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The BS List - We Don't Like This Space (No. 52)

This is going to be BIG.

I sent a very specific note that outlined the issues that I thought VCs have with many business models in this industry with the subject line “Travel startups suck” and then positioned the company has not falling prey to any of those reasons why someone wouldn’t want to invest in travel. Is it too hard to unseat entrenched incumbents?

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How to Decrease the Odds That Your Startup Fails

Both Sides of the Table

The questions that a VC mulls before writing a check are precisely the questions you should be asking yourself. But this isn’t likely to be a VC-backable business (which to be clear is totally ok). What would it take in investments to acquire and retain traffic to support these businesses? Market Size. Market Structure.

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The Opening

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I like to think of investing in new things a bit like a football running play. So the existing incumbents are the defensive line. And they are not taking on any of the incumbents directly. Imagine you are the running back. You’ve been handed the football and you are looking for a hole to open up and run through.

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Both Things Can Be True: Bias and Bad Fundraising Advice

This is going to be BIG.

Any VC will tell you that the ones they said yes to, they mostly got there right away—and that there are very few “maybe” deals that get tipped over the fence. Here’s the way I look at the math: Let’s go over the structural bias first—the “pipeline” that happens before you ever even get near a VC. First is network bias.

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Revolution co-founder talks Living Social, ZipCar, Steve Case & GroupOn Super Bowl Ads

Both Sides of the Table

Revolution is a “stage agnostic&# fund (means they invest early or late) funded entirely by Steve Case , the founder of AOL and co-founded by two other individuals, Tige Savage (yes, pronounced like the golfer, minus the “r&# ) and Donn Davis. We are a venture capital growth equity fund in Washington DC with about $500m invested.

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Here is Why Non-Obvious Startup Ideas Can Yield the Largest Results

Both Sides of the Table

Try to imagine if you *didn’t* already know Amazon and the company walking into VC meetings telling people they were going to disrupt the selling of all goods starting with books but then extending into electronics, apparel, toys and so forth. And they have. Innovation. MakeSpace set out to reinvent the whole category.

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Why Entrepreneurs & VCs Should Focus on Basecamp, Not the Summit

Both Sides of the Table

Equally, I encouraged entrepreneurs to spend time getting to know their future VCs early because getting a feel for your chemistry is far more important than how the VC is ranked in some survey. Equally, I encouraged entrepreneurs to thoroughly reference check their VCs – you’ll learn much more from this than anything else.