Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

This morning we heard from Jamie Montgomery, CEO of the venerable Montgomery & Co investment bank who is at the heart of what is going on in M&A for venture backed companies. I have to admit that I was greatly encouraged by Jamie’s outlook for venture backed companies, which if true will be a welcome relief for our industry.

Venture Capital 241

Venture Capital Technical Review Southern California Company 241

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

An alternate outcome that I also unfortunately observe in some cases are companies who had extreme early success with an initial product adoption but failed in key areas that limited the growth and therefore the ultimate financial outcomes. I see many companies that don’t make this transition well.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2014

Employees and customers alike are looking for meaning, not simply employment and commodity prices. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories. Companies can use this strategy to improve their profitability and competitive advantage. Doing business is a human process.

Startup 91

Startup Organization Pricing Customer 91

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

IPOs in 2008, the market was up to a still trivial 128 in 2012 (compared to 675 in 1996). I reviewed a good summary of the advantages and disadvantages of an IPO exit strategy for startups in a widely-used textbook “ Entrepreneurship ,” by Robert Hisrich, Michael Peters, and Dean Shepherd. After a record low of 39 U.S. Loss of control.

Startup 89

Startup Entrepreneur Report Summary 89

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

It’s nearly impossible to get a services company financed by VCs. They feel very confident they can hit $18 – 20 million in 2012. And stop effing around trying to create a product company.&#. You’re a small fish. Why Shouldn’t Most Services Businesses Raise VC?

Services 332

Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

So the industry formed around a day of the week when all partners could avoid having company board meetings or traveling. Valuations were enormous relative to progress in companies. Companies with less than $2 million in revenue were asking for $50-60 million valuations and getting them. tl;dr summary. Cut where needed.

Marketing 305

Marketing Venture Capital Funding Technical Review 305

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 18, 2015

In 2012 I penned an article called “ It’s Morning in VC ” that highlighted many of these trends and in 2014 I published a series of data in this VC SlideShare presentation of “ Why VC is Much More Compelling ” now, which updated many of our earlier analysis. Here is the Wikipedia definition of a bubble.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Pricing Platform Marketing 150