Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

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. I think this is a combination of being realists as venture capitalists that outsized returns in our funds must come from taking on bigger, more impactful projects that can move markets.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2010

Yesterday I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 95

Software Review Startup Seed Funding Funding 95

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

AUGUST 14, 2009

Very few people fund individuals. I’m a software guy so I’m sure there are cases where building isn’t feasible. Professional angels / former entrepreneurs / seed funds – In Silicon Valley there are people like Ron Conway, Jeff Clavier, Mike Maples and many more. Team: You need a team.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2019

Are there any technology innovations, gadgets, devices, software, that you found most interesting in 2018? The macro climate will be volatile due to uncertainly from an unstable president, a slowing overall economy and the China America trade negotiationsas well as the inevitable slowing of a 10 year run.

Capital 113

Capital Southern California Technical Review SaaS 113

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

A few years ago it became fashionable for large VC’s to do seed funding. But I’m no longer an entrepreneur – I’m a VC at a $200 million fund called GRP Ventures , the largest active fund in Southern California. If a VC term sheet comes in they begin their due diligence process.

Seed Funding 283

Seed Funding Venture Capital Funding Software Review 283

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

It’s what signals to existing investors how quickly their teams need to be fund raising and the level of risk the company is facing and also it signals to potentially new investors both how quickly you need to raise (ie you have less leverage if you’re in a rush) as well as how much cash you’ll need if they fund you.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 14, 2015

Good news, Fixed , the San Francisco app that helps drivers fight tickets has just launched in Los Angeles after raising an additional $650,000 in seed funding last February. Apps & Software contest Fixed parking ticket' Yeah, purposefully vague. Fixed claims that 50% of tickets are dismissed when challenged.

Los Angeles 40

Los Angeles Angel Software Review Seed Funding 40

socalTECH

JUNE 23, 2021

Alex Nocifera: We're lucky in that we have LA's best seed funds. Where are you now as a company, understanding that lots of things have changed due to this pandemic? The uniqueness is we're a database, a marketplace, and predictive analytics under the hood threading together every signal into a predictive state for marketers.

Marketing 113

Marketing Los Angeles Zag Startup 113

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

There is much talk these days that startup valuations have decreased and may continue to do so and that the amount of time it takes to fund raise may take longer. months for fund raising start to finish and make sure you have at least 6 month’s of cash if it takes longer.

Startup 150

Startup Capital Funding Invest 150

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Some of the big milestones we did, include a seed round of financing in the fall of 2015, which was led by Upfront Ventures. Today, we help enable returns in-person, but we also provide software for retailers that want to outsource their return portal. An example is Outerknown, which is Kelly Slater's apparel brand.

Training 100

Training Customer Custom Software Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had intended to talk about how bad the process could become, not to name-and-shame anybody (and The Funded was not yet around). We have also been very busy with our next release, which is due out by December 11th (but I’ll save that for a different post). Consumer approach to software for business users. Folksonomy.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

There are obvious reasons the industry has had less-than-desirable returns, including: massive over-funding of the sector, huge increases in inexperienced venture capitalists that took a decade to peter out, and the massive correction in the value of the public stock markets that closed many exit opportunities for half a decade.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

But in these years I learned how to sell software – necessity is the mother of all invention. But in our first year of sales (and those were really shitty years to be selling software) we sold $2.1 I learned how to do a pipeline review with sales people without getting bullshitted to. I never built Google.

Startup 285

Startup Venture Capital Sales Software Review 285

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. How to raise money with no lead - Venture Hacks , July 31, 2010 Paul Graham says “The future [of funding] is no fixed amount, no fixed closing date, and no lead.”

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217