Paul G. Silva

APRIL 1, 2025

Teaching Responsibility Thinking to Startup Founders Later, at Launch413, I helped startup founders navigate their growth journey. Many founders would leave board meetings with lengthy to-do lists. ” Founders, like many good employees, are biased toward action. “Isn’t it obvious what I need to do?

frameworks 147

frameworks leadership coworking spaces coworking 147

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Nowhere is the politics more difficult than with co-founders, which is why for years I’ve spoken publicly about “ the co-founder mythology.” ” Of course we all go into businesses expecting to be aligned with our co-founders but over time life changes. Equity for the future? We discussed it as a group.

founder 340

founder board culture advice 340

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 5, 2016

I've heard a lot of VCs tell founders they need co-founders--and that they wouldn't look at a business at a very early stage without a co-founder. A lot of accelerators treat solo founders the same way--making it an implied requirement to participate. The same holds true for VC funds.

founder 283

founder board VC construction 283

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 12, 2021

Kalika Yap , an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member in Los Angeles, California, is founder and CEO of both Citrus Studios , a branding and design agency, and Orange & Bergamot , a creative agency for female founders. That’s not accurate; I definitely had fears. Identify the problem. People have called me fearless.

founder 300

founder disruption health creativity 300

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 18, 2022

Although the traditional definition of EVP is “employee value proposition,” I prefer to frame this as an “employer value promise,” or the commitment that an employer makes to their employees about the value they stand to gain in their lives by working for the company. . Clarify your EVP.

leadership 211

leadership founder strategy culture 211

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. Let’s tastefully call this phenomenon: Rich Founder, Poor Founder. Most founders end up owning 5%-20%. 500m market cap = $25m-$100m for founder(s).

founder 144

founder VC venture capital entrepreneurship 144

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 29, 2016

Oh, and make someone from your 25 person Moldova tech team your co-founder. Don't forget to tell all your founder friends about our ultra-pre-pre-seed program. It doesn't pay to look at it any other way--and I think too many founders focus on the investor as the problem versus their pitch or their company. We love early."

founder 206

founder pitching board investment 206

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 doesn''t mean I have anything against the founder or the investors. But in the private markets, we''ve got "Yay, founders!

venture capital 396

venture capital capital ventures entrepreneurship 396

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 14, 2015

I don't remember whether it was over a meal at Good Fork , Rucola , Martha , or maybe over an Ample Hills ice cream cone, but I've definitely said the words "Wouldn't it be cool if you could setup a way to invest in the growth of the food and beverage scene in Brooklyn--like, the whole thing. Maybe like a fund."

investing 311

investing investment entrepreneurship financing 311

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

I’m a female founder. I don’t have a technical co-founder. These are all of the things I heard from a founder that I recently backed. So what about all of the above statements—things that founders widely hold to be true barriers to fundraising? Nearly half of the teams I’ve backed have female founders.

advice 429

advice pitching venture capital VC 429

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 5, 2019

There are some founders who see predictions about the future as a kind of promise—and so they hesitate and get uncomfortable around the idea of insisting that X, Y, or Z will happen. It’s a more complete answer in the mind of an operationally focused founder. that same founder will give the most unequivocal, most confident “Yes!”

founder 155

founder pitching leadership culture 155

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

In 2010, Antonio Garcia Martinez, the founder of AdGrok, wrote, “New York will always be a tech backwater, I don’t care what Chris Dixon or Ron Conway or Paul Graham say.” Top founders want to live in a place where employees are serious about working hard. Lastly, your city needs to be livable—and that definition is changing.

communities 434

communities startup real estate mentorship 434

David Teten VC

AUGUST 30, 2021

Our proposal: governments systematically support funding for their diaspora founders, not just the local founders. Founders who want to build companies and need funding. 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

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 6, 2015

BBV has talked proudly about its large number of female founders. When you think back to your time at USV, FRC and BBV, can you identify a time you passed on a founder because of a blind spot or unconscious bias you possessed at the time and if so, what did you do going forward to not make the mistake again? There''s literally nothing.

VC 361

VC collaboration disruption founder 361

TechCrunch

JANUARY 21, 2022

The degree to which we get involved with the idea validation may vary depending on the goals and needs of the project, the founders and/or stakeholders, and the stage at which the project is when we begin our collaboration. Definitely! What percentage of your clients are non-technical people who have an idea, but no coding experience?

collaboration 126

collaboration development founder consulting 126

Dream It

AUGUST 29, 2019

For this reason, it would be ridiculous for a founder to ever tell a venture investor that they want to keep the company private. The exit strategy conversation should be nuanced, and founders should use it as a way to show investors you can think about things from different angles. In reality, exits are an outcome, not a strategy.

strategy 299

strategy VC energy disruption 299

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

I first met Andrew Stalbow , the founder & CEO of Seriously in August of 2013. So this was definitely an introduction I was going to take. and Petri was co-founder and head of creative at Remedy Entertainment that launched the hit PC games Max Payne and Alan Wake. But I’m guessing the narrative is similar elsewhere.

media 373

media education VC financing 373

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! One of the things I have observed over the years is that a hard charging sales oriented founder/CEO can often hide the defects in a product. I found myself in violent agreement with Fred’s blog post(s).

strategy 401

strategy startup peer-to-peer advice 401

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 11, 2021

This week our team met with a founder in Singapore via Zoom. 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. I don’t think we will see founders going back on the road in any material way ever again.

