Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2020

The name “investment bank” somehow always sounded like a place where I could deposit my investments, and maybe even earn a little interest. Then I learned that these banks really negotiate investments and collect fees on the transactions, sort of like commercial banks do with loans to businesses. Very confusing.

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JUNE 29, 2017

We've summarized the funds that have announced new funds in the last nine months or so, or that are in the midst of raising funds--a total of more than $1086 million in total funds. List ordered by fund size). Fund size: $230M fund. Fund size: $100M fund. Core Innovation Capital.

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socalTECH

JUNE 5, 2013

There''s been a constant drumbeat from both local entrepreneurs and investors on the lack of venture capital sources in Southern California. So, anytime a new, Southern California venture capital investor show ups, technology entrepreneurs usually flock to their doorstep. READ MORE>>.

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JANUARY 22, 2019

This morning's interview is with Kevin O'Connor , a longtime investor and serial entrepreneur, who is now running venture capital investment firm ScOp Venture Capital. Congrats on the new name for your venture capital firm. What types of companies are you making investments in?

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Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

The subject of raising money is critical to many businesses and a passing option to others, depending upon the capital efficiency of the enterprise. Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally generated funds.

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TechCrunch LA

MARCH 25, 2021

The partners at MaC Venture Capital , the Los Angeles-based investment firm that has just closed on $103 million for its inaugural fund, have spent the bulk of their careers breaking barriers. MaC Venture Capital co-founders Marlon Nichols, Michael Palank, Charles King, and Adrian Fenty. Image Credit: MaC Venture Capital.

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FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Santa Monica-based venture investor March Capital Partners (www.marchcp.com) announced last week that it has raised a second fund, worth $300M. To learn about the new fund, we sat down with Jamie Montgomery , one of the fund's co-founders, to hear about March Capital's strategy and the new fund.

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OCTOBER 11, 2018

This morning, Moonshots Capital (www.moonshotscapital.com), led by Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings , announced its first formal fund, a $19M seed stage fund. We had been doing that for several years, and decided we wanted to start syndicating deals in September of 2014, so we formed Moonshots Capital.

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

A new program, run by the Alliance for Southern California Innovation, is looking to connect startups with Series A funding, according to the group. According to the two, the program recruits and selects top SoCal-based startups that have demonstrated clear market traction and provides introductions to leading venture funds.

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OCTOBER 9, 2019

There's a new opportunity in clean technology investments, according to venture capitalist Aaron Fyke , the head of a new, Pasadena-based venture capital investment fund, Thin Line Capital (www.thinlinecapital.com). Talk about the new firm and the new fund? Lots has changed since 2009.

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OCTOBER 28, 2020

Two, Los Angeles-area venture capital investment funds have gotten backing from PayPal , as part of a new effort by PayPal to support Black and Latinx-led venture capital funds. led by Austin Clements and Ajay Relan; and VamosVentures , led by Marcos C. Slauson & Co. READ MORE>>.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

It was only a year ago that many in the Venture Capital industry were predicting that “winter was coming” and to be fair the author of this post was chief amongst them. Yet as we enter February 2017 the VC funding markets are booming, Snap, Inc has filed for its IPO, AppDynamics was just purchased for $3.7 Baidu alone raised $3.2

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Many first-time entrepreneurs find themselves unable to bootstrap their startups, and also unable to find early funding at the venture capital level or even with angel investors. The average amount per startup has been $23,000, usually in the form of a convertible loan, rather than an equity investment.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million-dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Funding or rollout stage.

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NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Los Angeles-based ECMC Foundation , a foundation that provides funding to both nonprofit and for-profit ventures focused on college success and career readiness, has helped backed two female entrepreneurs, along with investment firm Chloe Capital. Live, where women entrepreneurs pitched live for up to $250,000 in funding.

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OCTOBER 19, 2020

Good Growth Capital , a venture capital investment firm focused on complex science and technology start-ups, says it has set up shop in Southern California, and hired a new, West Coast Venture Partner in Los Angeles. In addition to Holly, Good Growth Capital also said it added a new Advisor, Robert Poor, Ph.D. ,

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2017

I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. Upfront VI is our latest core fund and is $400 million to invest in early stage entrepreneurs. This brings our combined funds under management to nearly $2 billion.

