Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had previously raised VC in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. In case VC’s haven’t figured this out yet, shit rolls downhill. My blog linked to Brad Feld’s blog because I was so grateful for his series on term sheets and he was one of the biggest reasons that as a VC I felt compelled to blog. Tempus Fugit.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

With Startup Boost, we had dozens of investors, service providers, successful entrepreneurs, and major industry leaders (including Microsoft, Google, Softbank, REME, and TechStars) coalesce around our initiative to help early stage companies get to the next level. Yet they turned-out each and every week of our six-week programs.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

Every entrepreneur wants to hear “yes” during the fund-raising process but I would argue that being too risk averse and not pushing hard enough and be willing to hear a “no” is what holds back many people from “yes.” These are similar to the pipeline reviews I used to do with sales reps when I was a CEO.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2020

San Diego-based GoSite , which operates an online platform to help small businesses bring their business online, has raised $40M in a Series B funding round, the company announced this morning. The funding was led by Left Lane Capital, and also included Longley Capital, Cove Fund, Stage 2, Ankona Capital and Serra Ventures.

Services 113

Services Software Review San Diego Platform 113

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

Beware of VC Seagulls, who shit on you and then fly away (or worse yet leave you with Red Herrings). I write this post as a warning to pick your VC’s carefully. I like to say to first-time entrepreneurs, picking a VC is more permanent than marriage. I guarantee this is a bad VC. Gus has been amazing.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 297

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

VC's love to talk about their successes. Yet most VC's bury their failures under six feet of denial. 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 retrospect, our decision was both perfectly rational and completely lame. Unicornless.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

Today I’m handing her the largest A-round check I’ve ever written as a VC as we lead her $10 million A-Round at uBeam. As I’ve written about recently, at Upfront Ventures we started talking a couple of years ago about wanting to fund stuff with more meaning. We hired IP specialists to review prior art.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

socalTECH

JUNE 21, 2012

Los Angeles-based CapLinked , the startup which provides an online site to help companies manage their fundraising process, is announcing this morning thta it has raised $400,000 in a new funding round. The firm said the funding brings its total raised to $1.8M. The firm said the funding brings its total raised to $1.8M.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Software Review Yammer Funding 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

He eventually founded and sold consumer health firm ViSalus to a public company and is now back making investments, in technology companies, as a venture capitalist here at Los Angeles-based HashtagOne (www.hashtagone.com). Ryan Blair: The theme around the fund is pretty simple. I'm a bit of an anti-VC, as you know.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2013

help you integrate your product with other systems making it harder for your product to be replaced by competitors. deliver profitable revenue that while on gross margins of 50% vs. software at 85-95% it is still profits to help you cover fixed costs. That is the software business. rollout support. configuration.

Software Review 321

Software Review Software Services Company 321

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Los Angeles-based CapLinked , the developer of software for helping companies to raise capital which is headed by Eric M. Companies use CapLinked to help manage the fundraising process in angel, venture capital, and other fundraising efforts. According to CapLinked, the PRO accounts start at $39 per month.

Software Review 140

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Los Angeles 140

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

You race back to the office to tell everybody how well it went and you wait for the follow-up call to have a partners’ meeting or talk about term sheets or at least dip into due diligence. This is a very common scenario when entrepreneurs pitch VCs and frankly is a very common scenario when VCs try to raise money from LPs.

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Pitching a VC. Very few people fund individuals. I’m a software guy so I’m sure there are cases where building isn’t feasible. In SoCal we have Crosscut Ventures, Matt Coffin, Mike Jones, Klaus Schauser, etc. They might be as hard as raising VC.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

It’s a great one about entrepreneurship, friendship and the collaborative economy that is helping families in need across the world. They can read reviews, see pictures and even talk to the family before confirming. I then clicked on reviews, looked at pictures and read the owners descriptions of what they were looking for.

Venture Capital 344

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review San Diego 344

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development. For the rest of us, the following suggestions will help you survive the valley of death: Accumulate some resources before you start.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Los Angeles-based Signal Sciences (www.signalsciences.com), which develops web application firewall software, just inked a big, $35M series C funding round a few weeks ago, and now has plans to dramatically expand its hiring in Los Angeles. What were the proof points that helped you ink this Series C?

Startup 113

Startup Funding Technical Review Software Review 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2019

We have invested in 13 companies out of our Fund 1 so far and are more bullish than ever on the amazing entrepreneurs we are meeting and the companies we are helping them build. We also had our first exit for Moonshots Capital Fund 1 --Threatcare. At the same time, more capital continues to be raised in LA.

Capital 100

Capital Technical Review Truecar Venture Capital 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

If Bird has thousands of scooters in a neighborhood (and if it can acquire these scooters at cheaper prices due to scale advantages) then it’s significantly more difficult for new entrants to launch without serious capital and it’s hard to get serious capital from investors who perceive you’re late to the game.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don''t attract investors failing within the first three years. For the rest of us, the following suggestions will help you survive the valley of death: Accumulate some resources before you start. Use crowd funding.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Funding Startup Technical Review 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Dat Do: We produce valuation software that solves a lot of complex valuation issues for privately held companies, backed by venture capital and private equity. They told me they'd help me out in the market, which I was very thankful for, because I wasn't expecting it. Who would be purchasing the software?

