Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2015

I spoke at Michael Kim’s excellent annual Cendana VC/LP conference today. You can read it in VCs discussions about hedge fund managers, activist investors or the need to have dual-share voting structures. Today I called it, “our own little VC led, portfolio-by-portfolio company version of RIP Good Times from 7 years ago.”

VC 392

VC capital culture venture capital 392

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2012

In driving down the costs of building businesses it’s driving down the age of startup founders and thus they’re starting companies where young people want to live – in urban environments. In San Fran you find more recently established VCs like True Ventures, First Round Capital, Freestyle, Kii Capital and others.

technology 313

technology incubation VC ventures 313

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

Talent – in a world where startup founders are rewarded handsomely for taking risks of building their own startup companies and where the press shines a brighter light on them, much of the early-stage company traction will come from startups. I described that here in this post. “ And my fear?

VC 299

VC media entrepreneurs energy 299

TechCrunch

AUGUST 17, 2022

Millions — billions — of dollars are flowing toward upstart tech companies of all stripes, and as the de-facto news hub for the startup ecosystem, we are as guilty as anyone of being a little bit on the “cult of capital” side of things. Another truth is that VC isn’t right for all companies.

venture capital 102

venture capital startup founder capital ventures 102

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 30, 2022

is still the best place in the world for Black startup founders to raise money. It’s quite easy to harp on the dismal funding and often discriminatory treatment that Black founders receive in the U.S. As an ironic result, founders look to the U.S. Despite, well, everything, the U.S. for networking opportunities.

startup founder 90

startup founder VC founder startup 90

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. It represents the great majority of entrepreneurship and eschews the fairytale rags-to-VC-riches stories we so often read about in the press. She’s a painter and a self-proclaimed Bohemian.

peer-to-peer 363

peer-to-peer entrepreneurs startup entrepreneurship 363

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.

VC 99

VC startup mentorship accelerator 99

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2022

A “warm introduction” is one made by someone the VC knows well, by someone relevant. The VC might know their kids’ school teacher pretty well, for example, but the school teacher may not have a lot of startup or investing experience. You don’t need an intro for that. Mine your LinkedIn connections.

startup founder 105

startup founder founder startup VC 105

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2014

People like Vinod Khosla, Keith Rabois, Brian Singerman, Marc Andreessen and others have all made head-scratching private comments to me that sounded so foreign to what I thought other people were doing in VC that they caused me to challenge and ultimately change some of my own views. You’ll have to make the hard judgment call.

advice 407

advice frameworks startup mix-use 407

Revolution

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Since the beginning of modern venture capital investing — a relatively nascent asset class — the industry has been biased toward funding what it knows best: founders with familiar demographics (white, male) in familiar geographies (Silicon Valley).

innovation 264

innovation investing investment pitching 264

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” Maybe they were in their 20s in 2002 when being a startup CEO wasn’t really available to most? It will likely IPO in the coming years.

advice 334

advice peer-to-peer VC board 334

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

I gave him the same advice I give nearly all over-worked, control-freak, do-everything-yourself startup founders: “Your number one priority isn’t any of these things. I need to take some VC meetings. There is no question NY startups get disproportionate press. Him: “I know, I know. Me: “Bullshit.

communities 317

communities VC innovation entrepreneurs 317

TechCrunch

MARCH 14, 2023

To put it mildly, the meteoric collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has been a historic time of confusion for everyone the startup ecosystem touches. There’s going to be an extreme shift in general in the financial industry when it comes to financing startups. I also expect more regulation for the VC and startup world.

VC 96

VC startup financing finance 96

TechCrunch

MAY 20, 2021

One startup that aims to help make the process simpler, cheaper and less stressful by helping people manage the home renovation process has raised $6 million to help it grow even faster. Builders VC led the round, which included participation from Celtic, Newfund and Wish co-founder Danny Zhang.

construction 85

construction startup founder founder startup 85

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 4, 2022

All right, here are the final five business Brahmins who will help judge the Startup Battlefield pitch competition. Mar Hershenson , co-founder and managing partner at Pear VC. Buy your pass today , and find out why Disrupt is where startup founders go to grow. TechCrunch Disrupt takes place on October 18–20.

disruption 91

disruption VC ventures startup 91

TechCrunch

MAY 10, 2021

It is clear that Black, women, Latinx and LGBTQ+ startup founders face an uphill battle when it comes to getting a share of the VC investment pie in Silicon Valley. It’s working with another Indy based VC firm, Allos Ventures , and Paul Ehlinger from Allos will be a venture partner at Sixty8.

VC 90

VC capital founder incubation 90

TechCrunch

AUGUST 19, 2022

Essentially, VC is a high-stakes extreme sport in which top players can accumulate startling amounts of wealth and power. But where does all that money actually come from, and how do VCs actually make money? But where does all that money actually come from, and how do VCs actually make money? Walter Thompson. yourprotagonist.

VC 81

VC venture capital pitching capital 81

TechCrunch

AUGUST 12, 2021

The unprecedented liquidity that has entered the venture market in the past year has spurred several trends that require VCs to adapt to a more competitive environment where startup founders have far more leverage than they did in the past.

VC 79

VC investing investment capital 79

TechCrunch

JANUARY 21, 2022

500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. 2021 was a year like no other when it came to venture investment, and this year is poised to tread a similar path, writes 500 Global’s CEO and co-founder, Christine Tsai. 500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. Financial technology concept.

