Dream It

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

With our 2020 Robotics + AI sessions event on the horizon in early March, we’re diving back into the sector to learn about the attributes of construction attracting robotics VCs the most and which types of startups VCs are actually writing checks for in 2020. How much time are you spending on construction robotics right now?

construction 259

construction investing investment opportunity 259

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 3, 2016

In the VC insider baseball world a discussion has gone on about “VC platforms” over the past 5 or so years. While firms define platforms differently, let’s just say they are the services that a VC offers outside of investment capital and partner time on boards or providing intros.

VC 198

VC peer-to-peer mix-use leadership 198

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

The culture is driven by the 20-something irreverent founder with huge technical chops who in a “David vs. Goliath” mythology take on the titans of industry and wins. 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 .

venture capital 363

venture capital capital ventures VC 363

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2018

In 2017 we began inserting an “Inclusion Clause” into our term sheets because we believe that the culture one establishes at the earliest stages of one’s business will set out the course of how it will grow and develop. We strive to invest in companies that are consciously working to create a diverse leadership team?—?one

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VC leadership mentorship entrepreneurs 284

David Teten VC

FEBRUARY 17, 2025

Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Chair, Orricks Private Investment Funds Group.) If you are launching your own investment management firm, we recommend designing a constitution: a set of documents covering the firms goals, legal obligations, and principles for handling disagreement. Hellman, Esq.,

culture 52

culture strategy venture capital financing 52

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 11, 2021

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Charlie O'Donnell - VC (@ceonyc) She’s the best. I’d like to invest in enterprise companies that make the experience of working better for all—from benefits and professional development to company culture. These are solutions I want to invest in. What about fun?

investing 186

investing investment startup disruption 186

HPA

DECEMBER 8, 2021

Food tech startup Aqua Cultured Foods announced a $2.1M HPA participated in the round, which included participation from other investors including Supply Change Capital, Aera VC, Sustainable Food Ventures, Hanfield Venture Partners, Lifely VC, Conscience VC, Kingfisher Capital, Big Idea Ventures, among others.

culture 91

culture funders sustainability VC 91

Andreessen Horowitz

MAY 6, 2024

The Cultural Leadership Fund (CLF) team is often asked by portfolio founders how exactly cultural leaders can be a game-changing asset for their companies. The benefits of founder x cultural leader partnerships work both ways. For Founders Make It Make Sense Venture capital is where innovation meets investment.

culture 104

culture innovation founder leadership 104

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. And, with that warning, I offer to you, the big stories in the startup and investing ecosystem of 2018, written in ascending order of importance and magnitude…. 6/ Venture Capital In Expansion Phase.

VC 165

VC startup venture capital mix-use 165

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

Last week, there was a Business Insider article measuring the percent of female founded companies that NYC seed funds invest in. That means you actually have a *better* shot, statistically, of getting VC investment at these firms, statistically, once you actually pitch. In truth, that''s what''s actually driving my investments.

founder 378

founder pitching venture capital mix-use 378

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

The VC partner, somebody I greatly respect said, “Yeah, we like Gil and what they’re doing. And this Silicon Valley bias isn’t limited to any single meeting – it has been a recurring theme in my time as a VC. When you’re one fund and have $600 million to invest it’s easier to take that kind of risk.

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VC venture capital media culture 313

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

The interview was wide ranging and discussed everything from USVs investment thesis over the past 10 years to what some emerging themes are around blockchain and artificial intelligence. Dan asked Fred about “generational change” at USV and in the VC industry more broadly.

VC 176

VC peer-to-peer board disruption 176

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 23, 2011

The "meetup" culture of NYC, where there are three great educational events to go to every night is how the community bootstrapped itself. That's why prominent VC bloggers who came here and started here seemed to leapfrog existing capital that was here in terms of presence in the ecosystem. But sometimes you need to move a wall.".

incubation 250

incubation VC communities innovation 250

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. For anything that would be considered a normal investment for the partnership most firms try to make sure every partner has seen the deal and has a chance to weigh in.

venture capital 336

venture capital peer-to-peer capital ventures 336

David Teten VC

AUGUST 30, 2021

I co-wrote this essay with Prabhat Gusain , currently the Chief of Staff at Caffeinated Capital; formerly an intern with Versatile VC ; and a 2021 MBA from UVA Darden. In many ecosystems outside of the major tech hubs, founders face cultural, legal, reputational and other hurdles to building a successful tech company.

investing 119

investing investment founder VC 119

David Teten VC

MARCH 1, 2022

The easiest way to work with and for VC funds is to become a part-time scout, getting paid for sourcing investments. How to win consulting, board, operating, and investment roles with private equity and venture capital funds (video). How to find a job as a VC scout. VC recruiters list and compensation data.

VC 128

VC venture capital accelerator ventures 128

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 13, 2019

There’s no reason why a culture needs to fall apart at the seams in a hypergrowth startup. So, the extent to which any one VC would be openly critical of another’s portfolio company or the investors behind it is limited by the fact that you’ve got other companies that need their late round money.

culture 302

culture incumbents enablement sustainability 302

Haystack

JANUARY 18, 2020

Having spent time around and then in the world of VC in the Bay Area during the last decade, I’ve been reflecting on how different norms in the industry have changed. At the start of 2010, there was some unwritten VC industry conventions that have been tested, challenged, and upended in the last decade. That is for another post.

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VC construction strategy investing 130

Entrepreneur's Handbook

AUGUST 2, 2021

Photo Credit: Fortune Adding to the lack of female representation in the industry, research also shows that only 8% of the investment professionals at the top 25 VC firms are women. While much remains unsure, I’m certain of one thing: I have to step aside and pay attention to the women who are navigating the complex world of investing.

