Berkonomics

AUGUST 24, 2023

Often, that money is worth more than the cash invested, because the investors who often become members of the board bring a wealth of experience, insight, relationships and deeper pockets to the table. In a number of cases, these VC partners have made the difference between success and failure or at least growth vs. stagnation.

Invest 296

Invest Venture Capital Demand Resource 296

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2014

Brock Pierce , the Southern California angel investor who is one of the most active proponents and investors in Bitcoin and its startups, has made another investment in the space, leading an AngelList syndicate funding of ZipZap. The funding included Pierce''s AngelList syndicate, 500 Startups, and Blumberg Capital. READ MORE>>.

Southern California 259

Southern California Invest SoCal Angel 259

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Picking a VC is hard. So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. Most VCs are book smart. VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. You want a VC who will spar with you but then STFU and let you get on with things.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. I had been thinking a lot about this recently because I’m often asked the question of “what I look for in an entrepreneur when I want to invest?” I had invested in myself for years.

Startup 409

Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

I am thrilled to announce that we have added Hamet Watt as a Partner at Upfront Ventures. This is a big news day at Upfront Ventures. But as sweet as that success has been (we invested pre-revenue in a small team) today my even more important news was the further expansion of our partner ranks. He will be a venture partner.

Invest 340

Invest Venture Capital Startup News 340

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Often, that money is worth more than the cash invested, because the investors who often become members of the board, bring a wealth of experience, insight, relationships and deeper pockets to the table. In a number of cases, these VC partners have made the difference between success and failure or at least growth vs. stagnation.

Invest 243

Invest Venture Capital Demand Resource 243

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2017

Los Angeles-based Embark Ventures , a new venture capital fund led by Yipeng Zhao and venture capitalist Peter Lee, is raising a $50M venture capital fund, according to a recent SEC filing by the firm. The firm has yet to announce any details of its funding. READ MORE>>.

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Capital Funding Equity 202

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. If you don’t believe in your bones that you’re amazing then it’s no wonder you don’t want to sell them on making the investment.”

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

If you track the venture capital industry it would be hard to miss the conversation going on this week over AngelList “Syndicates.” My favorite new VC blogger, Hunter Walk, weighed in with some thoughtful comments about how Syndicates might actually pit, “ angel vs. angel.” Bowery Capital).

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago. At the time I pointed out: “If I had realized exits almost certainly it would be because I invested in a company that failed. “I think the best VCs help drive exits alongside their entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Investment experience (5 years a VC at Battery Ventures). People often ask me what VCs look for when we hire partners and many have asked how to become VCs themselves one day. I can’t speak for other VCs but it may interest you to at least know our thought process at Upfront.

Venture Capital 408

Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 29, 2018

Los Angeles is becoming one of the more interesting destinations for startups and the investors that provide money for venture capital firms to place bets on young companies are increasingly starting to take notice.

SoCal 271

SoCal Southern California Los Angeles Startup 271

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. These tensions seep out in some angels or seed funds publicly or semi-privately deriding later-stage VCs for their “bad” behavior. I have seen bad behavior from later-stage VCs, believe me.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 29, 2018

Los Angeles is becoming one of the more interesting destinations for startups and the investors that provide money for venture capital firms to place bets on young companies are increasingly starting to take notice.

SoCal 217

SoCal Southern California Los Angeles Startup 217

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

Because my role as a VC requires me to take and endless stream of meetings I long ago decided I need to learn as much as I can from the meetings I attend so I often just ask tons of questions and assimilate knowledge. When I think about what defines us as a VC I think: Operationally knowledgeable / strong startup competence.

Venture Capital 360

Venture Capital GRP Partners Startup Invest 360

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 22, 2018

In an attempt to boost diversity and inclusion efforts and civic engagement between the growing technology industry in Los Angeles and the community that surrounds it, over 80 venture capitalists and entrepreneurs joined the city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, and the non-profit Annenberg Foundation to announce PledgeLA. The landmark.

Los Angeles 249

Los Angeles Angel Entrepreneur Orange County 249

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

The trends are well understood: more angels, more seed funds, more crowdsourcing and so forth. Generally speaking in venture capital financings the legal documents will specify that only “major investors” (a threshold set in the agreement – which can be $500,000 investor or more). There is a reason for this.

