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

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

Lots of discussion these days about the changes in the VC industry. 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.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

If you’ve been following the press about VC funds you’ll know this is no small feat. 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. We also saw that the same types of entrepreneurs were repeatedly getting funded.

Funding 343

Funding Santa Monica Venture Capital Startup 343

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

I was recently interviewed for an article that appeared in Fast Company titled, “ Why you should start a business in LA.&# If you’re interested in the topic it’s worth a read, but I thought I’d elaborate on the topic since it comes up all the time. But we have a great city for building technology companies.

Company 290

Company Companies Technology Startup 290

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. He shared tons of information about how how they were using marketing to quantitatively make marketing decisions at HauteLook and acquire customers for prices that were far cheaper than similar companies.

Venture Capital 360

Venture Capital GRP Partners Startup Invest 360

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

I came across this blog post about getting a computer science degree as the best degree for getting into venture capital or working at a VC-backed start up. I just completed an exercise where I went out to hire a new associate for my VC firm, GRP Partners. no lost wages) or whose companies sponsored them.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Santa Monica-based Aircam , founded by serial entrepreneurs Evan and Ryan Rifkin, has raised $6.5M According to Aircam, the funding was led by Upfront Ventures, and also included Comcast Ventures. The Rifkin's prior company, Burstly, sold its mobile app testing service, TestFlight, to Apple back in 2013. READ MORE>>.

GRP Partners 113

GRP Partners Santa Monica Services Pricing 113

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 1, 2010

There has been much discussion about VCs doing seed funding in the past year. I’ve written about it myself (Is VC Seed Funding Dead?) and (Is There Really a Signaling Problem with VC Seed Funding?). There is a structural reason that VCs are investing at early stages, 2. Short summary of my posts: 1.

Seed Funding 298

Seed Funding Funding Venture Capital GRP Partners 298

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. He calls it his “Tom Sawyer&# company.

Zag 248

Zag Truecar Venture Capital CarsDirect 248

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

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?” It’s why I talk about building VC relationships early – Lines, Not Dots. Fill your VC good will, build relationships, be helpful to them not just asking for things. “I’ve never been a VC before.

Venture Capital 407

Venture Capital Press GRP Partners Blogging 407

socalTECH

AUGUST 3, 2016

The scholarship also includes a conference call with DogVacay CEO Aaron Hirschhorn--who, aside from his experience starting DogVacay, previously spent his days vetting startup ideas as a venture capitalist. The company says it plans on another scholarship competition next year. READ MORE>>.

GRP Partners 100

GRP Partners Conference Venture Capital Ideas 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

MARCH 25, 2011

Mark Suster is a 2x entrepreneur who has gone to the Dark Side of VC. He joined GRP Partners in 2007 as a General Partner after selling his company to Salesforce.com. He focuses on early-stage technology companies. Thursday, March 31, 2011 -- startupSD: Mark Suster from Both Sides of the Table.

GRP Partners 100

GRP Partners UCSD SoCal Southern California 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

JULY 24, 2012

He knows every startup & VC in town.” They scooped up none other than David Hernand who will join the practice as managing partner. When I first arrived in LA my good friend Matt Pillar (a long-term veteran of tech, media & VC) who had been in LA for some time told me, “in LA there’s none better than David.”

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Startup Los Angeles GRP Partners 299

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.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 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. We’re here for Greycroft’s CEO Summit – a gathering of the CEO’s of their portfolio companies with guest speakers covering topics including how to build your team, PR, customer development, etc.

Startup 279

Startup Venture Capital Tips Custom Development 279

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. But trust me when I say that my observations across many startups (and other companies, frankly) is that not enough time goes into thinking. Frankly, I think venture capital is that way, too. Startups Are for Doers.

Venture Capital 400

Venture Capital Conference Ideas Entrepreneur 400

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

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. However, local startups still tell us that it can be difficult to find an investor for their company, particularly beyond the seed and Series A rounds. GRP Partners. being funded.

