Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

The core of the investing job of course is investing dollars into startup companies and helping as a mentor, advisor and board member on the companies in which you’ve invested. For example, we’re now already well into our third growth fund that we started in 2015 (the first returned 2x cash in 3.5 I’m only 52!

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Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2015

Image via Flickr by Jupiter Labs Many first-time entrepreneurs find themselves unable to bootstrap their startups, and also unable to find early funding at the venture capital level or even with angel investors. The average amount per startup was $23,000, usually in the form of a convertible loan, rather than an equity investment.

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

The speaks to the continued confidence in the venture capital markets and as I had predicted some time ago the VC markets right now are a great place to invest – especially relative to other places to put one’s money. Our last fund we raised was in 2012 and we began investing it in April of 2012. But that’s it.

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Venture Capital Funding Technical Review Startup 396

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2023

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. Way back in 2015, the Kickstarter Pebble smartwatch raised $20.3 These groups are now largely run by volunteers at no cost to entrepreneurs.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. Way back in 2015, the Kickstarter Pebble smartwatch raised $20.3 Early crowdfunding successes have been undeniable. Risk is increased.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

But the reality is that “global warming” massively blunted the effects of winter and my prognosis for VC fundings of entrepreneurs in 2017–2018 is now very sunny indeed. So VCs made fewer investments at lower prices and generally on terms that were more favorable to investors relative to 2015. billion into Uber.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2017

More recently, the desire for extra income has become the key driver in new startups, according to a 2015 study. Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. Of course, even lifestyle entrepreneurs want to be happy, and want their business to be “successful.” According to William R.

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Entrepreneur Startup Equity Course 69

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2016

According to the fund, it tallied up Series A investment rounds across the country, finding that there were five, female-led companies that raised Series A fundings in Los Angeles last year, or 13 percent of deals for the year, compared with only 16 Series A fundings of companies led by females in the Bay Area in 2015. READ MORE>>.

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StartUp Beat

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Grigori Mikayelyan was a failed and an aspiring entrepreneur; furnished with a new idea – and determined to make a success of it – he became a Lyft driver to conduct customer research with his passengers. Mikayelyan was determined to test the idea properly before investing “a penny” in it.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

To do so we need entrepreneurs who can build companies that scale well in booming markets and also control costs appropriate in correcting markets. We also are dependent on money, advice and support of many of our friends & colleagues in the venture industry who co-invest with us in nearly every deal we do.

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socalTECH

JANUARY 5, 2015

We are looking forward to this year''s Silicon Beach Fest 2015 continuing these themes and being bigger, adding more international, biotech, and more. At the end of 2013, we were excited when there was an investment round of $20M to $30M. Watch for more in 2015. What technologies are you looking at in 2015? READ MORE>>'

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Cornerstone OnDemand Belkin Entertainment Newsletter 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 6, 2017

Los Angeles-based venture investment firm CrossCut Ventures (www.crosscut.vc) announced this morning that it has raised its fourth fund, CrossCut 4 , a brand new, $125M early stage investment fund. We spoke with one of the firm's four Managing Directors, Clinton Foy , about the big new fund and its investments.

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Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 19, 2016

Coming up with a new idea, and launching your startup is one thing, three entrepreneurs do this every second. 2016 looks set to be a sobering year for the growth of startups in the world in contrast with the highs of 2015. The post How Entrepreneurs Avoid Stagnation And Scale Their Startups appeared first on TechZulu.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

Limited Partners (LPs) who invest in VC funds have continued to pour money into venture – with the market returning to pre-recession levels. Don’t be fooled by the slight dip in 2015 – the size of funds & timing of deals in market in any year can skew the data set. Some Likely Conclusions.

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Venture Capital Startup Course Marketing 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A popular myth these days is that successful entrepreneurs must attract investors to get their businesses going, when the reality has been that more than 80 percent of new businesses are started and grown with no outside investment at all. The first question from most investors is the size of your own investment.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2015

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. The average valuation for angel investments is $2 million, which will get you $500,000 for 20 percent of your startup. Are you flexible on the terms of the investment?

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InfoChachkie

JANUARY 25, 2016

Unfortunately, the coming market correction will reverberate to all stages of venture investing. The constant media coverage of the aberrant unicorn valuations has caused otherwise level-headed entrepreneurs to expect investors to participate at prices which are detached from their startups’ fundamentals. Find A Partner Not A Banker.

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socalTECH

MAY 25, 2016

Santa Monica-based March Capital Partners (www.marchcp.com) has just announced a brand new, $240M venture investment fund, led by longtime venture investing veterans Jim Armstrong, Sumant Mandal, Gregory Milken and Jamie Montgomery. What is the investment focus for this fund? It's all about the entrepreneur.

