April, 2013

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Two Amazing Women Setting Out on Their Startup Journey

Both Sides of the Table

'Note: if you’re a parent please check out their website. Kara called me on a Tuesday. She was leaving IAC to start a company. “Tasha, clear some space on my calendar tomorrow. OK?” “I want you in my offices tomorrow, Kara. Does that work for you?” Kara came. She didn’t tell me she was bringing anybody. I didn’t ask her for a deck.

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The Battle for Indoors

This is going to be BIG.

'So Shopkick is apparently profitable , driving hundreds of millions of new sales to merchants--remember them? The in-store retail check-in app? And Belly? T hey just had their millionth Point of Sale loyalty check-in. What do they have in common? They''re making real business progress towards bringing retailers together with customers. In the face of " software eating the mall " they''re helping make the retail shopping experience better for the hundreds of millions of humans who still walk aro

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Hone your sense of urgency!

Berkonomics

'It is an unfortunate truism that most of us become a bit stale in our jobs after some time, even if we are most successful at it and appreciated by all who work for or with us. It is human nature to start in a new position with enthusiasm, lofty goals, new ideas, and a heightened awareness of those around us and their ideas for the business. And it is equally human for anyone to become complacent to some degree after an initial flurry of effort, ideas, reorganizations, brilliant decisions, and

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A Rake Too Far: Optimal Platform Pricing Strategy

abovethecrowd.com

'In a casino, the term “rake” refers to the commission that the house earns for operating a poker game. With each hand, a small percentage of the pot is scraped off by the dealer, which in essence becomes the “revenue” for the casino. While casinos use the term “rake,” a plethora of interesting word choices exist which all describe the same thing – keeping a little bit of the revenue for the company that is running the service.

strategy 101
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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?

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Breaking Down a Typical VC/Startup Diligence Process

Tomasz Tunguz

Below is my general outline for a typical diligence process. First meeting. When I’m meeting a startup for the first time, my goal is to understand as much about the business and team as I can. Founders/Team: How do the founders know each other? How do they interact with each other? Are they passionate? How qualified are they? What would it be like to work with them?

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How to Raise Money When You’re Not in a Major VC Market

Both Sides of the Table

'I travel the country a lot. And I am often approached by entrepreneurs in cities which don’t have a vibrant VC community. They often ask whether they have to move to SF, NY or LA to get financed. I have the same response always, “Where do you want to live? Where do you want to build your community, your relationships, your family?” I’m trying to get a feel for their commitment to local community versus being in a place where financing is easiest.

VC 365
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My Career Regret - The Money and Interestingness Trade

This is going to be BIG.

'Ten years ago, I was an analyst for the General Motors pension fund, working on fund investments into leveraged buyout funds and venture capital deals. I literally wrote the investment memo for GMs investment into Accel IX, otherwise known as the "Facebook Fund." (I wasn''t a lead on the deal team or anything--just a gruntworking analyst.) Still, I came into contact with some of the largest names in the private equity world--partners from top PE firms like Blackstone, Carlyle, and TH Lee, top v

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The FAIRNESS doctrine.

Berkonomics

'Reduce the emotion; reduce the threat of lawsuit. You’ve certainly experienced the angry outburst from an associate or employee who has just learned of an event that the person took as “unfair,” no matter how rational the explanation by the decision maker. Most emotional responses to decisions in business are generated not because the person making the response feels the decision was unwise, but rather unfair.

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Seeking inspiration?

Derek Sivers

The word “inspiration” usually means “something that mentally stimulates you.”. But “inspiration” also means to breathe in. The meanings poetically combine when you think of yourself breathing in thoughts, filling your body with ideas. But don’t forget to breathe out. People surf the web, reading pithy articles, looking for inspiration. People listen to hours of podcasts, looking for inspiration.

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How Top Tech CFOs Solve Annual Planning’s Biggest Challenges

Gearing up for 2025 annual planning? Our latest eBook from the Operators Guild is your ultimate guide. Discover real-world solutions and best practices shared by top CFOs, drawn directly from discussions within OG’s vibrant online community. Learn from senior executives at high-growth tech startups as they outline financial planning strategies, align CEO and board goals, and coordinate budgets across departments.

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The Two Key Ingredients in Great Connected Consumer Products

Tomasz Tunguz

We’ve all had a great idea for a product that would solve a pain we feel directly. It used to be impossible to convey that insight to anyone who might be in a position to act upon it. But that’s all changing because of the Internet. Of late, it’s becoming increasingly easier for consumers to share their ideas for great products and bring them to market.

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How much traction do I need to raise money?

Venture Hacks

How much traction do you need to raise $1M? AngelList’s Ash Fontana has the answer on TechCrunch : Read the post for details and also see these comments by me , Michael Wolfe , and Shallaba.

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How to Better Manage Relationships with Your VC

Both Sides of the Table

'Just back from 2 solid weeks on the road in Boston, New York & Philly. I spent countless hours with VC firms, startups & LPs (the people who invest in VC firms). I find these trips invaluable both from a relationship-building perspective as well as stretching my mind about our industry. I ask questions, test theories, debate topics of the day and then reflect upon what I’ve learned.

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Time for VCs to Get Their Act Together

This is going to be BIG.

VCs, I believe that the purpose of venture investment is to serve entrepreneurs. Many of us, however, seem to regard investing as some kind of dodge or hustle. We have theories that are the worst kind of popular tripe, our methods are sloppy and our returns are highly questionable. Many of us, fellow VCs, are a poor investors. That is why some entrepreneurs have turned towards an alternative to getting investment from us.

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Your Fractional Finance and Accounting Team

Mighty Financial specializes in supporting the financial aspirations of small businesses and entrepreneurs. With our comprehensive bookkeeping and precise accounting expertise with decades of experience across diverse financial roles, our team offers tailor-made services ranging from essential bookkeeping to strategic fractional CFO support, catered specifically to the unique challenges of technology companies, startups, and SMEs.

