Thinking Like a VC
SoCal Tech Calendar
AUGUST 30, 2018
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 -- Thinking Like a VC. Featuring: Rob Vickery, Partner and Co-Founder: Stage Venture Partners. Cal Lutheran Center for Entrepreneurship.
Eano’s Stella Wu is not your typical construction tech startup founder
TechCrunch LA
MAY 20, 2021
Builders VC led the round, which included participation from Celtic, Newfund and Wish co-founder Danny Zhang. Construction tech startups are poised to shake up a $1.3-trillion-dollar As more people spent time at home last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the startup saw its contract revenue spike by 5x, Wu says.
Technical Review 
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Praying to the God of Valuation
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 11, 2022
Something happened in the past 7 years in the startup and venture capital world that I hadn’t experienced since the late 90’s — we all began praying to the God of Valuation. How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? What happened? It was 1991.
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The Audacious Plan to Make Electricity as Easy as WiFi
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. The practical uses for uBeam technology is limitless.
Technical Review 418
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VC Confessions: I Don’t Really Care About Your Product Demo
InfoChachkie
JULY 7, 2016
Note: I invest almost exclusively in b-to-b software companies. In contrast, we value entrepreneurs' time and thus our diligence generally includes introducing them to potential customers and partners. The post VC Confessions: I Don’t Really Care About Your Product Demo appeared first on John Greathouse. Don’t Demo Me Bro.
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Venture Capital Q&A Session
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 29, 2010
We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. In fact, far better if you haven’t raised venture capital.
Venture Capital 282
282 Reflections On 2018: Matt Stodder, Startup Boost LA
socalTECH
JANUARY 7, 2019
During the holiday season, our tradition over the last few years has been to post reflections on the past year and some predictions for 2019 from Southern California's technology industry. Are there any technology innovations, gadgets, devices, software, that you found most interesting in 2018?
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How long can Zuckerberg afford to bankroll the AR/VR market?
TechCrunch LA
FEBRUARY 6, 2022
Hello friends, and welcome back to Week in Review ! This writeup from industry analyst Karl Guttag showcases how Magic Leap has turned away from several of the key technologies it raised billions of dollars to develop with its latest hardware which he nevertheless believes will “blow away” the HoloLens 2 in image quality.
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Three Factors Which Intoxicate Venture Capitalists - Why Your Startup Will (Probably) Not Raise Venture Capital Funding
InfoChachkie
AUGUST 29, 2011
However, the fact that nearly half of all venture funding in the United States consistently occurs in Silicon Valley is shocking. This concentration is partly due to natural causes – successful startups spawn other successful startups. Thanks Mr. Big Firm VC. SECTOR: Software, Energy, Bio Or Bust. Do The Math.
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If You Don’t Respect Your Customers You Won’t Be Successful
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 7, 2014
I had dinner this week with a top new customer at one of our enterprise software investments. I wish I did more enterprise software investing because when I attend meetings like this I realize that this is my core DNA – rolling out business software solutions to customers. Contrast that with a VC conversation I had.
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WTF is Traction? A 6-Step Relationship Guide to VC
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 8, 2009
This is part of my ongoing series “Pitching a VC&# – the outline is here. You’ve pitched several angels and VC’s. Your friends and advisers tell you that this means you need revenue because in this economy VC’s will only fund businesses with revenue. Unfortunately your advisers are wrong.
Venture Capital 309
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Tortuga Logic, Co-Founded By UCSD, UCSB Profs, Raises $2M For Hardware Security
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 17, 2017
Tortuga Logic , a new startup focused on chip-level cybersecurity technology whose founders include professors from UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, has raised $2M in a seed funding, the company disclosed on Thursday. The seed funding came from Eclipse Ventures.
Software Review 124
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VC Confessions: We Passed On Twilio’s Seed Round
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. Tech Diligence - Consider The Source. What’s The Worst Mistake?
Venture Capital 100
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CapLinked, Startup America Tie On Startup Fundraising
socalTECH
AUGUST 1, 2012
CapLinked's site allows companies to manage due diligence documents, shareholder communications, finding investors, and more; the firm said it now has over 135,000 users using its site. CapLinked is headed by Eric M. READ MORE>>.
