Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2021

As a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I don’t believe that it is only a birthright, and there are several key strategies, including the following, that you can learn and practice which will lead to success: Give your own judgement a high priority in decisions. Demonstrate integrity and strong ethics in all activities.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Course Satisfaction Guide 132

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Union Square Ventures (USV) has been one of the most successful venture capital firms of the past 10–15 years and continues to be a leader in our industry. This has worked out tremendously well for us as I still have my mentor guiding the firm and he gets to look for deals that can have a massive impact on society and on returns for our LPs.

Venture Capital 161

Venture Capital Funding Capital Startup 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Your brain has leveled all events and activities into a desert of sand dunes, where just getting from one to another is a struggle, and there is nothing new to see over the next hill. Ask a mentor for support. Choose a friend or mentor (not your spouse) whom you trust to tell you the truth, and ask for help.

Startup 82

Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 82

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

If you’re an early investor like I am that often means writing the first $2-3 million check into a business that previously had either survived on fumes or on a $500,000 angel round. In a VC business when you raise additional capital you need to “level up” and act the round you are. But at what cost?

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

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 know I can’t be in every deal and I know that the easy part of being a VC is writing the first check in a deal. If an accelerator is writing you they’re also writing 25 other VCs.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

Your brain has leveled all events and activities into a desert of sand dunes, where just getting from one to another is a struggle, and there is nothing new to see over the next hill. Ask a mentor for support. Choose a friend or mentor (not your spouse) whom you trust to tell you the truth, and ask for help.

Startup 61

Startup Product Mentor Satisfaction 61

InfoChachkie

MARCH 10, 2014

Jackson Brown sat at his kitchen table, pulled out a pad of paper and began writing advice to his son, who had just entered college. Become someone''s hero - when someone asks you to be their mentor, smile and say, "I would be honored.". Strive for excellence, not perfection - activity beats contemplation, seven days a week.

Competition 274

Competition Mentor Entrepreneur Startup 274

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2013

Your brain has leveled all events and activities into a desert of sand dunes, where just getting from one to another is a struggle, and there is nothing new to see over the next hill. Ask a mentor for support. Choose a friend or mentor (not your spouse) whom you trust to tell you the truth, and ask for help.

Startup 101

Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 101

InfoChachkie

JUNE 9, 2015

To better understand how the accelerator world has matured beyond Demo Da, I sought out Jason Denenberg, former partner at Angel Capital Group, and current Director of Entrepreneurship at Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN). Savvy entrepreneurs - seek out programs which incorporate these post-graduation activities.

Startup 100

Startup Class LAMP Santa Barbara 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

Given how efficient markets are when a large market like LA starts to blossom it attracts capital pretty quickly. billion in venture capital to LA’s technology startups and 2014 will shatter that figure. Both are massively funding other LA tech companies through what Fred Wilson once defined as “recycled capital.”

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2012

Your brain has leveled all events and activities into a desert of sand dunes, where just getting from one to another is a struggle, and there is nothing new to see over the next hill. Ask a mentor for support. Choose a friend or mentor (not your spouse) whom you trust to tell you the truth, and ask for help.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Satisfaction 97

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

A huge shout out to Ricky Wong of NYCSteals for helping me with the write-up. He grew up in Connecticut attended Yale undergrad and worked for IBM after graduation doing M&A, strategy and venture capital. Seth’s interest in helping others grew out of his lack of having a mentor. Why did you pursue an MBA at Stanford?

Startup 286

Startup Venture Capital Web Ideas 286

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

In the original version of his post, Andy writes. “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.” According to FLAG Capital there are 100 active VCs (as defined by making at least $1 million in VC per quarter for 4 consecutive quarters).

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

Sending the zeros and ones into the air was the same and sending nutrients into your mitochondria, except that at Visalus, it was not capital intensive like it was at SkyPipeline. It was really the same business, but with less capital. Ryan Blair: I took $20M of personal capital to start the fund. So where is the fund now?

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 100

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2009

GRP has just recently closed on a new $200M fund, and Mark has been one of the more active venture capitalists in the Los Angeles area in recent months. We have a regional focus here, and the market is underserved in venture capital, yet it's the second largest metropolis and DMA in the country. We'll even write a half a million check.

GRP Partners 157

GRP Partners Southern California Santa Barbara Rustic Canyon 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2017

Based on my current role as a mentor to entrepreneurs, I will paraphrase and recommend Whiddon’s top techniques in business terms: Build an image of likability and rapport. You can also establish authority by writing and public speaking. We all relish working with and buying from people we can relate to on a personal level.

Social Media 58

Social Media Customer Custom Entrepreneur 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2011

Your brain has leveled all events and activities into a desert of sand dunes, where just getting from one to another is a struggle, and there is nothing new to see over the next hill. Ask a mentor for support. Choose a friend or mentor (not your spouse) whom you trust to tell you the truth, and ask for help.

Startup 84

Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 84

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

A trophy investor is a great coach and mentor, sometimes providing the only shoulder an entrepreneur can cry on during difficult times. This mentoring can be particularly useful to the entrepreneur working through the personality issues that tend to dominate start up companies. Entrepreneurship is inherently full of mood swings.

Entrepreneur 83

Entrepreneur Mentor Invest Angel 83

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Huge thank you to Steve De Long for the write up. Yeah, that was when I changed for me…” “…there was so much positive feedback on demystifying this one element of venture capital. Brad’s start in Venture Capital. Venture Capital in Boulder and other smaller communities. “So Or, as always, summary notes available below.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2017

In my long-time role as a mentor and business advisor, I still see too many people who are waiting to be found as a candidate for their dream role, or waiting for investors to find their startup. Of course, she assumes that you are confident and courageous, and willing to capitalize on all your strengths and opportunities to market yourself.

Startup 55

Startup Organization Newsletter Content 55

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2010

Your brain has leveled all events and activities into a desert of sand dunes, where just getting from one to another is a struggle, and there is nothing new to see over the next hill. Ask a mentor for support. Choose a friend or mentor (not your spouse) whom you trust to tell you the truth, and ask for help.

Startup 48

Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 48

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

We write and create our own content for the game. Bill founded Idealab to create and build successful businesses that capitalize on innovations in areas with significant growth opportunities, including the Internet. Rapid Fire Trivia is a game owned and operated by Danger Room Gaming. Silver Sponsor.

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

As of writing, my twin and I serve as the Co-CEOs and Co-Presidents at LAGbook. Who are your mentors, role models? We don’t have mentors at the moment. Students will create a social circle that mimics their social activities in school. LAGbook is based in Lagos-Nigeria, with operations in Yaba and Festac Town.

Social Network 100

Social Network Networking Advertising Startup 100

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

How To Pitch A Product - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , August 4, 2010 I've said a bunch of times on this blog that the perfect pitch is a very short intro to provide context followed immediately by a demo. We had to write a CRM to keep track of them all. More tiers = more complication = more confusion. Final Thought.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 I just reviewed several hundred startup pitches for Capital Factory. The collapse of the IPO market and dysfunctional math in the venture capital community has stacked the odds against you. Here’s why. Take a look at the chart below.

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217