Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2013

I spent countless hours with VC firms, startups & LPs (the people who invest in VC firms). On my first real day back the first thought I have is that most entrepreneurs don’t manage their VC relationships as well as they could. And it would well be worth your while to broaden your relationships within your VC firm.

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OCTOBER 7, 2015

After checking out The Information's "open dataset" on diversity in venture capital , I felt pretty disappointed. I went back and calculated the number of companies in the first Brooklyn Bridge Ventures portfolio who have at least one founder who is female, from an underrepresented minority group, or LGBT. So, yeah, it's quite a mix.

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Today we’re announcing that my partner Kara Nortman is becoming Co-Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to welcome her to her new role. She worked for 5 years as a VC at Battery Ventures and co-headed M&A at IAC working with Barry Diller. She had all of the skills and traits we sought?

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

I am thrilled to announce that we have added Hamet Watt as a Partner at Upfront Ventures. This is a big news day at Upfront Ventures. At every entrepreneur event I through between 2008-2012 I invite Hamet because he was a great mentor for entrepreneurs. He will be a venture partner. I stayed close. What does that mean?

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JUNE 10, 2015

The last thing you want as either a founder or even a VC is to have an investor get stuck with you when you're not on the same page about expectations. More updates, more casual events, more exposure to portfolio companies, co-investing, etc., So here's all the reasons I told him he shouldn't be in: 1) Fund investing is boring.

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

I believe that the next generation of top companies are far more likely to be founded by people not on VC radars today. Opening up our circle to create and scale genuine engagement for people outside of typical venture networks is how we do business—and we’re getting exceptional deal flow because of that.

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This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 24, 2014

Every single topic about running a company has been written about ad nauseum, there are incubators, accelorators, mentoring programs, events, talks, etc. Not every potentially good VC previously worked for Fred Wilson and Josh Kopelman. Venture capitalists play an important role in burgeoning ecosystems.

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DECEMBER 3, 2020

The partner at the fund, the VC, gets to do the fun part—the meeting with founders, vetting deals, negotiating, helping, etc. Having a better overall portfolio of venture capital by adding funds into the mix. In fact, that number is probably even more than the average VC fund has the bandwidth to make. So what’s the point?

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. As a VC you want to feel like you have “proprietary sources” of deal flow. I attended events. They are venture bankers not investment bankers. It was a fun period for me because everything was new and I was curious. What stage?

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2022

Photo by Scott Clark for Upfront Ventures (no, Evan is not standing on a box) Last year marked the 25th anniversary for Upfront Ventures and what a year it was. 2021 saw phenomenal returns for our industry and it topped off more than a decade of unprecedented VC growth. What do you do with a $650 million platform?

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2014

I go every year because I love events hosted & moderated by insiders involving discussions by insiders because it maximizes the amount of real discussions people have. The only point we didn’t seem totally aligned on was what we happening to the “middle of the VC market.” tl;dr version. tl;dr version.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

Non VC Growth Rounds. The other major trend of 2012–2015 was the entrance of “non VCs” into late-stages of venture capital , which mostly consisted of hedge funds, mutual funds, corporate investors, sovereign wealth funds and even LPs doing direct deals. VC Infighting. Some called this “buying logos.”

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

This is part of a series of advice for founders who need to raise money from venture capitalists. The typical VC process is as follows: They say there are three rules in property: Location, location, location. Of course there’s no exact number of VCs you should meet?—?these Same with VC. these are simply guidelines.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

I got to work with Brett for two years while I was investing at First Round, before I started Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. Over that time, I watched him foster thriving online communities, creating engaging events, and making them better. For everyone who has aspirations to venture capital, it's a lesson well earned by Brett's hard work.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2017

I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. Increasingly local entrepreneurs are finding they don’t have to “take the trip up North” quite as often because on a weekly basis venture firms are down in LA — it’s only an hour’s flight.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

I hope to be asked back for next year’s event. Venture Capital. We spoke about the disruption of VC through crowd funding. He talked about a unique model where you don’t have to become liquid in venture capital and can target singles & doubles. Liquidity is a process not an event.

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This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 28, 2013

However, in this moment, I think one''s career in venture capital depends on changing your perspective. The biggest question I think VC''s face right now is whether or not, in the future, the best founders will look and act like the best founders of the past. It was exactly how you''d imagine a venture firm to throw a party.

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Dream It

APRIL 12, 2020

During our recent Dreamit Kickoff week, Bullpen Capital Founder and General Partner Paul Martino ( @ahpah ) spoke with our Spring 2020 cohort about the state of the VC ecosystem in the current economic crisis. Will a financial crisis affect how venture funds deploy capital? Startups should know how VCs work.

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This is going to be BIG.

