Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

Rincon is part of the new breed of Seed Stage VCs and with the leadership of Jim Andelman has charted out the most authentic early-stage investment strategy in Southern California. John gave me the book after I spoke at his entrepreneurship class at UCSB. Before booking a hotel I always check out Trip Advisor and read reviews.

Guide 293

Guide Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 293

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

They are always overlapping, so in essence, we have a freshman and senior class, so teams can collaborate, and get the benefit of the peers before them. Those companies tend to be around for longer than one year, because of course our faculty are not working on those things full time, they're continuing to teach classes.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Prorata rights are one of the most important rights of a private market technology investors and yet are seldom fully understood. They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. Put simply – if you invested early in Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 24, 2015

By now most of you know that Chris Sacca invested in what is now thought to be one of the best performing VC funds of all time having invested an $8.4 million fund in: Uber, Instagram, Docker and Twitter, amongst others. I recently interviewed Matt Mazzeo of Lowercase Capital.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Funding RSS Technical Review 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

At the Upfront Summit in early February, we had a chance to have many off-the-record conversations with Limited Partners (LPs) who fund Venture Capital (VC) funds about their views of the market. However, they have been sending VCs far more investment checks in the last ten years than they’ve gotten back as distributions.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Marketing Seed Funding 150

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

In my role as a Professor of Practice within UC Santa Barbara’s entrepreneurial Technology Management Program (TMP), I have worked with approximately 8,000 students over a ten year period. Practitioners, Not Professors – classes should be taught by people who have fought hand-to-hand combat in the startup trenches.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Class Patents 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. So the people who invest in VC funds have two problems.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

It’s the first EIR that we’ve had in the years that I’ve been with the firm and I hope will be the start of our investment in this program. We’re excited to continue to grow our investment professional staff and will continue to do so over the course of 2013 & 2014 with our new fund. Just kidding.

Startup 372

Startup Course Ideas Invest 372

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

In the startup world, the former happens when a VC makes a bad investment, and the latter occurs when they miss a great opportunity. In contrast, low-volume, high-conviction investors like Rincon only invests in a handful new companies each year, making it much more costly (in dollars and effort expended) to invest in a loser.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 8, 2011

For those who still might be wondering what Spotlight: LA Tech is all about, It’s a screening room for new technology homegrown in our region. It’s a gathering of friends and tech enthusiasts of all stripes. This Spotlight takes place Thursday, July 14, at The California Institute of Technology (CalTech). RSVP: AGENDA.

CalTech 100

CalTech Technical Review Company Companies 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

He said, “They need an unbiased view of the fund raising environment because there is too much misinformation and everything seems to be changing fast.&#. I believe a bubble occurs when a market is willing to pay greater than intrinsic value for an asset class. That asset class need not represent the broader market.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2010

All this week, we are sharing the opinions of some of the top influencers in Southern California's high tech community. 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. 1) Mobile web.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Southern California Cloud Computing Venture Capital 160

Tech.Co

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Who Owns Anthropic, and Who Funds It? Anthropic is classed as a public-benefit company – a corporation that is set up to make a profit, but is doing so by working on something that will have a positive impact on humanity. ? Who Owns Anthropic, and Who Funds it? You'll also see how Claude differs from ChatGPT in key areas.

ChatGPT 139

ChatGPT Artificial Inteligence Training Startup 139

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2011

William Quigley , a venture capitalist at Clearstone Venture Partners, is making the argument that venture capital returns are set to return superior returns in the coming years, due to the disinterest of institutional investors.

Venture Capital 160

Venture Capital Capital Clearstone Technical Review 160

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 29, 2014

Quite simply, a term sheet is a non-binding agreement drawn up between a potential investor and the founder or founders, which lays out the terms of an investment. Spelling out the conditions of the proposed investment in theory offers both parties a degree of assurance as well as some downside protection. Valuation terms.

Invest 90

Invest Sales Startup Class 90

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

“You have to look like America looks, because right now the tech sector doesn’t look like America.” But Troy has become a very successful tech investor in his own right having invested early in Uber, Lyft, Dropbox, Warby Parker and others. ” – Earvin Magic Johnson. And of course he’s right.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Course Entrepreneur 150

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My original thinking from Oct ’09 was, while I didn’t (and still don’t) have a crystal ball I worried that: consumers were over-stretched with debt (and make up 77% of the economy), unemployment would continue to rise, which in turn would drive the stock market south and cut the rate of M&A activity and VC investment even further.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Thus founders seeking funding for a good cause or a new technology often seize on grants from universities, government agencies and philanthropic organizations as free money to solve their problems. After months of preparation, you should expect another six to nine months for reviews and funding cycles. In the U.S.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

When venture capitalists scale back investing activities it can be very swift and leave many companies that are in the process of fund raising hung out to dry. Just ask anybody who was trying to close funding the fateful week of September 11, 2001 or even March 2000. The best MBA class I took was an investment strategy class.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Startup Invest Funding 263

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2013

In the world of mobile app and Internet startups, it''s not that often that you see companies who touch the hardware side of the world get funding nowadays. The firm recently raised a $15M series C funding, and we caught up with Kevin to learn more about why its customers, and investors, are interested in its technology.

Technical Review 213

Technical Review Software Review Networking Technology 213

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 19, 2013

It can be a confusing world to seek funding when you’re just starting out and Silicon Beach Fest (#SBF) was a great place to learn what investors are looking for, meet investors of all levels in a collaborative environment, network with like-minded entrepreneurs, and develop relationships to further your dream and business.

Tech Coast Angels 87

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Invest Venture Capital 87

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

Last week, Santa Monica-based Revolution Prep announced its first, institutional round of funding, worth $15M, from Kennet Partners. I had worked as a tutor for Princeton Review, and Jake for Kaplan. It was us, funding ourselves from credit cards, literally, to a company that is now on par with Kaplan and Princeton Review.

Software Review 178

Software Review Technical Review Education Startup 178

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2011

I’m in the team centric sphere so every investment decision I make first & foremost centers on this plane. I made an investment in a company with deep domain knowledge. You do a startup and decide you want somebody to step in and run the company so you can focus on technical excellence. ON LEADERSHIP.

CTO Hire 363

CTO Hire Technical Review Startup Demand 363

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2010

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. Later on during funding or execution, rejection can cost you your company. Marty Zwilling.

Invest 50

Invest Technical Review Software Review High Tech 50

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

Not an investment philosophy “ I understand the sentiment of this post and it’s how I view AngelList (like email), but I feel like it loses a nuance about AngelList. Since I invest in lines, not dots , I worry about the rushed decision-making and over-hyping of deals. Most VCs fund companies with a degree of traction.

Venture Capital 267

Venture Capital Writing Blogging Startup 267

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 I just reviewed several hundred startup pitches for Capital Factory. Interesting patterns emerged: Everyone makes the same classes of error. recently did a lecture at a Babson MBA summer class on Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2013

I have never felt prouder of the team & product at awe.sm ( please visit to check out our latest & be ready for our next big product announcement due out in next month or so) and yet we just brought in a new CEO to the company, Fred McIntyre. I funded Jonathan’s first $500,000. We had VCs show interest in funding awe.sm

Startup 303

Startup Technical Review Product Blogging 303

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2015

in a funding round. The easiest way to look at it, from the tech perspective, is that we are very similar to LendingClub. Brett and I sat down, and said, how can we take a tech approach and create a positive impact on the existing real estate industry, particularly in the mortgage and real estate finance industry.

Southern California 100

Southern California Google Technical Review Manhattan Beach 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2012

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. Later on during funding or execution, rejection can cost you your company.

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

InfoChachkie

JULY 9, 2012

Its evolution has resulted in a new class of entertainment entrepreneur, the creators of professional YouTube content, affectionately known as YouTubers. Although estimates of Google’s total investment vary, the industry insiders I spoke with believe it exceeded $100 million.

Google 133

Google Develop Development Funding 133

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

A C-Corp is the most complex, and is recommended when you need multiple classes of stock, expect venture investments, or have over 100 shareholders. Aside from the tax considerations, there is nothing wrong with tinkering and honing an idea for years (on your own funding), before you incorporate a company and take it to market.

Startup 90

Startup Ideas Technical Review Class 90

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2011

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. Later on during funding or execution, rejection can cost you your company.

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2010

A C-Corp is the most complex, and is recommended when you need multiple classes of stock, expect venture investments, or have over 100 shareholders. Aside from the tax considerations, there is nothing wrong with tinkering and honing an idea for years (on your own funding), before you incorporate a company and take it to market.

Startup 89

Startup Ideas Technical Review Class 89

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

The founders felt that having a legitimate site for content would discourage Silicon Valley VC’s from funding entrepreneurs to create the next big TV killer. To say that the tech elite were cynical of Hulu’s launch would be an understatement , but by the time it launched just a few months later it was getting great reviews.

Hulu 292

Hulu Technical Review Content Advertising 292

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 12, 2018

Founder, Founder, Founder At Upfront we talk regularly about how 70% of our investment decision in Seed and A rounds is the quality of the entrepreneur and 30% is the quality of the idea. We funded the seed round, the A round, the B round, C round, D round and E round. Here are my views … 1. we were sold on the concept immediately.

Startup 247

Startup Pricing Product Marketing 247

socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2010

How do you take a business you started as your own personal web site, and turn it into an online powerhouse, completely bootstrapped, from the little town of Ojai, California--not exactly known as a technology town? We had the idea to rent out a local school over spring break, put up a website ad, and start offering classes.

Startup 242

Startup Web Design Writing Web 242

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

This Panel is filled with investing super stars who will be going over must have content for all the startups and entrepreneurs out there. Stewart Roberts , President of Orange County of Tech Coast Angels. Topic discussion: Impact of social media on startups and on funding leads for investors. Be sure to tune in at 5:30pm PT.

Social Media 71

Social Media Technical Review Mixergy Tech Coast Angels 71