Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 5, 2010

This is part of my series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Entrepreneurs are inherently risk takers.

Entrepreneur 293

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital CTO Hire 293

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 2, 2010

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 -- Raising the First Round of Capital. What can an entrepreneur do to improve his or her company's chances of raising money in this environment? What does it take for a San Diego company to raise a Seed or Series A round? With 2009 finally behind us, what can we expect in 2010? Will investments pick up?

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Capital GRP Partners Southern California 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

Burstly was venture backed by GRP Partners, Rincon Venture Partners, SoftBank Capital, and Founder Collective, and was led by Evan Rifkin. Rifkin is a serial entrepreneurs, having succesfully sold his prior firm --TagWorld/Social Project--to MTV. Burstly acquired TestFlight back in 2012. READ MORE>>.

GRP Partners 147

GRP Partners Tool Acquisition Mobile 147

socalTECH

JANUARY 16, 2013

Los Angeles-based venture firm GRP Partners announced Wednesday that it has hired a new, entrepreneur-in-residence for the company, Sam Rosen, who was formerly the founder of SpeakerGram in New York City, was involved in 500Startups in San Francisco, and also has been involved with ScoreBig. READ MORE>>.

GRP Partners 168

GRP Partners Blogging Los Angeles Entrepreneur 168

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Mark Suster of GRP Partners has ranked number two on a list of "Most Respected Venture Capitalists". The rankings came out Thursday from Seeking Omega, which said it used technology from Lithium, review of entrepreneurs on TheFunded, and individual surveys to rank the VCs. READ MORE>>.

Venture Capital 145

Venture Capital GRP Partners Southern California Technical Review 145

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

Perhaps the biggest piece of new news is that after 17 years of operations we’ve changed our name from GRP Partners to Upfront Ventures. Well, the venture capital industry has changed a lot in the past 20 years … and we have too. We also saw that the same types of entrepreneurs were repeatedly getting funded.

Funding 343

Funding Santa Monica Venture Capital Startup 343

socalTECH

AUGUST 3, 2016

Hirschhorn spent time in venture capital at Monitor Ventures and GRP Partners (which is now Upfront Ventures), before he switched over to becoming a startup CEO. The company says it plans on another scholarship competition next year.

GRP Partners 100

GRP Partners Conference Venture Capital Ideas 100

socalTECH

APRIL 15, 2010

Los Angeles-based Launchpad LA , the startup mentoring effort spearheaded by GRP Partners' Mark Suster, is announcing this afternoon that it has selected 10 startups for the second season of the program. Luanchpad LA's last class had thirteen companies, of which eleven received venture funding and where one was acquired.

Class 188

Class GRP Partners Mentor Incubator 188

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

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. MovieClips – Announces $7m funding from MK Capital, Shasta Ventures, First Round Capital, SoftTech, VC and Felicis Ventures.

Venture Capital 287

Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

million led by GRP Partners, with participation from Baroda Ventures, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), Daher Capital, Double M Capital, Karlin Ventures, Clark Landry, Andy Rankin, and Launchpad LA. . · YieldMetrics has already raised $1.7

GRP Partners 96

GRP Partners Startup Tech Coast Angels Bertelsmann 96

socalTECH

AUGUST 19, 2009

This morning's Insights and Opinions article comes from venture capitalist Mark Suster of GRP Partners , who shares some of the most common mistakes he sees startups making. I often talk with entrepreneurs who are kicking around their next idea. Tags: insights opinions mark suster venture capital.

GRP Partners 124

GRP Partners Startup Venture Capital Ideas 124

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

It is with great pleasure that I can finally announce that we have added Greg Bettinelli as a partner at GRP Partners. This is exactly the brand that GRP Partners wants to embody. We both wanted to put energy into GRP’s platform of services that provide more value to our investments than merely capital.

