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.

VC 374

VC investment investing entrepreneurs 374

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

The critical skill is not just your immediate network but the network beyond that you can tap into if you’ve earned the right through nurturing your 1-degree relationships. After my first Tweet with the Notorious mothafucka quote , I thought about my role as a VC and I Tweeted the following. Building Your Network.

networking 366

networking peer-to-peer advice mentorship 366

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? Here were the results: I would guess that getting a third of my deals from events is probably disproportionately high compared to other seed investors on the east coast--and that my VC intro percentage is probably somewhat low. That''s an interesting question.

VC 417

VC pitching networking venture capital 417

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

My friend and former colleague Charlie O’Donnell created a new kind of networking event for the moment we are in. These are virtual networking events designed to “include diverse perspectives in the innovation community.” ” They are called Circulate.

networking 211

networking education communities innovation 211

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 31, 2014

Phone calls were no substitute for in person and when it came to hiring, my network simply wasn''t as big up there as it was here. VC is a service industry and the best investors are always looking for ways to help. 3) Talk to entrepreneurs they''ve backed before to see who really adds value.

VC 379

VC pitching venture capital capital 379

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.

VC 270

VC pitching peer-to-peer founder 270

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 5, 2023

It was all great fun and I hope it was helpful—and I couldn’t have done it without all the other investors and founders who answered my e-mails roping them into showing up to various office hours events, panels, and other networking events.

ventures 545

ventures investing investment VC 545

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

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2019

While most of the money that goes into VC funds comes from institutions that are highly experienced in the asset class, some family offices and high net worth individuals also invest in VC. They’re trying to get exposure and diversification at the same time, while potentially seeing co-investment deal flow.

VC 267

VC investing investment strategy 267

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Investment experience (5 years a VC at Battery Ventures). As a result we need somebody well networked into these communities already. Her network from her educational institutions alone has friends in all of the top tech, media & banking institutions. Upfront Ventures VC Industry' billion IPO), Envestnet (Chicago, $1.25

VC 408

VC networking ventures board 408

This is going to be BIG.

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. In fact, that number is probably even more than the average VC fund has the bandwidth to make. Fund investing, like adulting, is boring. You get, if you’re lucky, a Powerpoint and some financials once a quarter.

VC 258

VC angel investing mix-use opportunity 258

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. As I was trying to figure out the role I wanted to play in the VC world I decided I wanted to focus on businesses that were building deeply technical products to solve problems for business users. What Did I Learn From the First VC Check I Ever Wrote?

VC 223

VC venture capital capital investing 223

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 24, 2014

Not every potentially good VC previously worked for Fred Wilson and Josh Kopelman. Not every VC used to get pitched by VC funds for a living and has seen hundreds and hundreds of VC pitch decks. Their guidance and network can also make these companies better. So what about a Techstars-like program for new VCs?

accelerator 371

accelerator mentorship VC incubation 371

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 16, 2024

A focus and filter for networking—because otherwise, you’ll find that you could wind up in a meeting with anyone for any reason because any connection could theoretically lead to a future deal. This is something I talk about a lot with my VC coaching clients. The question is what to focus on.

VC 243

VC angel investing networking pitching 243

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.

investing 365

investing investment VC board 365

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 16, 2020

One of the core beliefs that I had when I started Brooklyn Bridge Ventures was that most of the next 50-100 important companies to be built in New York City were going to be started by people not on most VC’s radars today. The Circulate series acknowledges that access to ideas, resources and networks is structurally unequal.

communities 167

communities networking founder disruption 167

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 6, 2015

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. I think we originally connected via your blog - it''s great and you''ve been one of the longest running VC bloggers (as far as I can recall). It''s been over 11 years now!

VC 377

VC collaboration disruption founder 377

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

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Growing too slowly is particularly dangerous in a business with network effects, which the best startups usually have to some degree.” ” This is a frequent theme of mine when asked to speak to audience about the VC industry. And this is fueled by the VC culture in Silicon Valley. It is VC math, like it or not.

startup 390

startup VC venture capital entrepreneurs 390

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

” From the hyperbolic Jason Calacanis weighing in that “The petty VC’s did everything to deride [Naval, the co-founder of AngelList]” as though the industry was collectively s g its pants that AngelList was going to put us out of business. This is the same way VC firms, by the way. Bowery Capital).

