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Praying to the God of Valuation

Both Sides of the Table

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? Until we weren’t.

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Some Reflections on VC Investment Decisions

Both Sides of the Table

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). They worry too much about missing out on a deal.

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Spotting, Nurturing and Mentoring Talent – The Power of Troy Carter

Both Sides of the Table

I recently sat down with Troy Carter to talk about what he does and why he believes it is applicable to venture capital. And more recently he has turned that into a fund called CrossCulture VC such that many in Silicon Valley and beyond now know Troy as well. Same with Gaga. “It was a series of inflection points.

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How to Avoid Being Disrupted as a VC

Both Sides of the Table

My partner Greg Bettinelli (worth following on Twitter) was recently named by The LA Business Journal as the “ Top deal maker in Los Angeles in Venture Capital.” And Greg has had the most influence on Upfront Ventures’ strategy since he joined. From 2007-2012 I scoured LA constantly. I sat on panels.

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How I Got the Monkey Off My Back – Today Was a Good Day

Both Sides of the Table

I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago. Working with early-stage teams : coaching, mentoring, setting strategy, rolling up sleeves: 9/10. years ago. None have exited.

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As Populist as it May Feel, 98% of VCs Aren’t Dumb

Both Sides of the Table

But VC is like congress. “I don’t know the exact math, but I hear it again and again: the top 2% of firms generate 98% of the returns in venture capital.” As you can see from the chart their data suggests there are about $25 billion of VC distributions per year in the US. Their data looks at tech VCs.

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iChange Finds $500K More

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MacFarlane is the former CEO of InsiderPages, which he sold to Citysearch in 2007. iChange has previously raised funding from business mentoring firm and incubator Momentum Ventures. iChange has previously raised funding from business mentoring firm and incubator Momentum Ventures. READ MORE>>.