Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. One of them is profitability.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

While there is much discussion about VCs starting to pull back on their investments into startups, the LPs we surveyed don’t expect to slow the pace of investment into VC funds themselves – at least for the foreseeable future. …But LPs Have Been Putting Out More Money Than They Are Getting Back.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Marketing Seed Funding 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

When you raise money from investors you produce information that you are told they want and care about: A fund-raising deck that articulates your company strategy, plans, team, market, competitors and so forth. These collective sets of documents form the basis of what somebody looking at investing would call “financial due diligence.”

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 8, 2015

We come to the end of this cycle of insights with a thought about how you might view your successful exit from the company you have spent so much effort to build. Email readers, continue here…] First there comes a sense of relief, knowing that you no longer need to worry over daily cash or threats to your net worth.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Writing .Net Sales 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

Investor and customer attention spans are short, and both will write you off quickly. This statement leaves no confusion in the minds of investors, or customers, of what the company does and how it is different (and better) than the competition. The net value of this solution from the customer’s perspective.

.Net 73

.Net Examples Customer Custom 73

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

This is a blog post I really didn’t want to write. I didn’t want to write it because I have mixed feelings about AngelList. I didn’t want to write it because the bloggosphere doesn’t always do nuance well. So why I am writing it then? Most VCs fund companies with a degree of traction.

Venture Capital 267

Venture Capital Writing Blogging Startup 267

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

70–80% of the costs of most startups are employee costs so what you’re really talking about when a company is unprofitable is that they are growing their staff ahead of their revenue. Are you looking to potentially sell the company in the next year or two? I often ask entrepreneurs to consider, “What’s your objective?

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2011

Investor in Twitter, Foursquare, DISQUS, and (by Naval’s own admission) “a lot of other companies you have never heard of”. 5) Rincon Venture Partners recently invested in The Resumator , which we identified via AngelList. When great companies really hit, all the investors want in and there isn’t enough room.

Startup 273

Startup Software Review Summary Technical Review 273

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 16, 2011

After 4 years of retail she went to “the other side of the business&# working for a clothing brand where she sold apparel to department stores and other companies. Invested in “ Catch a Fire ,&# which is a business that helps people (mostly women) connect with pro bono opportunities where they can put their skills to use.

Startup 311

Startup Sales Venture Capital Entrepreneur 311

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

And she didn’t start her company in Northern California. Tracy built her company, Recycled Media , out of necessity. She drove her company to profitability before paying herself a modest salary. She put all of her savings into her company. In one year of Airbnb Tracy netted more than $28,000.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. Selling at smaller retailers will net you fewer customers and higher margins.

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” I hear it when I visit LPs (the people who invest in VCs) all across the country, “Yeah, I haven’t been out there for a few years but I keep hearing that something is going on there.” Both are massively funding other LA tech companies through what Fred Wilson once defined as “recycled capital.”

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

This latest round valued the company in excess of a billion dollars, entering them into the overly-hyped Unicorn Club. In the startup world, the former happens when a VC makes a bad investment, and the latter occurs when they miss a great opportunity. Yet most VC's bury their failures under six feet of denial. Unicornless.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

The result is that the Main Street Venture Fund consistently has more money available than good opportunities for investment. After considering about 200 investment opportunities over the past two years, we have established a decision making process to identify trophy entrepreneurs and startups. Participation. Partnership.

Funding 106

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Activity 106

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2009

Mark has also been quite active mentoring entrepreneurs, We caught up with Mark to hear about what kinds of investments GRP is looking at nowadays, his view on the software-as-a-service market, and how best to approach him with a pitch. We invested in Overture, which was sold for $1.2

GRP Partners 157

GRP Partners Southern California Santa Barbara Rustic Canyon 157

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Men have dominated the world of investment. There were only 22% women who invested in 2012. Natalia Oberti Noguera is on a mission to help change the demographic of investment with her Pipeline Fellowship. TechZulu speaks with Natalia about Pipeline Foundation and her goals to change the face of business and investment.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2013

Cash is king when it comes to the financial management of a growing company, so this is not the place for shortcuts and sloppy practices. No matter how small your company is today, there are more moving financial parts than you can manage dynamically in your head. You can be on budget, and still run out of cash.

Startup 114

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 114

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

It has historically been the case that VCs would rather fund the promise of 100x in a company with almost no revenue than the reality of a company growing at 50% but doing $20+ million in sales. sold to Disney for $670 million and since our first investment was at < $10 million valuation we did quite well. Maker Studios?—?sold

Venture Capital 363

Venture Capital Capital Funding Startup 363

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

Cash is king when it comes to the financial management of a growing company, so diligence is required. No matter how small your company is today, there are more moving financial parts than you can manage dynamically in your head. You can be on budget, and still run out of cash. Bankers and investors hate negative surprises.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

We’ve worried together about the moral obligation implicit in taking such investments from people so close, even with their promise never to expect a return. There is an exemption from the requirements that these investors be accredited with net worth or income minimums to qualify legally to invest in your company.

Equity 156

Equity Technical Review Class Organization 156

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

Working with professional athletes combined with my natural leadership ability and experience in business development makes me uniquely suited to lead a technology company in the health and fitness industry. David Cohen from TechStars, someone I look up to as an entrepreneur, says that they don’t invest in ideas, but teams.

