SoCal Tech Calendar

MARCH 21, 2019

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 -- Orange County Fundingpost VC and Angel Investor Conference. Interested in meeting and pitching to early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Southern California? FundingPost has hosted 400 sold-out venture events in 22 cities over the past 18 years. See [link] (more)

Orange County 100

Orange County Venture Capital Conference Tech Coast Angels 100

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 16, 2019

The organization, active in the Bay Area and New York City, is announcing new chapters in Los Angeles and Boston this week, as well as a new director of engagement, Domonique Fines, formerly of Y Combinator, and a new chief of staff, Jack Dorsey’s former chief of staff at Square, Alicia Burt. It’s highly concentrated. All Raise members.

Venture Capital 184

Venture Capital Ideas Los Angeles Tool 184

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

I always tell founders … “An investors job is to deploy capital and make a return. If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. Of course there’s no exact number of VCs you should meet?—?these

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2014

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. The amounts from Angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range.

Venture Capital 106

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Angel Startup 106

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2019

Los Angeles-based SHO Products , which is a manufacturer and distributor of products for the growing cannabis (legal marijuana) market, said today that it has raised $3.6M The funding was led by New York philanthropist and venture capital investor Ann Tenenbaum, along with other, un-named investors.

Product 113

Product Southern California Venture Capital Equity 113

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

how on Earth could the venture capital market stand still? One of the most common questions I’m asked by people intrigued by but also scared by venture capital and technology markets is some variant of, “Aren’t technology markets way overvalued? How our VC Firms Like Ours Organizing to Meet the Challenges?

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 15, 2010

I was on This Week in Venture Capital (TWiVC) again this week with Jason Calacanis. Golden rule of branding for me: 1) name your company or product your URL and 2) don’t paint yourself into a corner. &# Tweet&# = corner. I found this investment strange since normally VC’s hate to bet on gaming companies.

Venture Capital 271

Venture Capital Capital Google Platform 271

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2020

who is based in Los Angeles--has launched a brand new startup accelerator called Product Club , which is aiming itself at accelerating a small class of product-focused startups. Morris is currently a venture investor at Chapter One Venture Capital. A former Tinder VP, Jeff Morris, Jr.--who

Product 113

Product Startup Class Venture Capital 113

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Picking a VC is hard. So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. Most VCs are book smart. VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. You want a VC who will spar with you but then STFU and let you get on with things.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Kardashian is launching private equity firm SKKY Partners in conjunction with ex-Carlyle consumer head Jay Sammons to invest in business across consumer products, hospitality, luxury, digital commerce and media, the Wall Street Journal first reported. Serena Williams’ next act in venture capital is essential in this moment.

Equity 299

Equity Journal Venture Capital Los Angeles 299

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Understanding Venture Capital. I recently wrote a blog post on understanding how the size and age of a venture capital fund might affect you when you’re raising money. I believe these VC funds have suffered some amount of reputation fall out. Let me explain: 1.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Seed Funding Pricing Invest 265

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2018

Los Angeles-based Bonfire Ventures said this morning that it has officially launched with its first fund, a new $60M fund aimed at early stage startups. The fund was founded by longtime Southern California technology investors Jim Andelman and Mark Mullen, who are joined by Leah Volger, formerly of Google and Santander InnoVentures.

Venture Capital 157

Venture Capital Southern California Funding Capital 157

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2011

This is the final part of a 3-part series on the major changes in the structure of the software & the venture capital industries. The result was a massive increase in startups & a whole group of new funding sources: both angels & “micro VCs&#. But … Downsizing Venture Capital.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Capital Cloud Computing Marketing 289

socalTECH

JANUARY 6, 2023

Los Angeles-based Product Science said this week that it has raised $18M in a seed funding round. The funding came from Slow Ventures, Coatue, K5 Global, Mantis Ventures, plus angels Peter Fenton (Benchmark), Jerry Murdock (Insight Partners), and executives at Snap.

Artificial Inteligence 100

Artificial Inteligence Mobile Product Seed Funding 100

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2010

This was the first episode where Jason wasn’t on the show, which gave me the chance to have another VC on the show to discuss deals. Rustic Canyon is an LA-based, but geography-agnostic VC that is currently investing from a $200 million fund. VC Financings: 1. So my gut says this will be a youth-oriented product.

Venture Capital 270

Venture Capital Capital Rustic Canyon Mobile 270

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. Angels have been prolific for years now and they, too, rely on downstream money to cover their bets. Products that ship late and place entire companies under serious stress. I don’t.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2010

entrepreneur Wil Schroter (I am an angel investor in Affordit). I also talked about Virgin Money , a product that I have used to lend friends money in the past. I know the product intimately and it rocks. Assistly’s main competitor is ZenDesk, whom I’m told also has a great product. 2.2mm in Series A.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Capital Email Blogging 265

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which In the U.S. Angels prefer strong teams to big ideas.

Angel 126

Angel Funding Venture Capital Seed Funding 126

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 8, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series “Pitching a VC&# – the outline is here. You’ve pitched several angels and VC’s. Your friends and advisers tell you that this means you need revenue because in this economy VC’s will only fund businesses with revenue. Unfortunately your advisers are wrong.