Venture Capital 360

Venture Capital GRP Partners Startup Invest 360

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Driven by success in the sector, accelerators, serial entrepreneurs, and more, there are more startups starting and relocating here than ever. In this special report, we've mined our extensive database of venture capital. GRP Partners. being funded. Number of recent deals: 12. Number of recent deals: 10.

Dollar Shave Club 170

Dollar Shave Club Report Southern California Funding 170

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Brought to you by the team who produces Startonomics and Dealmaker LA, this hands-on "workshop-style" event will allow entrepreneurs to drill down on the key issues we face when laying the foundation to build and fund their company. Tuesday, October 6, 2009 -- The Workshop: Get Funded in One Day (Dealmaker LA). See [link] (more).

Rustic Canyon 100

Rustic Canyon MyLife GRP Partners Funding 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

We have many seasoned entrepreneurs who have built successful companies here and made a lot of money for investors and themselves. Funding is different – In Silicon Valley you have mega venture capital funds and many of them. my firm, GRP Partners, was an investor). As a result many funds are OK with big bets.

Company 290

Company Companies Technology Startup 290

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Now, I’m pretty on the record that being an entrepreneur is about being great at The Do. Frankly, I think venture capital is that way, too. I had one of the biggest mental breakthroughs about what I want to do differently at GRP Partners in 2013. I get sucked up in “Do” mode. Startups Are for Doers.

Venture Capital 400

Venture Capital Conference Ideas Entrepreneur 400

socalTECH

JUNE 27, 2013

Despite the increase in startup activity in Southern California, local venture capital funds are still few and far between, and a large chunk of the funding here is still from Sand Hill Road. Being so open, when entrepreneurs think about capital, we want to be top of mind. They know you''re someone they want to do business with.

Funding 196

Funding Venture Capital Los Angeles Social Media 196

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 1, 2010

Many (Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, True Ventures, GRP Partners, Mike Hirshland at Polaris Ventures) do it the right way – we treat it as a normal investment and we don’t have a “options&# strategy with our investment. Many firms do it in a way that can be more detrimental to entrepreneurs.

Seed Funding 298

Seed Funding Funding Venture Capital GRP Partners 298

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 4, 2009

-The Scott Sanfilippo Interview Media Optimization Firms Are Red Hot In Southern California in 2009 Proliferate - Aggregate - Integrate Startups Uncensored #4 - “Finding and Working with Partners” SoCal VC’s absent from Forbes Midas List Top Five Best Uses of an Entrepreneur's Legal Dollars What Data Crunchers Did for Obama An Evaluation of Web Strategy (..)

Layoffs 159

Layoffs Woodland Hills Southern California Orange County 159

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 14, 2014

Last year, the humbly brilliant and veteran entrepreneur (I totally signed up for www.MoviePass.com the second I saw it), joined Upfront, as a venture partner. Business Culture Entrepreneurship Investment behavioral health Hamet Watt innovation Technology Upfront Ventures Venture Capital'

GRP Partners 87

GRP Partners Startup Incubator Venture Capital 87

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

He didn’t tell it in the video but, ever the entrepreneur, Scott started a business to take couples up on a “mile high club&# flight on airplanes as a way of getting all of his miles logged to get his next class of airplane license that required a certain number of hours logged. It’s part of what makes him so likable.

Zag 248

Zag Truecar Venture Capital CarsDirect 248

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

Greycroft is Alan’s venture capital firm that recently raised its second fund ($130 million) with offices in both New York and LA. I’ve been to similar events with First Round Capital and True Ventures. Entrepreneurs always walk away with new relationships, knowledge, deal discussions and enthusiasm.

Startup 279

Startup Venture Capital Tips Custom Development 279

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

One of the most common questions I hear from first-time entrepreneurs is, “How do I meet angels?” Early in his days when he was raising capital for DocStoc he came to see me a lot. When I joined GRP Partners in 2007 I was offered a role as a General Partner. ” There is such an obvious solution.