JULY 14, 2013

Cheaper rents could make it a great place for the creative community and there''s no reason why it shouldn''t become as popular a destination for out of town events the same way that Austin has. It''s a shame, too, because you could see people flying into JFK and never having to mess with rush hour traffic into the city to get to the event.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

And there’s none that makes me happier than to announce that Jordan Hudson has been promoted to a Principal at Upfront Ventures. What is a principal at a VC firm and how does it work at Upfront Ventures? ” Associates have different functions at different VCs. VC firm admin. Portfolio community building.

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

Since then, I’ve founded several startups, was employee #3 at a $65m VC firm in San Francisco, and realized that there is a similar phenomenon to what Robert Kiyosaki is talking about in Rich Dad, Poor Dad currently occurring in Silicon Valley. A lot of people go out and start their first business and try to make it a venture-backed startup.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

But for now … Every year we run a big VC, LP & Tech Summit in Los Angeles (this year downtown) to showcase the best of our community and invite others from around the country. Our event this year will feature many portfolio companies and also emerging LA tech companies such as Tinder & Whisper. Upfront Ventures'

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Revolution

AUGUST 2, 2022

an event showcasing the innovation and economic growth possible in the middle of the country. What we did: Rise of the Rest Vice President, Mahati Sridhar , touched down in ChiTown to participate in P33’s VC Desk?—?an an event connecting coastal investors with Chicago’s most innovative startups. Where we went: Bentonville, AR ??

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economic growth innovation communities startup ecosystem 344

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. Elect 1-2 representatives and even invite a local VC to invest personally and sit on the investment committee or be an advisor.

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Hunter Walk

FEBRUARY 22, 2025

Ok, back to the VC content marketing. A few years back I helped start Screendoor , a fund that backs new venture firms by hopefully being one of their earliest and largest supporters. As a result I’ve seen hundreds of VC decks, all certain they will be among the top performers. This post is about ‘seeing.’

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. For years I saw myself as the new guy in VC but then you wake up one day and realize that 50% of your peers have been doing it for less time than you and time has moved on. Run your own events. VC Industry' It’s exhausting. Perhaps unsustainable.

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AsiaTechDaily

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

Register Gyeonggi-do Business and Science Accelerator (CEO Kang Sung-cheon) is holding an online event to match global venture capital firms with innovative startup companies in Pangyo. This event will also help startup companies enter the global market, gain marketing information, and network with other companies.

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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. How to get a job in venture capital.

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This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2012

I'm often the last one to leave an event, held back by the most persistant of entrepreneurs trying to squeeze as much advice as they can out of me. Venture capital is kind of like a knuckleball. Try and figure out exactly what a startup had to show at the moment a VC chose to invest in them. So why bother showing up?

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2015

I spoke at Michael Kim’s excellent annual Cendana VC/LP conference today. One of the points I tried to make is that as venture capital investors as an industry we seem to have a healthy disdain for public market investors. This will be seen as a watershed moment in the wake-up call and rationalization of our industry.

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This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Are you trying to figure out how to build a place that creates venture backed IPOs or are you trying to build something where technical people can feel like they’re in a community? That latter part is where I often find that events focused on diversity go wrong. First, you have to ask yourself what the desired outcome is.

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David Teten VC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

It’s hard enough to raise capital from VC, private equity fund, and family offices. The vastly larger universe of B2B companies, many of which have teams focused on pushing VC and private equity funds to evangelize their product to their portfolio. See my list of due diligence questions for VC and private equity funds. .

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Join Seraf for an engaging and informative webinar on VC investing in BRICS countries, with an emphasis on the exciting opportunities in Brazil. This event is tailored for venture capitalists, startup founders, and investors eager to delve into the high-growth potential within Brazil's dynamic market.

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The Seraf Compass

JULY 31, 2024

Join Seraf for an insightful and dynamic webinar on VC investing in BRICS countries, with a focus on the burgeoning opportunities in India. This event is designed for venture capitalists, angel investors, and those keen on exploring high-growth markets within the BRICS economies.

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American Entrepreneurship

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

Startups, early-stage and growth-stage companies present their models to a gathering of angel investors and venture capital firms The Venture Atlanta Conference, set to take place on October 8-9, 2024, at The Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall, is one of the most anticipated entrepreneurial events in the southeast U.S.

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David Teten VC

JANUARY 22, 2023

We particularly have developed many Fundraising hacks for VC and private equity funds , including our master databases of LPs interested in emerging VC managers. There is no cost or obligation to join, and most of our events are complimentary. See examples on our Tech Stacks page.

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This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 17, 2014

With one company, a founder and his super inspirational, creative, and established buddy hatch a plan to build a very strong content brand that serves as a platform for a lot of diverse revenue streams--events, ecommerce, advertising. Venture Capital & Technology' You could think of it as a spin on Thrillist.

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