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InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2019

Even Salesforce abandoned it’s silly “No Software” tagline, after the company had to explain in 2015 that it meant, “No legacy software, just cloud software.”. You’re not a SaaS entrepreneur, you’re a software entrepreneur. You’re not a SaaS company, you’re a software company. ASP To SaaS To Software.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Most entrepreneurs looking for an investor can tell you how much money they need, but few have given much thought to what they are willing to give up for it. Here is a summary of the key terms to expect on the term sheet, or the contract between the founder and investor: Consideration given for the money invested.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. Equity investing is very risky, but huge returns are possible if you pick the next Facebook, but failure means your entire investment is lost. In the U.S.,

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Venture Capital Angel Satisfaction Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2015

Most new entrepreneurs assume that great investors will find their startups based on the compelling solution the founders have created. Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to optimize their investment strategies early, based on time and dollar costs, as well as odds of success. There are just too many scams.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

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Tech Zulu Event

JULY 21, 2015

Hundreds of founders, speakers, mentors, and students flocked to the University of Southern California on March 28 th , 2015 to be inspired by female entrepreneurs. As a founding partner of SoGal Ventures , Pocket will now influence the next generation of startups and entrepreneurs worldwide, helping many amazing females along the way.

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Entrepreneur Southern California Conference Startup 40

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. Most investors won’t touch a first-time entrepreneur at this stage. Yet, they often provide similar small seed investments, similar to those of accelerators. A micro venture capital firm.

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Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2016

I had blogged when I was an entrepreneur. In 2015 I opened up my Facebook page to the public. But how can you invest in technology unless you’re going to use the tools and understand them? In 2007 I started using Twitter and most of my friends & colleagues wondered why people would care what I ate for lunch.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. Investors are business experts, while the entrepreneur is more likely the product expert. Immediate investment requirements and use of funds. Potential investor return calculation and exit strategy.

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Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Since investors tend to invest in people, more than the idea, the personnel review is normally the highest priority item.

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Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2015

When an entrepreneur first incorporates his or her business, he or she may find him or herself the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares. every entrepreneur should incorporate early and file an 83(b) election with the IRS within 30 days of founding the company. In the U.S.,

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Startup Entrepreneur Acquisition Demand 99

Xconomy

OCTOBER 25, 2016

According to the National Venture Capital Association and PitchBook , this past quarter $15 billion was invested in 1,810 deals , which compares unfavorably to both the prior quarter ($22.1 billion, 2,034 deals) and the third quarter of 2015 ($21.1 What is most interesting is the activity beneath the headline data.

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Venture Capital Capital Activity Invest 40

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2016

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. In 2015, the new Kickstarter Pebble smartwatch raised $20.3 These groups are now largely run by volunteers at no cost to entrepreneurs.

Equity 54

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Demand 54

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

Entrepreneurs often ask me why investors expect financial projections for a new startup even before the product is built and while the market is still being defined. You shouldn’t invest in an undefined business. Think about the valuation implications and equity you are willing to give up for each investment amount.

Startup 107

Startup Equity Invest Acquisition 107

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2015

You thought media twitter was bad… You thought tech twitter was bad… — Hunter Walk (@hunterwalk) August 24, 2015. So why invest in that period of uncertainty unless it’s early-stage and thus valuation matters less. If the next 30 days stays calm then investment will pick up. So, too, investments.

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Marketing Venture Capital Startup Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

As a startup advisor, when I suggest cooperating with competitors, most entrepreneurs initially think I'm crazy or suggesting something illegal. These are simple cooperation agreements, but many entrepreneurs are too proud or busy to consider them as a growth opportunity. And growth is the lifeblood of every startup.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2015

Yet, as an advisor to startups, I see some common disasters, and recommend some anticipation and recovery moves that can save every entrepreneur some painful time and money. While every entrepreneur needs to remain upbeat and optimistic on all of these, it is also smart to anticipate the worst case scenarios that are possible with each.

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Startup Entrepreneur Marketing Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2015

Every entrepreneur is quick to tell friends and potential investors about his or her vision of changing the world, about all the customers who have expressed an interest, and about all the other investors who are lining up to get a piece of the action. Many entrepreneurs feel they need to spend more money to increase traction.

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

and I thought if we brought the community together for common purpose we could create more of a sense of community to help new entrepreneurs get funded, assemble teams, raise profiles and help with biz dev, product, etc. She joined Mesa Global where she is doing both venture capital and investment banking. So we went for it.

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