VC 111

VC venture capital mentorship leadership 111

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

As is often said if you don’t get at least a few fellow VCs (and entrepreneurs) scratching their heads you may not be funding ideas with enough upside. This was certainly the case when I invested in a small YouTube video production company called Maker Studios that recently sold to Disney for just shy of $1 billion.

funders 362

funders culture incumbents technology 362

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Berkeley-based cultured meat company New Age Meats announced Monday it raised $25 million in Series A funding that will enable the company to begin production of its first product offering, a variety of pork sausages, next year. The cultured meat landscape is gaining new entrants as the technology has evolved.

culture 97

culture development VC enablement 97

TechCrunch

APRIL 6, 2023

Meanwhile, investors expect 40 investments to be made in this sector this year, up from 36 in 2022, according to the Good Food Institute’s annual investor report. Within the past year, TechCrunch reported on a number of those investments into startups producing alternatives to traditional seafood.

culture 99

culture startup venture capital health 99

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

.” What I’ve observed is that the email generation has shifted cultural norms. ” Culturally people know that it’s not acceptable to text or call you on your cell phone unless they know you. I had a pre breakfast with a CEO of a company in which I invested talking about his next fund raising round.

advice 314

advice culture board VC 314

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 11, 2015

I’ve worked very closely with Matt over the past four years as we share an investment in a company in Los Angeles called NextPlus and we sat on a board together for years. He’s had a ton of recent successes in enterprise software investments but also has a history in doing consumer deals. He’s committed.

ventures 291

ventures board VC culture 291

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2012

And of course a place of idyllic weather, culture and a lifestyle. You could argue that choosing the name “first round” paints them into a corner in case they want to ever do a late stage fund, but I suspect they named it FRC precisely because they wanted to excel at early-stage investing. Andreessen Horowitz – Ok.

communities 304

communities startup creativity VC 304

David Teten VC

APRIL 16, 2025

Download here our Template General Partner Entity Agreement for Your New Private Equity or VC Fund. Thanks to my coauthor Dolph M. Hellman, Esq.

VC 52

VC culture strategy investing 52

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 11, 2021

Last week I spent three hours with my six partners in a conference room talking through what we are investing in and why. In one hour we learned enough from the founder to be able to make a decision on whether or not to invest in the founder’s company. And investors in NYC can access investments in Singapore with ease.

culture 262

culture disruption capital founder 262

David Teten VC

MARCH 5, 2021

(co-written with Katherine Boe Heuck , a MBA candidate at MIT Sloan (class of 2022); past intern at Versatile VC ; and a current intern at Metaprop NYC.). What can we learn from the best 40 venture capital investments of all time? Well, we learn to invest exclusively in men, preferably white or Asian. .

VC 82

VC investing investment founder 82

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

It’s the whole basis of my investment philosophy, which I call “ The Entrepreneur Thesis.&#. I believe that over capitalizing companies too early often favors the VC. And it seems to be creeping back into startup culture of late in a worrying way. This benefits you, the entrepreneur. It drives perverse incentives.

entrepreneurs 374

entrepreneurs incubation board VC 374

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 13, 2012

A VC once said about him that "I'm not sure about the company, but I sure do want him reading bedtime stories to my kids."). When I asked him to come share his sales and company culture expertise at GA, he was on it--right in the middle of acquisition negotiations. A chalkboard stood in the corner with sales totals for the week.

pitching 346

pitching culture VC consulting 346

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Transitions do happen in VC funds but many fail to make the move in a timely fashion and lose key younger personnel who break off and do their own funds or else the strong personalities of senior partners make it harder for new partners to flourish. How can high profile VC personalities best transition to younger partners.

leadership 161

leadership VC venture capital ventures 161

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

As many of you know I run a weekly webcast called This Week in VC that’s getting between 25-35,000 weekly views across ThisWeekIn.com, YouTube & mostly iTunes. Why did you raise VC from Polaris & how have they been to work with? Gregg is an ex Investment Banker and Wharton MBA. Yesterday’s show floored me.

mix-use 303

mix-use VC advice creativity 303

TechCrunch

JANUARY 11, 2022

In a deeply researched report for TechCrunch+ , reporter Christine Hall examined the state of the cell-cultured meat industry and identified many of the startups innovating in the sector, along with the challenges they face when it comes to ramping up production and getting regulators and consumers on their side. “It yourprotagonist.

culture 87

culture financing finance VC 87

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

I am often asked how we make decisions on investments at Upfront Ventures. Every VC firm works differently but when asked about our process I always reply the same way, We’re a “high conviction” shop. A typical investment discussion is not a bed of roses. He took two words where I take 1,000!

advice 332

advice peer-to-peer startup frameworks 332

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Monique Villa is an investor at Mucker Capital , an early-stage VC fund investing in startups across the U.S. Getting a seat at the VC table. As of late, I’m receiving more and more outreach from VCs based in San Francisco, New York and beyond interested in deal flow here in Nashville and the Southeast. and Canada.

opportunity 101

opportunity VC venture capital funders 101

TechCrunch

AUGUST 17, 2021

Prabhat Gusain is currently the chief of staff at Caffeinated Capital and was previously an intern with Versatile VC. David Teten is founder of Versatile VC and writes periodically at teten.com and @dteten. How to win consulting, board and deal roles with PE and VC funds. Next are VC firms looking for founders.

founder 97

founder investing investment VC 97

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

One of the great joys of doing the web series This Week in VC every week is that I get to spend time with great people debating the issues of our day including how our industry is evolving as well as insights into how companies got started, got their initial traction and dealt with adversities. Oh, yeah. And when there is a spark, go for it.

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board culture VC education 286