This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

It's definitely not the kind of relationship I want to have as an investor. Who wants to be around someone who counts every last penny and never misses an opportunity to cash in. Those aren't the kind of people I want to be around and it's not the kind of relationship I want to have with a company.

advice 389

advice VC opportunity entrepreneurs 389

A Smart Bear

AUGUST 22, 2017

This is decidedly different from the classic MVP, which by definition isn’t complete (and in fact is embarrassing). “Minimum” and “viable” are definitely not two of those ways. Docs was simple, but also complete. Simple” is good, “incomplete” is not. Not because it’s version 0.1 of something simple.

transportation 280

transportation energy culture collaboration 280

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 25, 2023

Let’s first talk about the definition of a co-founder. Given the fact that the money you raise will mostly go to making hires, by definition, all teams are incomplete. There are, however, legitimate concerns that a VC might have with your team generally that the presence of co-founders might solve, but doesn’t always.

founder 368

founder VC board pitching 368

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

I think it''s likely that it will unfocus the company and what it definitely does is eliminate the possibility of exiting for anything less than two and a half billion dollars. That is likely to lead to decisions that might not be in the best interest in the company or the users.

venture capital 409

venture capital capital ventures entrepreneurship 409

Dream It

JULY 12, 2021

Be clear on the basic terms & key items of notes & SAFEs Before we can start talking about how to set the terms, including cap, let’s quickly review some definitions related to convertible notes and SAFEs. You’ll learn 6 key points to be prepared and ready the next time you’re structuring a convertible note or SAFE financing.

founder 397

founder finance financing angel investing 397

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

If you go for people with some experience and insight, you are definitively going to get more females. I tend not to back the type of founder who thinks that code and design alone breaks down all industry barriers--which means that the average age of the founders I''ve seeded has been around 33.

founder 400

founder pitching mix-use venture capital 400

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Yesterday, I got caught up in letting my frustration over the election boil over onto Twitter, and it's definitely not the first time. It made me ask the following question: Were we better off in 2016 having Facebook and Twitter around? I talked about it with a few people.

media 399

media education networking opportunity 399

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

OCTOBER 20, 2021

It has been enlightening, exciting, rewarding, but definitely not mainstream. We started looking at crypto ten years ago, starting investing nine years ago, and have had a front-row seat to its development ever since.

education 208

education board development investment 208

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

I guess this is the ultimate definition of implementing a business model when you’re not clear on strategy! If it’s the former your company will definitely start to top out at some point. He then brought her to board meetings so nobody could accuse him of not having a business model. My take on his argument is this: 1.

strategy 401

strategy startup peer-to-peer advice 401

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

The idea of a channel that you pay for over and above just a data pipe is definitely going to go the way of the printed local newspaper. Cable Television. When I can download any show, why am I paying for the channel that carries the show? The Release Cycle of Content. It''s already happening.

education 385

education enablement 385

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2015

I will start from a passage from the Wikipedia definition because I think it does a great job of summarizing. Need to Talk More than Listen – If I attend meetings where I’m not speaking my brain will definitely wander. I sat down with Kati Morton (who does YouTube videos on mental health) to talk about ADD.

creativity 384

creativity consulting entrepreneurship energy 384

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 5, 2022

What this tech definitely does is that it expands the size of the creator market. As it is, I’m a paid Canva user and you definitely wouldn’t have counted me in that target demo as narrowly defined by Adobe’s core audience ten years ago. That being said, I’d hate to be a stock photography model these days.

creativity 243

creativity media enablement technology 243

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

It’s a way of looking at venture that I never thought of before—that venture capital and its distribution of ending outcomes is probably not something you’re going to go after if you don’t have at least a little bit of wealth cushion and definitely not if you’re already under water.

advice 476

advice pitching venture capital VC 476

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

The more specific you can get in your definition the better. If you can’t get named competitors then I recommend you try to define a really narrow industry grouping, which when coupled with time-based exclusivity, gives you enough comfort. Geography Bound – Finally, another natural limiter for you will be geography.

innovation 329

innovation creativity development advice 329

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 11, 2018

Yeah, I definitely wasn't putting in that kind of volume. I couldn't figure out how anyone could fill their calendar with that many qualified people. His reply was simple--he was outbounding to 5-10x that many people each day.

board 316

board culture collaboration development 316

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 21, 2020

Weekends and weekdays no longer hold their traditional definition; I am most often feeling great about the way I use my time. By focusing on the top priorities, you will definitely move the needle forward. Whenever I have the chance, I will sneak back into work because it brings me joy. The smaller the steps, the easier to handle.

media 227

media leadership energy entrepreneurs 227

Dream It

JANUARY 13, 2021

It means you haven’t properly framed this deal in the associate’s mind and that makes it hard for us to come to a definitive conclusion. If you leave an associate screen without covering these elements, something’s wrong. Answer Our Questions Directly Assoicates can tell when you’re dancing around a question.

