even older and gets to the same point. Ok, back to the VC content marketing.

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startup VC strategy leadership 94

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

Why will people invest 5x the money to get book smart and struggle so much to take a big salary cut to get real life experience? My starting salary when I joined a VC fund as a partner at the age of 39 (and after 2 exits)? That’s less than most startup CEOs who have raised a few rounds of VC are paid. “Look.

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startup founder investing investment founder 409

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. And I certainly didn’t want him having to trapse up-and-down Sand Hill Road informing every VC of his next idea. The company was called Red Beacon.

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disruption VC entrepreneurs strategy 359

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

But honestly there are times when being a VC can feel like that, too. If you hadn’t read the book I’ll bet most of you (like me) had never understood the role that Coach Campbell played with the three execs but according to the book at one point they were having weekly sessions with him. EXECUTIVE COACHES.

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startup real estate VC venture capital 363

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.

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peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurs support 341

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Do you imagine eventually raising VC and trying to build a faster growing company?” ” Because of the circles I run in I tend to meet many people who eventually do want to build large companies and therefore do want to eventually raise VC and “go big.” Your revenue is the $75 million you got paid in booking fees.

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startup VC venture capital investing 418

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?” But not a VC or Bill Gurley or myself would have spooked it 2 years ago.

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startup VC entrepreneurs investing 285

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2018

A few weeks ago, I booked a customized tour of Iceland with Noken , and I did it in about five minutes. All I had to do was to tell Noken how long I planned to go, what level of hotel and car I wanted, and then I had the option to add on a few extras, and within minutes my entire trip was booked.

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culture education VC opportunity 255

Hunter Walk

JANUARY 17, 2023

I’m going to make the case that early stage venture *firms* who want to lead seed/A Rounds can be generalists (in the sense they have a set of GPs who cover a broad set of areas collectively), but that as a VC you, now more than ever, need some degree of focus. and finally the FRC transformation.

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VC networking health investing 89

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 14, 2019

Some of my friends and colleagues have been texting and tweeting about a book called VC: An American History by Tom Nicholas. So I got it on my Kindle and the first chapter is all about the Whaling industry and its similarities to the VC business. Here are some photos I took of the first chapter on my phone.

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venture capital VC ventures capital 210

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. You betcha.

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Dream It

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

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. By Alana Hill , Securetech Associate at Dreamit Ventures Book Office Hours with the Securetech team. The only difference lies in WHAT you are selling.

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startup founder founder startup pitching 397

Dream It

MAY 4, 2021

It’s important to understand VC Math 101. The VC believes your company has a reasonable chance of achieving a certain exit valuation. Most early-stage VC’s are aiming for a 5-10x return. Ready for the one-sentence answer to this common VC question? Valuation is part art, part science. It’s really that simple.”

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Dream It

MAY 19, 2021

VC funds value-creating milestones, not runway. By Elliot Levy , Healthtech Associate at Dreamit Ventures Book Office Hours with me. The common incorrect founder answer above also does not lay out key milestones and inflections points you’ll hit on the amount raised. Investors expect to see cash needs aligned with time base milestones.

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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. Writing a book will be fun. To drop whatever they’re working on for “the cause.”

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A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 27, 2020

My friend Brad Feld has updated his excellent book on startup ecosystems called Startup Communities. The updated and expanded book is called The Startup Community Way and it is available for pre-order on Amazon. The book comes out tomorrow so you won’t have to wait long for it. The timing of this book is excellent.

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communities startup startup ecosystem entrepreneurship 195

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2021

You can listen to the entire conversation above or via this link , but I also wanted to highlight one topic we discussed that I feel strongly about, which is how I think enterprise sales and venture fundraising are basically the same muscle.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

Unsurprisingly for Kara is was the VC connections. It’s something you’d imagine working best on a tablet where the parents take digital assets (think: photos & stickers) and engage with their children in story telling, arts-and-crafts, scrap-booking and the like.

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startup creativity advice entrepreneurs 398

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Matt and many members of his leadership team got the band back together early this year and started a new company called Bolster in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank and the early-stage VC firm High Alpha. Matt is a great CEO and has even written a book about leading and growing a company called Startup CEO.

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