Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
I recently gave a talk about the Future of Television. I’m still planning to write some in depth pieces on the topic but I thought, “given that this is about how video will consume the Internet over the next 5 years, what better way to exemplify this than with a 10-minute video.” Here’s a link to watch it or click the image below.
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 10, 2011
Tweet. There are a lot of reasons not to like the space that Publicstuff is in. The company sells to local governments, real estate management companies, educational institutions--anyone responsible for public or private infrastructure. That alone is enough to make a lot of VCs throw up a little in their mouths. Slow sales cycles. Joe and Mary Bureaucrat who don't even use the internet because Smalltown, USA blocks it as the decisionmakers.
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Gust
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
Crowd funding enables entrepreneurs to raise money in relatively small amounts from large numbers of interested investors. In the sum, substantial amounts of money (as much as a million dollars) can be raised for each startup company. Recently, entrepreneurs in many countries have been soliciting investment through “crowd funding” websites designed specifically for fundraising purposes.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 12, 2011
As I look back over more than fifty years as an entrepreneur, I can think of the financial focus of my three entrepreneurial businesses as a prime driver in my life during the early stage of each. And yet, as I recall the greatest thrills, the memorable events, the best of memories, almost none are about the money. The stories of people rising to the occasion, victories in the form of great sale successes, great continuing relationships, occasional awards from valued indus
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For Entrepreneurs
NOVEMBER 22, 2011
Best practices for inside sales managers. An interview with Mark Roberge, VP of Sales at HubSpot, discussing how he blends science and process with the art of selling. HubSpot is a SaaS company selling Inbound Marketing software. HubSpot has grown revenue over 6,000% in the last four years, placing them #33 on the Inc 500 [.].
Startup Catalyst Brief brings together the best content for the entrepreneurial ecosystem from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 8, 2011
Launchpad LA today announces it will accept applications for its third class of Los Angeles-based tech startups. We have significant VC commitments (listed below) – every entering company will get $50,000 in funding, mentorship from top VCs and successful entrepreneurs plus free office space. For any company interested in applying please visit the website.
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Jennie Baird left a comment on Monday's post about learning from each job and I think that is of the most critical importance. If you're not considering how this next job will make you a better contributor to the job after it, and so on, then you're failing to adequately assess the ROI of your time in a new position. It's something I'll be talking about at General Assembly later this month.
Gust
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
Every investor is looking for the “dream team” of executives to put his money on. Often I find that experienced investors flip to the management page of a business plan, even before they read the product description. That’s how important the people are. What are investors looking for in the CEO and the rest of the top executives? Been there, done that, and won.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 26, 2011
There is nothing quite as thrilling in business as igniting a startup and watching it blossom. Especially when starting a company with personal savings or money from relatives and friends, early signs of success are intoxicating. Each new customer, each mention in the press or online adds to the feeling of early accomplishment. And it is more satisfying because it is yours, from idea to execution.
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For Entrepreneurs
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
Customers hate being sold to. They don’t mind getting expert help when they want to buy something. But much of the time they are not ready to buy, and one of the most irritating things is to have a salesperson try to get them to buy when they aren’t ready. Unfortunately too many people in [.].
Derek Sivers
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
When I was twenty-two, I lived alone on the Oregon coast for a year, just practicing , recording , dreaming , and going for long runs on the beach. I had been coming to this beach since I was a baby, and had spent hundreds of hours walking every bit of it. As a kid, the golden jackpot was to find an unbroken sand dollar shell. It had happened maybe five times in my life.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 8, 2011
The tech market is filled with many stories of early-stage funding. It’s even more exciting when you can report an exit of a company that is a major win. That’s why I’m proud to announce today that HealthDataInsights (founded by Victor Chaltiel), where GRP Partners was a 30% owner, has been acquired for $400 million. It maps to several themes about “solving bigger problems,” “taking more meaningful ownership positions” and “women in entrepreneurs
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
Tweet. This is the first of a series of posts this week on careers in innovation and startups--sort of a thought exercise for me on the topic for my talk at General Assembly at 8PM on 12/15. With any company I work with, I inevitably play the role or recruiter--mostly because I often play the role of career counselor to friends and other folks in the community.