Software Review 193

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Software 193

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2019

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development. For the rest of us, the following suggestions will help you survive the valley of death: Accumulate some resources before you start.

Startup 128

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 128

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

Most relevant to startups is the push to fund initiatives and technologies that can help prevent or protect against extreme wildfires; rising sea levels and hurricanes; new agriculture resource management; and “climate-smart” technologies. The vast majority of those are nowhere up to modern codes.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2010

A quick analysis of venture capital deals in Q1, tracked by socalTECH, finds that there was around $1.4 billion in venture activity here in Q1, up significantly from around $997M tallied in Q4. The growing clean technology sector also helped numbers, with $74.0M Other big funding deals included a big, $115.3M

Southern California 160

Southern California Santa Barbara Anthem Redpoint 160

socalTECH

JUNE 4, 2018

com) recently , announced a new healthcare focused venture capital fund, worth $25M. We caught up with one of the co-founders, Jay Goss, about what the new investment fund is looking for in a startup, and the types of investments it makes. First, tell us about the fund and what you are looking to invest in?

Startup 113

Startup Technical Review Software Review Artificial Inteligence 113

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. I can’t help feel a bit of rear-view mirror analysis in all of “VC model is broken” bears in our industry. This has led to the creation of incubators, accelerators and seed funds. The Funding Problem.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2013

In the latest roundup of fundings (big few weeks for San Diego, apparently): PatientSafe Solutions ($20M, San Diego, mobile health). Independa ($5M, San Diego, software for senior independence). 9 Ways socalTECH Can Help You With Your New Year's Resolutions. Surf Air Gets First Aircraft. How to find a startup mentor.

Southern California 168

Southern California Technical Review SoCal San Diego 168

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

For the rest of us, the following suggestions will help you survive the valley of death: Accumulate some resources before you start. Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until revenue starts to flow. Solicit funds from friends and family. Use crowd funding.

Tips 104

Tips Startup Technical Review Equity 104

socalTECH

OCTOBER 2, 2012

Southern California's technology community--despite all of the recent excitement around Silicon Beach--continues to be underserved in terms of capital, with a lack of venture capital funds (with money), and other private technology investors. The second reason is that we are a hybrid fund with a unique strategy.

Acquisition 168

Acquisition Software Review Technical Review Equity 168

Xconomy

JULY 31, 2019

Levin built Millennium Pharmaceuticals—inspiring a generation of future executives/entrepreneurs along the way—and also helped reinvent the venture capital market for early stage biotechs by founding Third Rock, where his work has helped bring a slew of important new companies and new drugs to market.

Venture Capital 97

Venture Capital Capital Entrepreneur Help 97

Tech.Co

MAY 1, 2019

Lime offers dockless electric scooters as a faster way to get around large cities: Users can download a mobile app that helps them locate scooters near them, unlocks them, and charges a set fee of a few cents per 15 minutes of use.

News 126

News Software Review Technical Review Journal 126

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Yeah, that was when I changed for me…” “…there was so much positive feedback on demystifying this one element of venture capital. A deep dive into the Foundry Group investment philosophy including an interesting discussion of their investing Themes. “… our lens is: Internet Software Companies anywhere in the U.S. was starting.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

To grow faster businesses need resources in today’s financial period to fund growth that may not come for 6 months to a year. You have to understand whether they’re likely to yield revenue growth in the near term OR whether you have access to cheap enough capital to fund your losses until your investments pay off.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series about Raising Venture Capital. A few years ago it became fashionable for large VC’s to do seed funding. Some larger VCs felt they were being “scooped&# by some younger, nimbler and smaller VCs. I was an early cynic. The contra is also true.

Seed Funding 283

Seed Funding Venture Capital Funding Software Review 283

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. Most experienced VCs won’t push you to give up founder control at this stage of the business nor should they. Reviewing financial & operational performance. In the Early Days.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based LifeCrowd (www.lifecrowd.com) unveiled its service to help connect people with real life activities. The company was founded by Bong Koh, a former EIR at Prism VentureWorks and venture capitalist at Advanced Technology Ventures; he also co-founded ibeatyou.

Startup 271

Startup CTO Coach Activity Software Review 271

Xconomy

MAY 29, 2018

When it comes to connected homes, the hottest spot is located in your kitchen. The Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and related technologies are being used to connect ovens, refrigerators, and other kitchen appliances to the Web. Feeling unsure about cooking that fish dish?

Artificial Inteligence 85

Artificial Inteligence Help Startup Web 85

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. Greatness in execution stands out more and doesn’t get drowned out by the inevitable over-funding of one’s competitors.

Software Review 150

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150