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

That said, there are times where you need to cast a wider net. I want to judge whether they’re really committed to my company or not. By everybody I mean your lawyers, theirs and the VCs or whoever the client is (maybe a company acquiring you). When you want to sell your company one day – the same rule applies.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2009

My firm GRP Partners recently funded a young LA based company named Ad.Ly that is an “in-stream advertising&# company currently focused on monetizing Twitter. Traditional media companies published their stories on the web. Advertising has driven the majority of Internet innovation. was the “static&# web.

Ideas 286

Ideas Advertising Google Technical Review 286

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2021

This allowed him to learn enough from all his early mistakes to hit it big ($10 million revenue) with a global beauty tools company called Tweezerman. Don't invest in anything you don't need. Write down agreements. Get in the habit of thinking like a company founder and get promises in writing. Keep it simple.

Entrepreneur 121

Entrepreneur Writing .Net Commerce 121

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

So I thought I’d write a post about how I drive my personal creativity. (A This applies equally to VCs, startups & big company executives. The key is channeling what you learn when you drive onto paper for retention purposes so you have to write it down soon afterward. So no whinging about what a long post this is!

Writing 356

Writing Startup Ideas Summary 356

SoCal CTO

MARCH 22, 2007

I am in the middle of writing up some of my thoughts on this and will post about it and let you know. I have to say that it has netted far more than I would have thought. . * Im constantly frustrated by conversations that take place in discussion groups that cant cross the border into the blog world. And, I dont like to copy and paste.

Blogging 150

Blogging CTO Coach CTO Hire Southern California 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2018

This allowed him to learn enough from all his early mistakes to hit it big ($10 million revenue) with a global beauty tools company called Tweezerman. Don't invest in anything you don't need. Write down agreements. Get in the habit of thinking like a company founder and get promises in writing. Keep it simple.

Writing 97

Writing .Net Commerce Entrepreneur 97

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2016

This allowed him to learn enough from all his early mistakes to hit it big ($10 million revenue) with a global beauty tools company called Tweezerman. Don't invest in anything you don't need. Write down agreements. Get in the habit of thinking like a company founder and get promises in writing. Keep it simple.

Writing 96

Writing .Net Commerce Entrepreneur 96

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2019

Be sure to net out the opportunity and the solution in the first thirty seconds. Remember, investors or interested in acquiring a piece of your company, so keep the focus on the attractiveness of the company, rather than the product. Make it light, but factual. Prepare a business plan 20-page document.

Ideas 126

Ideas Slides Sample Examples 126

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

Such attorneys can also add tremendous value in your negotiations with Big Dumb Companies (BDCs), as they can ensure that you focus on the deal points that are of most significance to a small entity. He or she must be willing to fight for your company and go toe-to-toe with your investors. Sometimes You Do Get What You Pay For.

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

In my Twitter bio is says that I’m “ looking to invest in passionate entrepreneurs ,” which almost sounds like I was just looking for a cliché soundbite to describe myself. Yet along with “authenticity” they are two of the key attributes I look for when I meet with companies I may consider funding one day.

Startup 419

Startup Entrepreneur Design Funding 419

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2013

This allowed him to learn enough from all his early mistakes to hit it big ($10 million revenue) with a global beauty tools company called Tweezerman. Don't invest in anything you don't need. Write down agreements. Get in the habit of thinking like a company founder and get promises in writing. Keep it simple.

Startup 98

Startup Writing .Net Commerce 98

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2009

This was pre Venture Hacks so not a lot of help on terms on the Net. But it was my second company so I had already learned all o f the lessons the hard way. Chris writes that early-stage deals should have: Founder vesting w/ acceleration on change of control. I’m putting millions of dollars in your company.

Funding 252

Funding Venture Capital Startup Blogging 252

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

This allowed him to learn enough from all his early mistakes to hit it big with a global beauty tools company called Tweezerman. Don't invest in anything you don't need. From the dollar you gave to the homeless guy on the way to meet a prospective client, to the new tie you bought to look professional, write down every single penny.

Writing 99

Writing .Net Commerce Entrepreneur 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

This allowed him to learn enough from all his early mistakes to hit it big with a global beauty tools company called Tweezerman. Don't invest in anything you don't need. From the dollar you gave to the homeless guy on the way to meet a prospective client, to the new tie you bought to look professional, write down every single penny.

Writing 103

Writing Entrepreneur .Net Commerce 103

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 10, 2011

some fun, big tech issues like privacy, net neutrality, location-based services and real-time data. A very big thanks to Alexandra Harris, the founder of FanCause , a company that aims to connect entertainment brands with their fans to raise money. lessons learned from his days as an entrepreneur. Sounds like a noble cause.

Angel 302

Angel Startup Ideas .Net 302

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 13, 2010

I’ve always believed that you learn a great deal when you’re presenting, teaching or writing about what you know. Part of the reason I always found presenting to people so compelling is that it forced me to put into writing (a PowerPoint deck) what I thought I knew about a topic. It’s just my writing style.

Blogging 250

Blogging Social Media Writing Startup 250