VC 80

VC incubation angel investing investing 80

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

But one of the most common mistakes many early-stage startup founders make is calculating a TAM that’s not necessarily accurate or obtainable. Understanding TAM is essential for startup success — especially in a down market when VC dollars are harder to come by. Buy an early-bird founder ticket now and save $200.

VC 79

VC construction board accelerator 79

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Startup founders always need help. The NYC startup community will benefit tremendously in the decades to come not only from Cornell Tech which came out of the Mike Bloomberg mayoral administration, but also universal Pre-K from the deBlasio tenure. Qualified people need to be willing to help—and not just help their friends.

communities 434

communities startup real estate mentorship 434

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

I try to take time out of my week to occasionally meet with startup founders – even those that haven’t been introduced. He has a startup. Can you please intro me to XYZ VC? I know it’s different as a VC than as a startup company providing a product or service. This guy was a hustler.

advice 314

advice culture board VC 314

Jason Malki

JULY 12, 2024

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel and Jordan, who are currently Venture Partners for GoAhead Ventures and Scouts for various VC funds. They are also startup consultants, helping startups scale and become more investable. Most notably, they were the Co-Founders of Qutie LGBTQ+ Social App.

startup founder 40

startup founder founder startup VC 40

TechCrunch

JULY 15, 2021

Startup founders often turn to pitch decks when fundraising as a visual representation of their story — from the origins to total addressable market to those juicy metrics. And so, it’s just up to the founders to really just tell the story to us. Don’t send VC a cold deck ever again: Start sending video pitches.

VC 102

VC pitching advice ventures 102

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

” Your VC friends have been egging you on. The don’t understand VC liquidation preferences or multiple return expectations. And trust me when I tell you that 90%+ of the people can’t wake up every day with the uncertainties and insecurities that startup founders face. ” “True.

startup 417

startup peer-to-peer VC culture 417

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

Most early-stage entrepreneurs who have worked with me (either as an angel or as a seed VC) know that I don’t rely at all on the social proof of other investors. Importantly any VC investor will understand the “first close&# mentality since nearly all VC funds are raised this way from our investors.

financing 286

financing finance advice VC 286

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2010

I wrote a blog post about being hands on where I argued that startup founders need to be hands-on or in my words, “you can’t run a burger chain if you’ve never flipped burgers.&#. I once had a startup team pitch me for an investment where the President of the company led the first call with me on his own.

entrepreneurs 286

entrepreneurs advice pitching VC 286

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

One of the great joys of doing the web series This Week in VC every week is that I get to spend time with great people debating the issues of our day including how our industry is evolving as well as insights into how companies got started, got their initial traction and dealt with adversities. Oh, yeah. And there you have it. Not a chance.

board 286

board culture VC education 286

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 31, 2021

For example, Khosla Ventures participated in Rocket Lab’s Series A round, which Beck said opened the door to another big VC, Bessemer, to invest, in a Series B. DCVC led the Series C, but by the time Rocket Lab got around to its Series D, Bessemer was paving the way to Greenspring, which is a limited partner (LP) of Bessemer.

startup founder 96

startup founder founder startup real estate 96

Dream It

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Most VC investors see hundreds, if not thousands, of startup decks and pitches each year. In this article, we’ll outline Managing Partner Steve Barsh’s top 5 things investors wish startup founders knew when reaching out, sending a deck, or pitching a VC. What’s Your Problem? direct, online, B2C, B2B).

VC 364

VC pitching founder strategy 364

TechCrunch

APRIL 19, 2022

Farmers don’t get embarrassed when the price of corn drops; similarly, there’s no reason for startup founders to lose their joy because publicly traded tech stocks are undercutting their valuations. If making as much money as you can is your primary goal, however, prepare to be disappointed.

VC 86

VC venture capital technology ventures 86

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2013

Jonathan Strauss took this issue head on in a blog post that I believe every startup founder should read on “ Replacing Oneself as CEO.” ” “After 3 and a half years of fusing my self-worth with the success of the company in the crucible of startup survival, it was impossible to tear them apart without pain.

peer-to-peer 303

peer-to-peer energy founder advice 303

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?

startup ecosystem 129

startup ecosystem ventures founder startup 129

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 22, 2010

This is part of my startup advice series. It’s still important advice for startup founders and something that I’m passionate about. Why do job hoppers make such bad employees at startups? -. You’re a startup founder. And good VC’s feel the same way. I’m sure of that.

advice 392

advice peer-to-peer consulting startup founder 392

TechCrunch

MARCH 26, 2021

Pre-seed round funding is under scrutiny: Is VC pandemic posturing here to stay? Amid the pandemic, investors became laser-focused on sections of the pitch deck that address monetization and business viability — signs that founders need to come to the table with better-defined businesses in order to succeed.

VC 94

VC real estate venture capital pitching 94

Entrepreneur's Handbook

MAY 4, 2021

. % of startups with at least one founder with a doctoral degree out of all startups backed by selected investors annually We see some similar trends with investment volumes. Investments in European deep tech grew in absolute numbers, however during 2015–2020 it remained between 20–26% of all VC investments. How May Ph.D.

startup founder 53

startup founder founder startup entrepreneurship 53

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2020

In 20 years of working for startups, I’ve never seen as many plot twists and turns as I have in the last several months. But, from the perspective of raising capital, 2020 has not been an awful time to be a startup founder. Choosing the right VC is one of the most important decisions startup founders will make.

construction 109

construction VC pitching startup founder 109