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Gust
NOVEMBER 22, 2011
If you are looking for an outside investor, you need to know how they see you. Different types of investors look for startups at different levels of maturity. If your startup is at the wrong stage for the investor you are approaching, fishing for money is a waste of time for both of you. For instance, if your company is only a few weeks old and you have zero customers and your product offering is still in design, don’t expect someone to hand over $10 million to fund your efforts.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 19, 2011
This week, for the first time, we republish an earlier post. With readership up three-fold since that posting in April, 2011, and with many great reader comments then, it is only natural to send you to the original post with those reader comments attached, rather than republish it here. So press this link to go right to that original posting. And thanks for your many comments and emails after last week’s final posting in the first cycle of BERKONOMICS.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 27, 2011
There are very few people in Silicon Valley who have such a precise grasp on what defines success of early-stage startup companies than Eric Ries. And there are very few people who so consistently exceed my expectations when I hear them speak. I find myself nodding – even when the topic is one I don’t expect to agree with such as “fail fast.” This week was no exception.
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 3, 2011
Two years ago yesterday, I asked " Why is the Kindle so anti-social? ". "There’s something consipicuously absent from the Kindle, though—other people. Reading and shopping from the Kindle is a disappointingly closed and solitary experience. I can’t see what other friends of mine are reading from Amazon. I can’t tweet my latest purchases.
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This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
In continuing my theme of winding up in investments where I'm undoubtedly the last person on the face of the earth you'd associate with the company, I'm happy to announce First Round's investment in Refinery29 , along with Floodgate, as reported by AllThingsD earlier. I can barely dress myself, and its not like anyone accussed the guys at First Round of being fashion trendsetters , so feedback from friends can be helpful in making you take a longer look at something.
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 16, 2011
Over two years ago, I suggested to Yelp that they should pay attention to Foursquare. While that post resulted in term sheets for Dennis and Naveen from VCs, the original intention was actually to get Yelp to invest in the company. The Foursquare founders had been to nearly every VC we could think of and no one, save for Bryce Roberts OATV who was willing to do half the deal if he could find an east coast partner, was willing to jump in.
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 4, 2011
After funding GroupMe out of last year's Techcrunch Disrupt Hackathon in NYC and Docracy this year, it won't take long for people to catch on to First Round's secret plan--to get invited to judge every single hackathon in the country. I can't wait until next year! I met Matt and John , the developers behind Docracy , during last year's Techcrunch Disrupt, when they were working on something a little less professional.
This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Just as an additional disclosure, these are my thoughts, not that of First Round Capital, my employer. The other day, Adeo Ressi wrote in TechCrunch about how we need more venture funds, because. "Every investor and entrepreneur knows there is something scary about the current startup economy. There is an enormous amount of angel capital available, while at the same time there is a small amount of Series A and a large and concentrated amount of late stage capital.
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Gust
NOVEMBER 1, 2011
We recently started a series of posts on establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup companies for purposes of investment by seed and startup investors. The Venture Capital Method (VC Method) was first described by Professor Bill Sahlman at Harvard Business School in 1987 in a case study and has been revised since. It is one of the useful methods for establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup ventures.
Gust
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
There is a stream in entrepreneurship lore that the entrepreneur doesn’t need or want education, a fire fed by legendary dropouts Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. Why waste your time studying? Just do it; or so it goes. So how do angel investors fall on this question? Does the degree add credibility? Is it worth it? My bias, as an angel investor: other things being equal, yes.
Gust
NOVEMBER 23, 2011
Talented entrepreneurs are nothing if not resilient in the face of change: Market forces, competitive threats, technological shifts, you name it. In recent years, government regulation has emerged as another such force to be reckoned with in the technology industry. Startups and founders need to come to terms with the stark reality that the rules of the game may be changed mid-play.
Gust
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
After you have successfully attracted angels or venture capital with your business case, your million dollar product idea, and you have a signed term sheet, there is still one more hurdle to overcome before investors write the check. This is the dreaded “due diligence” process. For no good reason, this process seems shrouded in mystery, when in fact it is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.
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