Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

I think I’ve read Paul Graham’s post on “ Startup = Growth ” three or four times now. “The growth of a successful startup usually has three phases: There’s an initial period of slow or no growth while the startup tries to figure out what it’s doing. I talked about some of that here.

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startup VC venture capital entrepreneurs 390

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

Of course these are great places to network with other investors, meet great entrepreneurs and keep your connections strong with senior execs at larger companies like Yahoo!, I know I can’t be in every deal and I know that the easy part of being a VC is writing the first check in a deal. And there’s conferences. Web Summit.

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VC investing investment entrepreneurs 374

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 16, 2014

How long does it take from first meeting a VC to getting cash in the bank? Similarly, I got introduced to Chantel Waterbury from chloe + isabel by Bo Yaghmie from Cooley, who was my lawyer when I had a startup--so I had to trace back when I first got introduced to Bo by Fred Wilson. That''s an interesting question.

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VC pitching networking venture capital 417

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 22, 2018

This will be the post where I dangerously attempt to walk the minefield of a white male VC opining on the topic. On an app advertised to "meet inspiring people" for meaningful networking, someone tells this black founder, whose last name is "Youngblood" that is name is inappropriate. There is discrimination in the world.

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VC pitching peer-to-peer founder 267

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2014

Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. There are bootcamps, startup classes, video interviews – the sources are now endless. Improving startup productivity ? How to network better ? Startup psychology / confidence ?

advice 407

advice frameworks startup mix-use 407

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

That prediction obviously turned out pretty wrong, but it did drum up a whole lot of chatter about the right ingredients for building a startup community—about New York vs Boston on the East Coast and whether cities like Austin and Seattle would ever break through. Startup founders always need help. New Yorkers help each other out.

communities 434

communities startup real estate mentorship 434

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

I have never been more optimistic about the impact that the tech startup community is having on cities in America or about the role that cities outside of San Francisco / Silicon Valley can play in our future. Changes in the Startup Ecosystem. So the startup work moves to where the startup founders live and not vice versa.

startup 390

startup communities venture capital angel capital 390

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Investment experience (5 years a VC at Battery Ventures). Startup CEO experience (Founded P.S. XO along with my good friend Soleil Moon Frye. As a result we need somebody well networked into these communities already. But there are tons of great startup folks so you need a narrower filter. So there you have it.

VC 408

VC networking board ventures 408

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2015

Softball is also networking, though, because we have some entrepreneurs, another investor, and a left-handed female infielder who works at a venture bank and turns a double play as well as anyone in the league. E-mail is networking, deal work, due diligence. It's ever present and always on.

VC 419

VC pitching board construction 419

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

As a VC you want to feel like you have “proprietary sources” of deal flow. But I think there is a down side that I see in startups that raise artificially at prices above what a normal market might value. And I’m seeing this even at some really well run startups. ” Otherwise, “why I am so lucky?”

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VC advice pitching entrepreneurs 347

Hunter Walk

FEBRUARY 22, 2025

Ok, back to the VC content marketing. As a result I’ve seen hundreds of VC decks, all certain they will be among the top performers. Some force that pulls exceptional startups to you, directly or via intermediaries, in a privileged and sustainable fashion. This post is about ‘seeing.’

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startup VC strategy leadership 94

Haystack

DECEMBER 29, 2018

It’s that time of year, time to look back and reflect on the most significant storylines in the tech, startup, and VC world. And, with that warning, I offer to you, the big stories in the startup and investing ecosystem of 2018, written in ascending order of importance and magnitude…. 6/ Venture Capital In Expansion Phase.

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VC startup venture capital mix-use 165

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 24, 2014

These days, there are a ton of options for you if you''re a startup seeking guidence. We''ve done a lot to make sure startups get all the help we can get--and it''s leading to higher companies getting off the ground. Not every potentially good VC previously worked for Fred Wilson and Josh Kopelman. But what about investors?

accelerator 368

accelerator mentorship VC incubation 368

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. One of them is profitability.

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startup VC venture capital investment 418

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

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. VC firm policy or fund analysis. Helping be the VC “presence” at key events. inside insight into VC decision-making. Industry reviews.

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investing investment VC board 365

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!” What did they actually do?

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startup venture capital VC capital 227

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I became a VC 12 years ago in 2007 when the pace of deals was much slower. I had just left Salesforce.com where I was VP, Products, after they had acquired my second startup. VC is a long-term business Some businesses are overnight successes but few of them really move immediately up and to the right. Over the past 2.5

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VC venture capital capital investing 223

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

One of my favorite events last year was attending Startup Grind where I got to interview Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. And of course we talked about many of my views of building startups. You didn’t join startups then. You joined a startup if you couldn’t get a real job.

startup 337

startup entrepreneurs consulting board 337

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 5, 2015

It''s my favorite thing to teach as well--and I''ll be giving a class at Startup Institute this Tuesday night about it. They''re a career accelerator, which is a pretty neat concept--doing what YC and Techstars do for startups, but for your career. He joined a startup that wound up getting bought by AOL.