Venture Capital 407

Venture Capital Press GRP Partners Blogging 407

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2010

We asked the same five questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next two weeks. Earlier today, we talked with Greg Martin at Archer Venture Capital. 3) Cloud computing offerings as an enabler to lean startups.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Southern California Cloud Computing Venture Capital 160

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. So here is what I have been telling entrepreneurs privately for the past 6 months. I guess that makes USV, Spark Capital, Foundry Group, Accel, Benchmark, Revolution (along with several others) pretty happy right now.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 24, 2012

For starters, David had once been an entrepreneur himself so it seemed like such a natural fit. At GRP Partners we’re all in on Los Angeles having written about $35 million in early-stage venture capital investments in this market alone in the past six months. We’ll go through more bumps in the road.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Startup Los Angeles GRP Partners 299

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2010

We asked the same five questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next two weeks. Yesterday, we spoke with Mark Suster of GRP Partners. I think we are there.

Clearstone 133

Clearstone Southern California High Tech GRP Partners 133

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2012

I had a very enjoyable day in Cincinnati meeting many local entrepreneurs, angels and accelerators. I was here to see one of our LPs (limited partners are the people who invest money in VC funds) called Fort Washington. I went even further when I was an entrepreneur. It’s easy to discount Cincy – it’s a “flyover state.”

Press 364

Press Course Startup Email 364

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2010

This is part of my series on Understanding Venture Capital. I’m writing this post to explain to entrepreneurs what you should be thinking about in terms of the VC’s you approach and the size and stage of their funds. It in not uncommon to see a VC talk about “total assets under management&# as in “We have $1.5

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Funding Invest GRP Partners 269

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Draw Your Ideas - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , May 16, 2010 I saw Jack Dorsey give this talk at The 99% Conference last month. Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers. In many of them I get asked similar questions, including the inevitable “what makes a great entrepreneur?” Tesla is not. It's a great talk. It says what?!”).

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

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. In a world of The Funded, VentureHacks and entrepreneur blogs this kind of informations spreads like wildfire.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Seed Funding Pricing Invest 265

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

I started working with David when I was an entrepreneur and he was an associate with a VC firmed called … wait for it … GRP Partners (now Upfront Ventures)! But he has the added benefit of living in the UK – making him the perfect partner for Nick. We have worked together ever since. Back together.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

One is the “denominator problem&# which says that if an LP invests X% (the denominator) into “alternative investments&# such as venture capital and if their total amount available to invest (the numerator) goes down by 30% then the amount they allocate to VC will by definition need to go down by 30% to stay the same percentage.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2011

I’m often asked the question about why there aren’t more women who are entrepreneurs. My inspiration to become an entrepreneur came from my mom, not my dad. She was the dominant figure in my family and was both an entrepreneur and a community leader. On my blog I’ve been hesitant to take the topic head on.

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Startup Blogging 341

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

Do you have any words of caution or advice for entrepreneurs who attempt to “Get Their Band Back Together”? “In When assembling a team, I encourage entrepreneurs to seek out the MVPs, and look to build diversity into the teams they assemble.”. Rincon Venture Partners and GRP Partners ). Be prepared to iterate.

Marketing 209

Marketing Advertising Paid Search Startup 209

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

Yesterday I wrote Part 1 of the series on the changes to the software industry over the past decade that has led to changes in the venture capital industry itself. Surprisinly, this strategy works well with many entrepreneurs. I would put my firm, GRP Partners in with the group working with teams in different ways.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Capital Software Startup 296

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

We brought together Peter Cowen of Groundwork Equity , Mark Suster of GRP Partners , Rick Smith of Crosscut Ventures , and Richard Yen of Saban Ventures -- all of who will be on the judging panel for the Tech Coast Angel's Fast Pitch on February 24th, to give us a their hints and tips about pitching to venture capitalists.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Ideas Entrepreneur Invest 100