Technical Review 153
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SpotOn raises $300M at a $3.15B valuation and acquires Appetize
TechCrunch LA
SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
Fast forward to almost exactly one year later, and a lot has changed for the payments and software startup. Since its 2017 inception, SpotOn has been focused on providing software and payments technology to SMBs with an emphasis on restaurants and retail businesses.
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2010 VC Funding Outlook for Startups – Prepare for Winter (Part 3/3)
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 1, 2009
In the first post in this three part series I described why I believe the VC market froze between September 2008 – April 2009. I’m not a doomsday guy, but just believe that we won’t see a V shaped recovery, which could make VC funding more difficult for tech start-ups (don’t shoot the messenger!).
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Choose Your VC Investor Carefully
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. Let me explain.
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What You Missed On Your Holiday Vacation, SoCal Technology Edition
socalTECH
JANUARY 7, 2013
Independa ($5M, San Diego, software for senior independence). Southern California's Most Popular Tech Stories. LaunchpadLA Opens Up Spring Applications. In the latest roundup of fundings (big few weeks for San Diego, apparently): PatientSafe Solutions ($20M, San Diego, mobile health). Ignyta ($6M, San Diego, personalized medicine).
Does the Size of a VC Fund Matter?
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 2, 2010
This is part of my series on Understanding Venture Capital. I’m writing this series because if you better understand how VC firms work you can better target which firms make sense for you to speak with. It in not uncommon to see a VC talk about “total assets under management&# as in “We have $1.5
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Ryan Blair, HashtagOne: From Gang Member, To Entrepreneur, To Anti-VC
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). I'm a bit of an anti-VC, as you know. As a result, I really saw Visalus as a technology company.
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What’s Really Going on in the VC Industry? What Does it Mean for Startups?
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.
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311 5 Reasons to Seek Geographic Diversity in a Venture Portfolio
Xconomy
DECEMBER 6, 2018
Call them tech hubs or startup capitals, they are drawing in our nation’s venture capital dollars. But when it comes to new investments, venture capitalists can’t be so short-sighted. Silicon Valley. New York City. The opportunities beyond these markets may be richer than many realize.
Retro: My Favorite Blog Post on Raising VC
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. And covered we did.
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274 CapLinked Lands New Funding Round
socalTECH
JUNE 21, 2012
The new round included Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Andrej Henkler (formerly of Bertelsman), and early stage technology investor Joe Kalfa. Jackson, and allows companies to share due diligence documents, updates, and other information to investors. The firm said the funding brings its total raised to $1.8M.
Technical Review 113
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Meet the Investors & Tech Leaders Judging at Startup Night SXSW 2018
Tech.Co
MARCH 8, 2018
Fortunately, for those headed to SXSW, Startup Night SXSW 2018 , presented by the Kauffman Foundation and TechCo, will be filled with investors from a multitude of industries who are looking to discover and fund startups building the latest solutions and tech innovations. Ashley Bowling, Founding Member of NextGen Venture Partners.
How DogVacay Literally Saved my Thanksgiving
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 6, 2013
They can read reviews, see pictures and even talk to the family before confirming. I typed in my brothers zip code and ton of houses popped up in his area and I was able to search out on a map view. I then clicked on reviews, looked at pictures and read the owners descriptions of what they were looking for. I registered.
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Reflections on 2019: Kelly Perdew, Moonshots Capital
socalTECH
DECEMBER 23, 2019
Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Kelly Perdew , the founder and Managing Director of Moonshots Capital (www.moonshotscapital.com).
Capital 100
100 How to Make Sure Professional Services Don’t Take Over Your Software Company
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 21, 2013
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. You don’t want to run the risk that having a PS business that takes your eye of off the ball of growing a large software business. That is the software business. rollout support.
Software Review 321
321 Insights: How The Subscription Economy is Changing Business
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 2, 2015
For today''s Insights and Opinions section, where we feature contributions from our readers and others in the community, we have Peter Cowen , a veteran of the technology and venture capital industry at Clear Capital Advisors. peter cowen insights opinions subscription essay review economy' READ MORE>>.
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Nowadays puts its spin on plant-based nuggets
TechCrunch LA
APRIL 18, 2022
The alternative protein space is hot, hot, hot as evidenced by both the number of companies developing products and the venture capital going into the space. The latest company to attract venture capital is Nowadays , a company founded in San Francisco in 2020 as a Public Benefit Corporation by Max Elder and Dominik Grabinski.