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Contractors must really be independent!

Berkonomics

'How many of us have “hired” independent contractors over the years, a bit worried over the gray area between employee and contractor as defined by the IRS? I’ve experienced the results of a wrong decision, and the IRS and state agencies are not forgiving in their pursuit of penalties, interest and most damaging, assessing a company with the on both employer and employee taxes when reclassifying the person as an employee.

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The Great Movies

Derek Sivers

A friend I hadn’t heard from in years called me out of the blue yesterday, and just said, “Dude. did you hear?”. I went home and my girlfriend immediately said, “Babe. I heard the news. Are you OK?”. They all know I’m a fan of Roger Ebert. He died yesterday. I was also a massive James Brown fan, but I wasn’t as affected when he died, because it’s not like I was tuning in weekly to hear what new music he was making.

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How To Price and Sell Your Startup’s Product

Tomasz Tunguz

Every SaaS business must decide how to charge for the service. Pricing plans are some of the most difficult decisions to make. Equally important to the price is determining the point at which the customer pays - the conversion point. There are four different models that I’ve experienced: up front payment, freemium, limited free trials, money back guarantee.

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Why Indoor Location will be bigger than GPS or Maps, and how it works

Don Dodge

Indoor Location and Positioning will be huge! Apple recently acquired WifiSlam for its indoor mapping and positioning technology. Why? Because we spend most of our time indoors, working, shopping, eating, at the mall, at the office, on campus, etc. Google already has Indoor Maps for many airports and shopping malls. The race is on. The explosion of Smartphones with built in sensors, accelerometer, gyro, wifi radios, and camera make indoor positioning possible. .

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Digitalization: 5 Tech Updates That Will Help You Survive The Recession & Thrive

Lack of digitalization decreases business competitiveness. To thrive, embracing modern solutions becomes essential. The approach to digitalization often aligns with a company's business model. This shift not only boosts productivity but also automates processes and improves security. The tech market offers a wealth of technologies tailored for management, planning, and forecasting, replacing outdated pen-and-paper methods.

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How to Sell Your Roadmap Without Selling Your Soul

Both Sides of the Table

'This is my third post in a series on Enterprise Software. In part one I covered the need for early-stage enterprise software companies to build up professional services staff to ensure successful implementation projects. This goes against the conventional wisdom of VCs. In part two I talked about how to ensure that your professional services practice doesn’t take over your software company although I’m on record that there is nothing wrong with a services company as long as youR

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New Brooklyn Bridge Ventures Investment: Five Takeaways from the ElectNext Funding News

This is going to be BIG.

Today, ElectNext announced that they had raised $1.3mm to launch a data, analytics and marketing service to bridge the data gap between politicians, lobby groups, and their constituents. The company provides contextual political data to media properties (Crunchbase for politics) and in turn uses that reach to provide actionable insights for campaign managers.

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Avoid the office politics trap.

Berkonomics

'It is hard to separate this kind of advice from economic lessons in running a business, when office politics can threaten a business in ways that are subtle, but sometimes just as devastating as economic shocks or continuing poor management. Most any office with more than one level of management (more than ten employees) can become a Petri dish for office politics.

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Just Say No

This is going to be BIG.

'I reserve the right to be 100% wrong on any of my investment decisions--but at least I make them, and I try to make them fast. Too often, I hear of VCs taking four, five, six, even seven meetings with an entrepreneur only to get to a no. Honestly, if you''re thinking about an early stage company, there really isn''t enough data to process across seven hours of meetings.

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PE Mastery: CAPTARGET's Playbook for Quality Lead Flow

CAPTARGET presents a masterclass in M&A deal sourcing. Learn to cast a wide net, embracing seller self-identification. Consistency is the linchpin: keep the origination process steady for a reliable flow of opportunities. Diversify your tactics, employing various tools and vendors. Tech matters! Understand DNS settings, domain authority, and brand presence for optimal outreach.

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Introducing New Yorkers to the Water

This is going to be BIG.

'For almost ten years, I''ve been volunteering on New York City''s waterfront--introducing lifelong New Yorkers and tourists alike to kayaking. It''s a reminder that a) they live on an island and b) that NYC''s waters are usable. In fact, the more you come up with creative recreational uses for our waterfront, the less likely the city will be to do things like park garbage trucks on it or simply fence it off as a passive shoreline balcony for some wealthy waterfront condo.

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My Favorite Entrepreneur Story in a Long Time

Both Sides of the Table

'This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. If you don’t like it hot, use less,” he said. “We don’t make mayonnaise here.” . This morning I was reading my social media and came across an article that Christine Tsai had posted on Facebook. It was about the founder of Sriracha sauce, David Tran, displaced from Vietnam when the North’s communists took power.

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No more "I" in NYC: How the city is changing whether you like it or not

This is going to be BIG.

'Seemingly overnight, a bunch of parking spaces disappeared in New York City--replaced by bike share racks. Lots of car owners aren''t happy about it. For that matter, lots of people in the city have argued against bikes for years. Residents of Vinegar Hill signed a petition to prevent a greenway from going through their neighborhood--citing that "The Greenway would bring thousands of bikers from all over that would add noise, traffic hazards, and garbage to a neighborhood that currently has non

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Stop Trying to Catch Lightning in a Bottle

Both Sides of the Table

'I’m sure you’ve all heard saying derived from Voltaire, “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good” which in a way is encapsulated in the lean startup movement and the ideology of shipping a “minimum viable product” (MVP) and then learning from your customer base. Or to borrow a simple life lesson from Gretchen Rubin , “The 20-minute walk I take is better than the 3-mile run I never start.

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr