Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

I have found that the process of writing down your idea, with a plan for implementation, and reviewing that plan with a business advisor, will force you to learn and acknowledge the real requirements for implementation. Create a written plan, with target milestones and metrics.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2017

Their investment should be structured with the help of a good attorney who understands the mutual goal of maximum leverage of funds with minimum interference in your business decisions. I was so enthusiastic that I coached the entrepreneur to approach his mother, who invested $50,000 under the same terms as my investment.

Invest 243

Invest Entrepreneur Sales Startup 243

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I know I can’t be in every deal and I know that the easy part of being a VC is writing the first check in a deal. This is when founders need you the most – either are coach, mentor, interviewer, work off-loader or honest-mirror-reflection of reality. If an accelerator is writing you they’re also writing 25 other VCs.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

CapLinked says the round of funding and new appointment are an advancement in their move to displace the legacy left by Virtual Data Room (VDR) with their intuitive new product for coordinating on complex business deals such as asset sales, financings, and mergers and acquisitions. 25 Years of Writing Code. and Schlumberger.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Software Review Bertelsmann Technology 88

Berkonomics

APRIL 3, 2014

Being located in a distant city greatly reduces the chance of funding success. Email readers, continue here.] With angel groups, you should plan of spending months in the process, from application through funding. This class of investor typically writes checks from $50,000 to $250,000.

Equity 232

Equity Startup Organization Invest 232

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

As some of the last generation of startups have gotten bigger many VCs have also chased later-stage investments that were traditionally dominated by growth equity or mezzanine funds. It’s one thing to invest in a later-stage (say a C round) to help with growth, it’s another to fund companies who are already valued in the billions.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Capital Software Startup 296

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

So part of playing an effective coach is helping the team to see the answer for themselves. In stead of just writing operating and funding advice Fred also talks about industries. When I write about topics that are relevant suddenly anybody with a startup solution in that field will approach us. This works brilliantly.”

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2016

On a business team, the ability to communicate verbally and in writing is more important than technical depth. Provide required team integration, training and ongoing coaching. You can’t build a business alone, and the right people are always as important as the right funding. Good communication skills.

Technical Review 56

Technical Review Coach Training Screening 56

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

As a courtesy if you enjoyed his write-up please check out his startup company, ChannelStack. Josh and Howard began co-investing as angels and in 2005 they started a $10 million fund. They decided on a one year vintage fund structure because they were not sure they wanted to be VC’s over the long-term.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. He did it yesterday, “Mark, I’m going to write a blog post following on from your VC’s aren’t dumb. Rob does it. On steroids.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

In the original version of his post, Andy writes. Most top tier VCs return about 3x invested capital and outlier funds (the best of a vintage) might return 6-8x. But the larger funds usually have lower returns because they are often investing bigger dollars at later stages with less risk and therefore lower returns. Yeah, true.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

We want to invest in early-stage technology enabled startup businesses – upfront in the funding cycle. We like to hire people and fund people who are deeply ethical and we try to be long-term in our investment thinking. This is something I try to coach against. He had a sense of purpose and everybody knew what it was.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

According to the SEC we’re not allowed to market the fact that we’re fund raising, so I won’t. But for some strange reason they make you file your progress on fund raising, which is the widely picked up by the press. So it is now publicly known that we have closed $150 million in our 4th fund.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

I’ve tried over the years to write many times about the realism of the downsides of being an entrepreneur because there is a complete cognitive dissidence between what you read about yourself in the press and what you feel internally about where you’re at in the journey. Advisors / Coaches / Mentors.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2019

The last thing, is understanding how open and receptive all of these CEOs were to feedback, coaching, and improvement. If you look at the funding numbers for female-led and founded businesses, it's probably still only about two or two and a half percent of total funding. You can't be the best at everything.

Capital 162

Capital Entrepreneur Invest Artificial Inteligence 162

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

Bockerstette, Main Street Venture Fund Angel investing in most parts of the country remains a relatively informal and unstructured process. A trophy investor is a great coach and mentor, sometimes providing the only shoulder an entrepreneur can cry on during difficult times. By Joseph A. Emotional maturity.

Entrepreneur 83

Entrepreneur Mentor Invest Angel 83

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

We are judging how well you are coached on stage. And for the record, GRP has funded YC alum. They do this because they have amazing skills at writing business plans. I don’t think they serve investors well. I feel like I’m attending theater rather than looking for deals. Do you have good quips? Good vocal variety?

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

I was so enthusiastic that I coached the entrepreneur to approach his mother, who invested $50,000 under the same terms as my investment. The other investors are probably in the unhappy never land of not being able to see liquidity after a decade and unable to write off the investment as a loss for tax purposes.

Resource 149

Resource Startup Invest Entrepreneur 149

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

We are judging how well you are coached on stage. And for the record, GRP has funded YC alum. They do this because they have amazing skills at writing business plans. And that fund raising is part of the job of being an entrepreneur – not something that gets in the way of your doing your job. Do you have good quips?

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

You are writing about the essentials of business. I am planning right not to write a post about how startups often get SEO wrong. You and I were talking about a startup recently and where they might go for seed stage funding, what is your impression on that aspect here in Los Angeles? That's great. Are you doing much of that?

Startup 150

Startup SEO Pepperdine Blogging 150

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

Write it down…. When I was running FUEL, I really did not have advisors – I did have a coach the entire time, who was a sounding board, but we worked on more esoteric concepts like ‘creating space’ (much longer convo) and on interpersonal relations and how to inspire growth, etc… That worked.

Startup 233

Startup Design Mobile Social Network 233

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

I finally got around to writing it having read Fred Wilson’s post about what a CEO does. It is such an under-discussed issue as we spend our time in startups mostly talking about products, marketing and fund raising. Both are basically people businesses.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Custom 319

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. I’ve started writing up some of those sales & marketing lessons and I plan to continue to build that section out over time. So I did want any rational person who wants to improve does – I hired a coach.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Custom 316

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2010

And let’s be honest, other than money and coaching most VC’s add little value to your company strategy. Make sure when you write it you assume this. Obviously you’ll write &# please keep this confidential&# but don’t assume it won’t accidentally leak just a little bit. Be prudent.

Startup 301

Startup Venture Capital Software Review Email 301

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

I write this post as a warning to pick your VC’s carefully. There are people like Gus Tai who any entrepreneur who’s worked with him well tell you is that he has helped coach them into building a great business. Below is a quote about Gus from The Funded. This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 297

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

You can also just generally ask entrepreneurs who have presented to the VC but who didn’t get funded (the majority of companies that actually present). You need to write down key questions & actions as you park them. People who want successful outcomes prepare. Others wing it.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

We also want to create more capital for women entrepreneurs to increase the chances of being funded and connected to a bigger network. For me, it’s very much showcasing that angel investing is not just writing a check, it’s so much more. In addition to coaching and mentoring, I want to put them in the game of investing into startups.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 4, 2010

Barry Schuler (@BSchuler) - former CEO of AOL, Ex Producer of LOOK, Managing Director DFJ Growth Fund. Bruce Sallan (@BruceSallan) - I'm a former showbiz guy who writes a dad's column. Cathy Brooks (@CathyBrooks) - Strategic Communications Coach. Bob Watson (@TopBrokerOC) - CA Real Estate Broker.

Social Media 40

Social Media Journal Media Education 40

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

If we successfully execute this company and this happened after launch, during funding or before acquisition, the recourse and options would have been limited at the least, and detrimental at the worst. As a journalist, I’m glad it happened to me so I can write about it. We are all part of the ecosystem after all.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100