culture 262

culture disruption capital founder 262

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 11, 2018

When I was a startup founder, I had this same issue. That's when I had a conversation with Max Ventilla, the founder of AltSchool, who at the time was running Aardvark. Yeah, I definitely wasn't putting in that kind of volume. Max was telling me how he was interviewing 4-5 candidates a day, which stunned me.

board 285

board culture collaboration development 285

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

As entrepreneurs many people are driven to solve their personal issues right in front of them, which leads a disproportionate number of founders to focus on: music, bars, restaurants, photos, etc. Mission Driven I also am looking for founders that are on a personal mission to solve a big problem. But really it’s something I look for.

incumbents 270

incumbents entrepreneurs education pitching 270

Entrepreneur's Handbook

AUGUST 16, 2023

Most founders I speak to agree that the startup journey is generally discouraging, overrun with unsolvable challenges and many many mistakes. I posed a question to twenty-one other founders, across many different industries from media to finance, from SaaS to urban farming. And I do remember them. But there’s good stuff too, right?”

founder 84

founder peer-to-peer advice energy 84

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 22, 2017

Founders do most of the hard work. VCs can provide a useful piece of advice at a key moment--or help make a key hire, but the day in and day out grind is done by the work of the founder and the team, and they deserve 99.999999% of the credit. Founders are in that boat, too. No one is perfect.

VC 332

VC advice pitching opportunity 332

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 9, 2013

By definition leaders make hard choices given incomplete information. I have seen the sclerotic pace of decision-making by some co-founders who don’t have a common sense of purpose of the ability to resolve conflict when different opinions result in delayed actions. It’s hard being a leader.

accelerator 413

accelerator founder startup advice 413

Founder Bounty

JANUARY 21, 2025

If its a top tier accelerator like Ycombinator you should definitely do it. But not ALL are equity, however if its YC definitely take it or apply if you have not done so. The answer is YES. I have worked in finance and well as been though Techstars and have seen it all in the world of startups.

accelerator 103

accelerator financing finance networking 103

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 2, 2015

The founder of the event, Paddy Cosgrave, smartly responded to the critics in a post I just read this morning. I met the founder on the street walking from the conference to my hotel. I’ve noticed your Twitter handle over the years so definitely know who you are. His company had recently moved from Germany to the US.

networking 333

networking education transportation disruption 333

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 25, 2016

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. 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.

investment 284

investment investing support entrepreneurs 284

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

.” From the hyperbolic Jason Calacanis weighing in that “The petty VC’s did everything to deride [Naval, the co-founder of AngelList]” as though the industry was collectively s g its pants that AngelList was going to put us out of business. founder fighting. strategic direction. Photo Credit from StickerMule.

VC 356

VC peer-to-peer board entrepreneurs 356

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

This meant: Less capital to start a company thus the rise of “micro VCs” Younger, more technical founders (not as big of a leap to take a risk on a 24-year-old when it’s $250k and not $5 million. So the startup work moves to where the startup founders live and not vice versa. Welcome to the future.

startup 390

startup communities venture capital capital 390

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 21, 2020

Contributed by Shawn Johal, business growth coach, leadership speaker and co-founder of DALS Lighting, Inc. 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.

media 227

media leadership energy entrepreneurs 227

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 23, 2015

It''s not our fault as seed investors and definitely not your fault as the entrepreneur that you didn''t execute will on your idea which, honestly, was pretty mediocre to begin with. That''s a huge jump, not only in terms of how much a founder will attempt to bite off and chew, but also in price. It''s like cash in your wallet.

entrepreneurs 381

entrepreneurs capital investment investing 381

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

It’s an entirely fair question—and the risk is that limited partners, founders, or other VCs might not want to work with me because I’m vocal about my political views. I suspect, though, there are even some founders out there who could be put off by the things I write and probably how I write them. We get judged all the time.

investing 254

investing investment communities founder 254

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 28, 2021

Contributed by Julia L F Goldstein, the founder of JLFG Communications , which helps businesses share their world-changing ideas through clear and concise content. Entrepreneurs, however, usually call themselves founders or CEOs. I can see listing my title as founder but don’t feel comfortable saying I’m a CEO.

entrepreneurs 306

entrepreneurs strategy sustainability financing 306

AsiaTechDaily

AUGUST 22, 2023

Register “Young musicians today treat music-making kind of like playing video games,” says PoChang Wu, co-founder of OurSong, an NFT-based platform for music collection and community building. Or even if they are aware, vague definitions of royalty rights make it hard for them to receive a share of the revenue.”

founder 97

founder communities creativity collaboration 97

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

Co-founder discontent. Reference checking is to confirm or disprove a strong, positive intuition you already have about founders that could lead to an investment or a pass. What would this founder do if he got an offer to be acquihired quickly by Facebook? By definition this means others will doubt you. Motives matter.

VC 374

VC investing investment entrepreneurs 374

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

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. Great programmers are artists, for sure, but rock stars is about the last definition I’d choose.

startup 419

startup peer-to-peer entrepreneurs education 419

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

And yet, taking another look at the recent cohort of startups that went through the American accelerator Y Combinator, you wouldn’t really be able to tell that fintech had lost much of its founder favor. There’s no shame in contra-market optimism; one could argue that startups by definition need at least some of it to get off the ground.

founder 98

founder accelerator startup technology 98