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How the Seed-Stage VC Trend Began, The Downsides of Unicorns & Much More

Both Sides of the Table

Let me take you back just 10 years ago to 2005 in Silicon Valley where I returned after 11 years of living in Europe. But back in 2005 there were a few people who spotted the trend before others and one of the true pioneers was (and continues to be) Jeff Clavier who founded SoftTech VC. It is, of course, a very recent phenomenon.

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After 20 years: Updating the Berkus Method of valuation

Berkonomics

So how do you use financial projections as valuation metrics when you know the odds of those being accurate predictors of the future are so very unreliable? There is a universal truth: fewer than one in a thousand start-ups meet or exceed their projected revenues in the periods planned.

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How Open Should a Startup CEO be with Staff?

Both Sides of the Table

We funded one in 2005 and lost a lot of money. 9 months seems like a lifetime but given how long it will take to ship your V1 product (5 months) and how long it will take to raise your next round (3-4 months) there isn’t a lot of room for error. How can you show “traction” on a product that just launched?

Startup 417
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Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010

SoCal CTO

My Obsession With The Product - Feld Thoughts , May 3, 2010 For some reason I’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately. The Yin and Yang of Product and Engineering - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , May 22, 2010 For a tech company, product and engineering are the heart and soul of the business. What should I do?’.

Startup 248
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Success, Santa Barbara Style: Patagonian Sexwax With A Side Order of UGGS

InfoChachkie

Lifestyle businesses are typically looked upon with derision by investors, as they generally do not have economic metrics that lead to large exits. According to Doug, “ productivity fell dramatically whenever the surf was up.”. Three decades later, it has matured into a multi-hundred million dollar product category.

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Interview with Cody Simms, Techstars LA

socalTECH

Cody Simms: Obviously, I live here in LA, and I have been since 2005. Sometimes entrepreneurs ask if we need certain metrics and traction�you don't. Finally, the last thing, is what is the idea and product you are trying to build. I have witnessed first hand the amazing growth of the LA startup ecosystem.

Startup 100
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How to Decrease the Odds That Your Startup Fails

Both Sides of the Table

So when Sam Rosen came to me with the idea of disrupting storage with a product that is priced cheaper than existing incumbents and he could build a product that is a better service I was intrigued. The metrics were good but we wondered how much better they would be when we expanded our product.

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