Venture Capital 309

Venture Capital Guide Startup Technical Review 309

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2010

They had received a term sheet from a VC and were wondering whether to work with this firm. I often tell people that raising venture capital is more difficult than getting married. Not so in venture capital. You’re tied at the hip to your VC. But what was the VC like when the chips were down?

Venture Capital 298

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Capital Help 298

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2023

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. The amounts from angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range.

Startup 98

Startup Venture Capital Funding Invest 98

socalTECH

MAY 13, 2013

Los Angeles-based Greentoe.com , which operates an online marketplace which lets people name their own price for electronics and other items, has raised a round of angel funding, the firm said today. greentoe venture capital angel ecommerce retail retailer seed' Size of the funding was not announced. READ MORE>>.

Angel 231

Angel Funding Venture Capital Entertainment 231

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2010

Venture capital investments in Southern California in Q3 totaled to $464.18M, according to the latest numbers released by the PricewaterhouseCoopers/NVCA Money Tree Report this evening, based on data from Thomson Reuters. billion invested in 780 venture capital deals for Q3. Nationwide, there was $4.8 in investments.

Southern California 195

Southern California Venture Capital Orange County Rustic Canyon 195

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. The large investment amounts preferred by VCs are no longer needed to launch winners.

Guide 136

Guide Venture Capital Funding Class 136

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I recently filmed a show for This Week in Venture Capital in which I talked about how to prepare for a VC meeting: whom you’ll meet, who should attend from your side, what materials you should bring and how you should run the meeting. I’m a product geek more than a spreadsheet ninja.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 15, 2010

We started this week’s show with a Q&A session where I answered viewer questions about fund raising and the VC industry. Heck, stick around and watch me discuss the seed funding debate that is going on right now and what is happening in the VC industry overall. Tags: This Week in Venture Capital. Don’t.

Venture Capital 210

Venture Capital Seed Funding Pricing Southern California 210

socalTECH

JANUARY 3, 2017

Electric bus maker Proterra announced this morning that it has raised $140M in an equity funding round, a chunk of which will go towards ramping up initial production in the City of Industry, and hiring "key personnel" in Los Angeles and elsewhere for its electric bus manufacturing.

Los Angeles 138

Los Angeles Angel Product City of Industry 138

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. Product pre-order model. angels crowdfunding entrepreneur investor'

Venture Capital 108

Venture Capital Angel Satisfaction Equity 108

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Certainly, bootstrapping is a preferred method of funding growth if it does not hold back the speed of growth or hobble the quality of product or service to the extent that better-funded competitors can overtake the business. Professional angels: This is the arena where I work and play. There is a lot to say about retaining control.

Venture Capital 295

Venture Capital Startup Class Invest 295

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 19, 2020

A new initiative from a Los Angeles investor is taking stock of venture firms and their ability to commit capital in an effort to match firms that are still open for business and cutting checks to startups that are fundraising in the age of COVID-19. For established businesses that need additional support, the door remains open.

Venture Capital 135

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Los Angeles 135

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Launchpad LA today announces it will accept applications for its third class of Los Angeles-based tech startups. We have significant VC commitments (listed below) – every entering company will get $50,000 in funding, mentorship from top VCs and successful entrepreneurs plus free office space. For the past 2.5 Report Card.

Venture Capital 287

Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 21, 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 -- 2012 Venture Capital and New Media Summit. Variety is pleased to announce the return of its Venture Capital and New Media Summit on June 27 at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles. See [link] (more)

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Media Capital Entertainment 113

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

One of the questions I’m most often asked is, “what’s it like being a VC?&# I’ve been a VC for nearly 3 years now. I always start my answer to this question with, “you’d have to be a pretty big baby to complain about being a VC.&# And the VC job has plenty of admin and minutiae.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2018

Buena Park-based Rael , a developer of feminine hygiene products, has raised $2.1M The funding came from SoftBank Ventures Korea and Thrive Market Ventures. in a "pre-series A" funding, the company disclosed on Tuesday. Thrive made its very first investment in March, in organic snacks marker Square Organics. READ MORE>>.

Marketing 100

Marketing Product Organization Venture Capital 100

TechCrunch LA

MAY 31, 2022

Bonfire Ventures , a Los Angeles venture capital firm, invests in seed-stage business-to-business software companies and aims to change the odds so that more than the average 33% of companies in this sector make it to Series A. Less than 33% raise an A and only 50% raise any follow-on capital.

Software 163

Software Startup Funding Venture Capital 163

InfoChachkie

MAY 22, 2012

The steps outlined below represent an ideal approach to raising capital from sophisticated investors. You might be at Step 2 with one VC and Step 3 with another. VCs collude all the time, it is only fair that entrepreneurs compare notes every now and again as well.”. Even the most jaded VC cannot resist authentic flattery.

Venture Capital 236

Venture Capital Capital Research Customer 236

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Pitching a VC. I recently wrote a post on angel financing covering the topic of convertible notes but I realized I was thinking about the issue more from investor perspective and a very narrow topic of how to price the round. This post is for those who want to raise angel money.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291