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VC startup ecosystem networking venture capital 314

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

And it applies to business relationships & networking as much as it does to remuneration in the workplace. But less as a complaint and more as advice to younger networkers, the more you invest in relationships the more you will get when you need. It’s why I talk about building VC relationships early – Lines, Not Dots.

advice 407

advice VC networking entrepreneurs 407

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

What is the True Sentiment of VCs? I recently survey more than 150 VC friends from all stages and geographies what they thought about the market by asking “Which of the following statements best describes your mood heading into 2016?” ” “This will be great for VCs and bad for entrepreneurs.”

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startup VC entrepreneurs investment 285

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2015

There is not a single case I’ve been involved with in any of the startups I’ve backed that has even a small bit of merit. This also happens out of “startup weekends” where it’s unclear who contributed to the IP and where many people don’t continue with the idea beyond the first 30 days.

startup 352

startup advice board founder 352

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 6, 2015

Turns out that not only is he real, but he''s one of the most genuine, thoughtful, and egoless people I''ve met in the startup world--a real breath of fresh air. You''ve been in VC long enough to see lots of different funds, partners and deals. You get a lot of choice as a VC as to who you want to spend your time with.

VC 374

VC collaboration disruption founder 374

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

And still able to make it out to LA networking events. Didn’t I make myself clear about celebrities & startups ? Turns out she’s done this startup thing before. And they’re both full time committed to their startup – Moonfrye. Unsurprisingly for Kara is was the VC connections.

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startup creativity advice entrepreneurs 398

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Round sizes of > $100 million or more now account for 47% of all VC dollars (62% if you count rounds > $50 million) This has made venture capital significantly more valuable for VCs and LPs who invest in the best companies As part of our study we noticed a trend many have spotted but few have explained?

investing 328

investing investment VC venture capital 328

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 28, 2013

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. My own track record as a VC across First Round Capital and Brooklyn Bridge Ventures actually starts in January of 2010, *after* the Airbnb class of Winter 2009.

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venture capital VC ventures capital 406

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. Building Startups for Basecamp. VC Industry' It’s exhausting. Lines, Not Dots.

peer-to-peer 317

peer-to-peer pitching VC accelerator 317

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 find a job as a VC scout. VC recruiters list and compensation data. How to negotiate a partner role at a VC or private equity firm. Syllabus for how to launch, manage, and invest a VC fund.

VC 128

VC venture capital accelerator ventures 128

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

The startup ecosystem is a terrific manufacturer of bad fundraising advice. 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. Well, if you add it to your startup, it does a few things. First is network bias.

advice 446

advice pitching venture capital VC 446

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2015

I ran a VC AMA (ask me anything) last Monday on Meerkat and had > 1,000 simultaneous people asking me questions. I’m rooting for Meerkat to succeed as an independent network. 2/ it shows how big the opportunity for live video, and owning the “go live now” network can be. love Twitter. Exciting time.

energy 325

energy networking VC innovation 325

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

One of the questions we discussed is, “How much capital should a startup raise?” We talk a lot about his schooling, his early jobs as a developer and then as a VC and we talk about his decision to spend winters in Los Angeles. You can’t time VC investing markets. You need to invest in good markets and bad.

advice 327

advice board VC investing 327

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

He pinged me that he was thinking about joining a startup based in LA with the CEO in NYC and would I be willing to meet him and give him advice on this process. I looked up his bio, “UVA, banking analyst, doing some early startup work” and thought – sure – come meet me for a coffee. Sam had different plans.

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pitching advice VC entrepreneurs 372

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Though some businesses may never be truly sustainable, a venture firm in Seoul argues that emerging climate-tech startups will help big manufacturers do better overall. I spoke with Sopoong chief executive Max Sang-Yeop Han , a serial entrepreneur who joined Sopoong in 2016 and acquired the firm in 2019, to learn about the VC’s plans.

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VC startup mentorship accelerator 99

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 4, 2022

While Adesanmi worked for years in Nigeria’s banking and fintech space, his family’s real estate background pushed him to establish a startup in proptech. It was the landlords who needed convincing, but it helped that we already had a network of landlords,” said CEO Adesanmi in an interview with TechCrunch on the company’s takeoff. “So

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VC real estate venture capital financing 131

Founder Bounty

MARCH 25, 2025

This varies on the region but below are some of the key figures Investment Amount Antler typically invests $100,000 to $200,000 in pre-seed startups. They also help startups raise external funding through their investor network. Startups must pass Antler’s internal investment committee review to receive funding.

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investing investment VC mentorship 59

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

But most venture-backed startups are “still overwhelmingly white, male, Ivy-League-educated and based in Silicon Valley,” according to a study conducted by RateMyInvestor and Diversity VC. Or will we have to repeat the same conversations about representation failings within VC funds? Funding for Black entrepreneurs in the U.S.

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startup ecosystem ventures founder startup 129

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

I had witnessed a number of early-stage tech startups in LA raise seed capital from the Bay Area and relocate. Throughout all of these years I was a full-time VC so Launchpad really came out of evenings and weekends for me. Adam had a full time startup and then was doing consulting (he later raised a VC fund).

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accelerator mentorship peer-to-peer VC 290