Dollar Shave Club 170

Dollar Shave Club Report Southern California Funding 170

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

I’m very excited to be finally be able to announce that this week we’ve added Sam Rosen to our ranks at GRP Partners in the role of entrepreneurs-in-residence – EIR. I was a proud angel investor in Jody’s company, EcoMom. I thought Sam might know some talented young entrepreneurs to apply.

Startup 372

Startup Course Ideas Invest 372

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. What was the biggest news for you/your firm this year? 1) Mobile web.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Southern California Cloud Computing Venture Capital 160

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. Less Neglect helps companies reduce churn, upsell users, and increase customer acquisition rates.

GRP Partners 96

GRP Partners Startup Tech Coast Angels Bertelsmann 96

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Working hard together at a big company just isn’t the same. Who came in the office at 2am when the servers crashed – even on the night of the big company party. My other partner, Steven Dietz, was on the board of my second company. Stuart Lander has joined Upfront Ventures to help us run operations.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

StartupDemo partners Mixergy & AsAble.com have just announced their VC/Angel investor panel for the event. This Panel is filled with investing super stars who will be going over amazing content for all the startups and entrepreneurs out there. Allen Morgan , Mayfield Ventures. Mark Suster , GRP Partners.

Venture Capital 58

Venture Capital Mixergy Orange County Tech Coast Angels 58

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 14, 2014

Every day, 1000’s of new bright-eyed and bushy tailed companies sprout from depths of start-up soil. 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.

GRP Partners 87

GRP Partners Startup Incubator Venture Capital 87

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

I’m very pleased today to announce that I invested, on behalf of GRP Partners, in Burstly alongside Rincon Venture Partners , an early stage VC in Southern California whith whom we love to work (and were our co-investors on RingRevenue ). I’ll explain in detail below.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 4, 2009

But, in running it now for the second half of January, the keyword that popped to the top was: Layoffs And this is definitely a sign of the times.

Layoffs 159

Layoffs Woodland Hills Southern California Orange County 159

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. I spoke about how Amazon Web Services deserves far more credit for the last 5 years of innovation than it gets credit for and how I believe they spawned the micro-VC category. I said that I felt that Micro-VCs were the most important change in our industry. I believe that.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

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. These trends have put pressure on traditional VCs. Surprisinly, this strategy works well with many entrepreneurs. Or at least venture-style returns.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Capital Software Startup 296

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). BuildOnline (the company I founded) has just announcement plans to be more aggressive in growing in the US.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

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. Plan your travel and see multiple people and companies while you’re there. ” OF COURSE!

Press 364

Press Course Startup Email 364

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2011

I’m often asked the question about why there aren’t more women who are entrepreneurs. But last week I noticed a blog post by a woman, Tara Tiger Brown, that asked the question, “ Why Aren’t More Women Commenting on VC Blog Posts? She has a quote from literally every major VC from whom you’d want to hear.

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Startup Blogging 341

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

And for many companies a good deal of their business is still closed over the phone–through their call centers. This is especially true for companies with expensive and complex products or services that are more consultative in nature, like insurance, financial services, home services, education and travel, etc.

Marketing 209

Marketing Advertising Paid Search Startup 209

SoCal Delicious

MARCH 1, 2010

RSS ); Why You Should Start a Company in. Los Angeles By: Laura Rich February 26, 2010 It used to be, if you were serious about starting a tech company, you went to Silicon Valley. Mark Suster, a partner at GRP Partners in Los Angeles, spoke with Fastcompany.com about what makes L.A.s startup scene so hot.

Los Angeles 50

Los Angeles Company Companies Angel 50

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 23, 2010

Southern California companies are second to only Silicon Valley in raising venture capital , there are three major universities to recruit talent – UCLA, Caltech, and USC – and a thriving startup community to mingle with. What are some examples of successful companies that were started here? LowerMyBills, Inc.

Guide 42

Guide Startup Mahalo GRP Partners 42

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 21, 2010

My firm, GRP Partners, invested in the company that innovated this entire category – Overture (formerly known as GoTo.com). Which is one of the reasons I invested in Ad.ly – a company that is a market leader in “in-stream advertising.&# The theory is simple: our attention is moving from search to stream.

Advertising 284

Advertising Invest RSS CPC 284