Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. It’s also the keystone to convincing investors that you have a “sustainable competitive advantage.”

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. It’s also the keystone to convincing investors that you have a “sustainable competitive advantage.”

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

I get to do a deep dive on their business model, product roadmap and competitive positioning. I get to network with angels, VCs, entrepreneurs, lawyers, etc. When your site crashes and you get slammed by customers and in the press – you’re all in the sh*tter together. I get to choose what I write about.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. It’s also the keystone to convincing investors that you have a “sustainable competitive advantage.”

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 101

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

We’re a national venture capital investment firm but with our roots firmly in Los Angeles. She can anticipate reactions to price increases or product changes by customers and she can sustain competitive challenges because she knows the customer will stick by her. I wanted to just write. I like writing.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. It’s also the keystone to convincing investors that you have a “sustainable competitive advantage.”

Tips 88

Tips Startup CTO Hire Press 88

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Since selling Matt has gone on to become one of the smartest angels I have seen operate. Big thank you to Darius Vasefi , of EyeOnJewels for the write up. o Huge on PR, “Be Everywhere” is his motto – fly to NY, proactively everywhere he could get press. o Put a timeframe/money – competition in the picture.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

For simplicity I’ll assume you’ve raised some money from angels or seed investors and you’re either raising an A round or a B round of venture capital. As a VC I of course want you to come see only me because that means I have no competition and have time to properly get to know you. How Many Investors Should You Speak With?

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

He listed all of the product releases that were up coming, the customers that were in the pipeline and where he saw his competition moving. When you account for competition for talent, the difficulty of retention, the cost of living and the difficulty of rising above the noise – there are many advantages of staying put.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

Whether you’re fund raising from angels, seed investors and VCs?—?as I remind founders that the no’s come early because it’s super easy to qualify out a deal that you know is unlikely due to stage, focus, geography, competitive deal you’ve done or even just the fact that you’re too busy right now. Reid Hoffman is in?

Press 232

Press Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 232

From the Venture Trenches

MARCH 27, 2013

Yet despite his ability to raise over $1 billion of private equity and to build an organization that is worth $5 billion as of this writing, Mason was shown the door. Thirteen months after raising more than $10 billion in the public markets the board forced Mason out after another dismal financial quarter. Can you afford the distraction?

Venture Capital 45

Venture Capital Capital Anthem Startup 45

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

I was an angel investor in his company, made a bunch of calls on his behalf and then I personally sent it out on AngelList. I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs.

Startup 292

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Summary 292

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

TechCrunch Europe ran an article in November of last year that European startups need to work as hard as those in Silicon Valley and I echoed the sentiment in my post about the need for entrepreneurs to be maniacal about their businesses if one wants to work in the hyper competitive tech world. Our first big institutional round was $16.5

Entrepreneur 308

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Conference 308

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

Sequoia has a tremendous reputation, but it was also important to us to have a local (Los Angeles) VC as well. “Relocation of Headquarters from LA to Silicon Valley / Culture Confusion&# Shortly after closing our Series A, we realized that it was difficult to find enterprise software people in Los Angeles. .

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2011

If I Tweet about the Wynn Hotel while I’m in Las Vegas that Tweet has a different value to local business than if I Tweet it from my office in Los Angeles. DataSift = platform for companies to develop cost-effective applications using this Twitter data to gain advantage relative to their competition. Let’s look again at Adly.

Platform 307

Platform News Startup Invest 307