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TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Riot Ventures , the Los Angeles-based, early-stage and deep technology investment firm is going out to market to raise a $75 million second fund to finance the development of startups in LA and beyond, according to fundraising documents viewed by TechCrunch. Marcus has a long background in angel investing and company creation.

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

We’ve been dying to tell you all for a while that we had raised a new venture capital fund and of course given SEC filing requirements the story was somewhat already scooped by the always-in-the-know Dan Primack a few weeks ago. Wait, didn’t you just raise a fund? We raised $280 million.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2021

An entrepreneur lifestyle that continues to gain in popularity these days is being a “social entrepreneur.” Think Bill Gates, with his current investments in energy management, or Blake Mycoskie with TOMs Shoes, as opposed to the leaders of the American Cancer Society or Goodwill Industries.

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TechCrunch LA

MAY 23, 2019

The Los Angeles ecosystem is $76 million stronger today as Fika Ventures , a seed-stage venture capital firm, announces its sophomore investment fund. Fika invests roughly half of its capital exclusively in startups headquartered in LA, with a particular fondness for B2B, enterprise and fintech companies.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

The funding environment for tech startups is an ever shifting ground as we go through predictable shifts that go hand-in-hand with the slowing of the overall market. There was an explosion in number of startups both because it was cheap and there was tons of available capital. Explosion in Seed Funds. Rise of Seed.

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DECEMBER 16, 2019

For our interview today, we have Noramay Cadena , a Partner at MILA Capital , who spoke to us earlier this year about the venture capital investment firm and what it looks for in entrepreneurs. What is MiLA Capital? At what stage do you make investments? We're investing out of our first fund.

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FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Los Angeles-based Crush Capital, a startup founded by Darren Marble and Todd Goldberg, said on Wednesday that it has raised $3.25M in a seed funding round, which will go towards its own, online streaming series called "Going Public".

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DECEMBER 23, 2019

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. This was the cumulation of several years as an entrepreneur based in Pasadena growing clean energy technology companies.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2022

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. On the other hand, venture capital organizations typically look for needs that exceed $2 million. Can you justify your use of funds to this investor?

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2021

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his classic book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

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APRIL 15, 2020

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) says that Q1 2020 venture capital investments had a "strong showing" in Q1, however, it expects that the impending economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic will slow activity through the rest of the year.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources.

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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. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

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DECEMBER 23, 2020

Today, we have Aaron Fyke , Founder and Managing Partner of Thin Line Capital (www.thinlinecapital.com). Thin Line Capital successfully reached the final close of its first fund. Furthermore, while a small fund, we invest across the country, and Thin Line has relationships in every time zone. READ MORE>>.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. Equity investing is very risky, but huge returns are possible if you pick the next Facebook, but failure means your entire investment is lost. In the U.S.,

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OCTOBER 2, 2020

BAM Ventures , the venture capital investment firm founded by serial entrepreneur Brian Lee, is looking to raised $50M in a third venture capital fund, BAM Ventures III, L.P. Lee--best known for co-founding LegalZoom, as well as Shoedazzle--has been making investments from his own funds for a number of years.

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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? On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational.

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TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 16, 2020

Over their longtime personal and professional relationship, the two Los Angeles-based serial entrepreneurs have invested in each other’s companies and investment firms, but never worked together until now. The plan, even at the time, was always to raise a larger fund. “I see two things happen.

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JUNE 15, 2020

The Tech Coast Angels says it has launched a new, annual fund, and is continuing to invest--despite the pandemic. The angel group, the largest in the nation, said it invested over $19M in 2019, in part due to a similar fund created by its San Diego chapter, the TCA-San Diego, last year.

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FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Los Angeles-based TenOnTen Ventures, the venture capital investment fund run by David Waxman, Gil Elbaz, and Minnie Ingersoll, has kicked off efforts to raise a third fund, TenOneTen Ventures III, with a goal of raising $60M in the fund, per recent regulatory filings by the firm.

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