VC 356

VC peer-to-peer board entrepreneurs 356

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 5, 2015

You can''t rise up as fast taking a job at a VC firm in NYC the same way you could 10 years ago--and you can''t get that USV job as easily as you could. Who''s the VC that everyone *isn''t* trying to network with. Back to Fred--he became a partner at a VC firm after apprenticing there 7 years.

VC 316

VC startup ecosystem networking venture capital 316

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.

venture capital 407

venture capital VC ventures capital 407

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

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.

advice 450

advice pitching venture capital VC 450

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. You want to build your network with other VCs so you go to demo days, SxSW and so forth.

peer-to-peer 317

peer-to-peer pitching VC accelerator 317

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses. So What Impact Did the Drop in Tech Founding Costs Have on VC? This data seems pretty consistent with what we’ve seen across the industry.

investing 328

investing investment VC venture capital 328

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

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 4, 2022

This relationship also supplied Spleet with the critical network of landlords required to list multiple units when it went live; the pitch to landlords was that Spleet would bring proper KYC into the rental process and allow them to verify tenants and automate rent collection. Closing on $103M, MaC VC is changing the face of venture capital.

VC 131

VC real estate venture capital financing 131

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. People who can invest with the firms money at arms length, bounties for sourcing a startup, small investments in other VCs that are upstream from your firm. This post is about ‘seeing.’

startup 89

startup VC strategy leadership 89

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

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. Fred is generous with his time and advice and I hope has shaped a generation of VCs for the better. You can’t time VC investing markets. VC investing is hard work.

advice 327

advice board VC investing 327

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

One of my VC coaching clients is looking for a position with a new firm. Who she could convince to sit down with her would say something about her network and access. If you can’t, you need to train that muscle better and do some network-building. Are they not interested in learning, growing and building their network?

networking 418

networking leadership creativity pitching 418

Founder Bounty

MARCH 25, 2025

They also help startups raise external funding through their investor network. Follow-On Investment Antler often reserves capital for follow-on rounds and participates in seed and Series A rounds. Key Considerations The terms can vary based on the region, market conditions, and specific cohort.

investing 52

investing investment VC mentorship 52

Hunter Walk

MARCH 3, 2025

Of course Screendoor has an eye towards new VCs with identities, backgrounds and networks which are ADDITIVE to the venture ecosystem to better serve founders, so while the structure of the playbook is duplicative, the people running the playbook aren’t – and that’s the key.

peer-to-peer 79

peer-to-peer VC investing investment 79

TechCrunch

MARCH 2, 2021

But what if you don’t have unicorn dreams – or you don’t want to pursue VC money? It requires patience and focus, but the freedom to create a meaningful product, on your terms, is worth more than even the biggest VC check. If you’re a SaaS founder who’s wary of VC funding, here are my best bootstrapping tips. Keep your day job.

SaaS 139

SaaS VC founder data collection 139

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures , the pre-seed and seed stage VC fund I run in NYC, has invested in 64 companies in the last six and a half years. When you can introduce diverse founders to a diverse network of professionals, it makes their professional experience orders of magnitude better. Fifteen had co-founders over 40.

venture capital 413

venture capital capital ventures peer-to-peer 413

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

He used the 500Startups platform to uber network in the Bay Area where he was living. But … we had committed to setting up an EIR program where we would fund people to work on their ideas in our offices and also get the dual experience of working inside a VC. Nice kid, but I see lots of nice kids. Sam had different plans.

pitching 372

pitching advice VC entrepreneurs 372

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 7, 2015

VCs have an inflated sense of the value of their own time. Warm intro or not, no VC has the magical stream of only quality deal flow with nothing stupid added. Diversify Your Life What do you have in your life that mixes up your network? Obviously, if everyone in your network looks like you, that's going to be who you fund.

venture capital 370

venture capital capital ventures VC 370

TechCrunch

JANUARY 25, 2021

Microtraction does not specify the size of its fund, but what is more clear is that it has attracted a great deal of attention and has built a strong network in part because of who backs it. . 2019 saw the local VC firm invest in six companies.

VC 138

VC accelerator venture capital startup accelerator 138