VC 364

VC founder consulting networking 364

Entrepreneurs' Organization

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Clear definitions. We’ll cover the essentials in this post, but first, here are some key elements you need to keep in mind when creating your business plan. The most important characteristics of a good business plan include: Flexibility. Practicality. Actionable items. Well-researched. Make a plan for transitioning to remote.

creativity 306

creativity collaboration health strategy 306

Dream It

AUGUST 29, 2019

The definition of Exit Strategy from Investopedia: “The method by which a venture capitalist or business owner intends to get out of an investment that he or she has made in the past. But it’s also not smart to go into a meeting having just achieved product-market fit and tell an investor that you plan to IPO.

strategy 299

strategy VC energy disruption 299

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 2, 2015

I’ve noticed your Twitter handle over the years so definitely know who you are. But if you want a great trip to Dublin then you should definitely go! Some thoughts: Web Summit is a bit of a zoo. It’s a very big conference. To get much out of it you need to pre-book meetings.

networking 333

networking education transportation disruption 333

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 25, 2016

There's no official definition of a lead other than someone who puts down a term sheet, helps gather the round, and who is most active with the company. I told them that was b t and they should, because founders need decisive investors who can be helpful, not ones that sit on the sidelines and outsource their decisions to other investors.

investment 284

investment investing support entrepreneurs 284

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

Poorly implemented this category was the definition of shelfware. And while it’s true that BI implemented properly can truly give executives insights – in and of itself the software was just software. Growth markets have a way of fooling us all. When markets start to turn shelfware companies are the quickest to die.

incubation 354

incubation board VC innovation 354

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 9, 2013

By definition leaders make hard choices given incomplete information. Do you ship your product in what you don’t feel is feature complete so that you can be in market first or should you hold back and deliver a product you believe will get better reaction from the market but is 3 months later? It’s hard being a leader.

accelerator 413

accelerator founder startup advice 413

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 6, 2015

I can definitely think of a few people I met with and said, "Well, that person was kind of a jerk" or they just had a bad personality--and they went on to build seemingly successful businesses.

VC 390

VC collaboration disruption founder 390

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 22, 2017

We can debate whether they're sociopaths, but we definitely shouldn't assume that every "great investor" is "great" at being human. Some people are complete scumbags, make a fortune, and karma just never catches up with them. It's not how I would want to reach success, but for some people, it doesn't bother them. No one is perfect.

VC 333

VC advice pitching opportunity 333

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 22, 2020

This will definitely be a generation shaping event—one in which we’re going to undergo a lot of pain and difficulty, but ultimately, for the better. You have to go back to the Depression and World War II to find a disruption of this magnitude—and that shaped an entire generation.

health 344

health leadership disruption education 344

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

So this was definitely an introduction I was going to take. On August 23rd, 2013 I had an email intro from my good friend and trusted source Jeff Berman who only sends me stuff when it is somebody he respects (ie a strong filter vs. those who send casual intros).

media 373

media education VC financing 373

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

Great programmers are artists, for sure, but rock stars is about the last definition I’d choose. We live in interesting times where working at a startup is glamorized to the point that many founders even refer to their team members as “rock stars,” which to my ears is cringe worthy.

startup 419

startup peer-to-peer entrepreneurs education 419

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 1, 2024

Loneliness is definitely a reality in entrepreneurship. We all have different definitions of success. Some entrepreneurs experience feelings of loneliness or depression due to the weight of responsibility. Have you encountered such feelings, and how did you address them? The pressure to succeed can be intense.

health 194

health entrepreneurship entrepreneurial ecosystem entrepreneurs 194

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 11, 2021

We definitely have not figured this all out, but we are starting to see some patterns and some benefits of both work modes, and we are trying to navigate to a good middle ground. So those tend to be the days that team members try to be in the office and those are the days we do things like cater in lunch and maybe go out after work together.

culture 262

culture disruption capital founder 262

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Lastly, your city needs to be livable—and that definition is changing. If your city is dominated by one big company, you’re going to find a lot of lifers there who don’t necessarily want to move. More and more it means access to various forms of transit—not just highways for cars—good walkability, affordable housing, a clean environment, etc.

communities 434

communities startup real estate mentorship 434

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2014

By definition an MVP (minimum viable product) means there’s room for improvement. We’re definitely a premium product, which is why we don’t just drop prices to match their moves to “buy” business. That means if you don’t understand the way they work you’re susceptible to being blind sided.

culture 382

culture startup support consulting 382

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

In some ways it feels like a company that has gone partially remote—where you still get certain types of interaction on “office days” that you can’t get at home, but it’s definitely not what it was. Here’s to the next 20 years of posting!

peer-to-peer 359

peer-to-peer board communities leadership 359