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Startups have about $1 trillion worth of reasons to love the Biden infrastructure plan
TechCrunch LA
MARCH 31, 2021
The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Fables of the reconstruction.
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A Chat With Jamie Montgomery On How LA's Tech Ecosystem Has Grown
socalTECH
MARCH 1, 2017
Next week is the Montgomery Summit (www.montgomerysummit.com), one of the longest running technology conferences held in Los Angeles. The conference is run by Jamie Montgomery , one of the local industry's pioneers in venture capital and investment. What most excites you about the technology industry here today?
Technical Review 100
100 New York’s SeedInvest Raises $1 Million To Grow Crowdfunding Platform
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 1, 2013
According to Harjinder Sidhu, of Jacaranda Ventures,”SeedInvest is opening up new opportunities for a vast population of accredited investors, and will bring enormous amounts of new capital to startups. Set to Empower Angel groups and VC’s. Apps & Software Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Startups'
Q3 Venture Investments For SoCal Total Around $1.0 Billion
socalTECH
OCTOBER 4, 2010
Southern California venture totals for Q3 totaled around $1.0 billion in investments, according to the Q3 analysis of venture capital deals by socalTECH.com. in investments, followed by Retail Products, at $140M, and Software, at $77.8M. billion invested in Q2.
AI Chip Startup Mythic Reaps $40M from SoftBank, Lockheed Venture Arms
Xconomy
MARCH 20, 2018
Mythic , which last year unveiled its novel computer chip designed for artificial intelligence, announced today that it has raised $40 million in a Series B fundraising round led by the venture capital arm of Japanese telecom and tech giant SoftBank.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Software Patents
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 27, 2014
I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. Yes, the software patent process is a mess. I say this with conviction even after I survived the process, and have a software patent pending. Software technology changes rapidly.
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Graphcore Scores $200M to Scale Up A.I. Chip Production
Xconomy
DECEMBER 18, 2018
The Bristol, UK-based startup, founded in 2016, has now secured a total of more than $300 million in financing from venture capital firms and other investors including Microsoft and the corporate venture arms of BMW and Dell Technologies.
Is Silicon Valley Really Coming to an End?
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 27, 2012
David encourages entrepreneurs to stay away from the big tech firms (such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) because they are hard to compete with. I believe entrepreneurs should, in David’s words, “build big businesses on the outskirts” but I don’t believe that Silicon Valley tech giants will outmaneuver startups.
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10 Keys To Surviving Startup Cash Flow Requirements
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. Bartering technically means exchanging goods or services as a substitute for money. Only one-third make it past their tenth anniversary.
Startup 136
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Brad Feld Drops Knowledge. Here’s What He Said …
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 13, 2011
My initial desire to blog came from something that’s always been my approach to investing – I’m a nerd and I love to play with the technology and part of my approach has really been to understand things both at a user level and at a reasonably deep tentacle level. If you are outside internet software we are not going to invest.
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Mitchell International Gets Private Equity Funding
socalTECH
APRIL 26, 2018
San Diego-based Mitchell International , a provider of technology and information products for the property and casualty and collision repair industries, has scored a private equity funding from Stone Point Capital. Size of the investment was not announced. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co.
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KPCB has already blown through much of the $600 million it raised last year
TechCrunch LA
JANUARY 29, 2020
Kleiner Perkins , one of the most storied franchises in venture capital, has already invested much of the $600 million it raised last year and is now going back out to the market to raise its 19th fund, according to multiple sources. Mamoon Hamid is heading from Social Capital to Kleiner Perkins. We went out to market to LPs.
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164 Are Business Plans Still Necessary?
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 3, 2009
This is part of my ongoing series of posts and I need to file this one under both Raising Venture Capital and Startup Advice. That died with waterfall software development. I’m not even talking about your 12-page Powerpoint presentation that you need to raise venture capital or to talk with potential biz dev partners.
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334 13 Ecosystem Builders That Are Boosting Startup Growth
Tech.Co
MAY 25, 2018
If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur, technology has served you well. The barriers to entry when it comes to launching a company require less tension and a lot less capital. In 2006, a passion to help startups grew into Tech Cocktail , a company whose mission was to showcased burgeoning companies in bars around the country.
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