Venture Capital 352

Venture Capital Seed Funding Email Blogging 352

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2018

If you’re an entrepreneur who would like to see this clause in more startups please ask your VC to include it in future term sheets and link to it from their home page. “We We strive to invest in companies that are consciously working to create a diverse leadership team?—?one Ours is: upfront.com/inclusion.

Venture Capital 284

Venture Capital Coach Ideas Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

In other words, it isn’t that VCs suddenly got smart, it’s that the costs of starting a company went down dramatically. Rise of Angels. There was an explosion in number of startups both because it was cheap and there was tons of available capital. Non VC Growth Rounds. VC Infighting. Explosion in Seed Funds.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Funding Seed Funding 150

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

Cincinnati, like many startup communities in the US over the past 5 years, has revitalized important regions in its urban core, created accelerators, built co-working facilities, pooled together angel capital, attracted VCs, involved educational institutions and solicited the help of important corporations in a more cohesive ecosystem.

Startup 390

Startup Venture Capital Capital Funding 390

socalTECH

MARCH 25, 2021

Los Angeles- and Palo Alto-based MaC Venture Capital has launched a new, $103M seed stage investment fund today, saying it plans to invest in technology startups across the fintech, e-commerce and marketplaces, interactive media, connectivity, enterprise SaaS, space and aerospace, logistics, and other sectors.

Venture Capital 124

Venture Capital Seed Funding Capital Funding 124

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 16, 2019

The organization, active in the Bay Area and New York City, is announcing new chapters in Los Angeles and Boston this week, as well as a new director of engagement, Domonique Fines, formerly of Y Combinator, and a new chief of staff, Jack Dorsey’s former chief of staff at Square, Alicia Burt. It’s highly concentrated. All Raise members.

Venture Capital 184

Venture Capital Ideas Los Angeles Tool 184

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2017

I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. Upfront VI is our latest core fund and is $400 million to invest in early stage entrepreneurs. We’ll invest in about 15 new companies every year or just over 2 per partner.

Funding 287

Funding Venture Capital Santa Monica Invest 287

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2022

Photo by Scott Clark for Upfront Ventures (no, Evan is not standing on a box) Last year marked the 25th anniversary for Upfront Ventures and what a year it was. 2021 saw phenomenal returns for our industry and it topped off more than a decade of unprecedented VC growth. The answer is: not much.

Startup 408

Startup Venture Capital Writing Invest 408

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

But less as a complaint and more as advice to younger networkers, the more you invest in relationships the more you will get when you need. One of the most common questions I hear from first-time entrepreneurs is, “How do I meet angels?” Think about it – who knows angels the best? ” Be authentic.

Venture Capital 407

Venture Capital Press GRP Partners Blogging 407

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” My job as a VC isn’t to beat myself up or any other partner up for the one deal we didn’t do.

Snapchat 214

Snapchat Invest Technical Review Dollar Shave Club 214

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

If you’ve been following the press about VC funds you’ll know this is no small feat. But in Los Angeles, Santa Monica is akin to SoMa in San Francisco, Cambridge in the Boston area or Flatiron / Union Square in NYC. Well, the venture capital industry has changed a lot in the past 20 years … and we have too.

Funding 343

Funding Santa Monica Venture Capital Startup 343

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Billionaire investor Peter Thiel is reportedly moving his residence, as well as his venture capital firm and non-profit, to Los Angeles after expressing frustration with what he sees as Silicon Valley’s overwhelming liberal politics and diminishing opportunities for tech investing.

Los Angeles 174

Los Angeles Angel Venture Capital Report 174

TechCrunch LA

JULY 3, 2019

Upfront Ventures , a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, has filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to raise its third growth-stage investment fund. The firm, known for its investments in Bird, Goat, Ring, ThredUP and Parachute, plans to raise $250 million for the effort.

Venture Capital 193

Venture Capital Funding Los Angeles Invest 193

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. Venture Capital. We spoke about the disruption of VC through crowd funding. Some money out of every investment.

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Kardashian is launching private equity firm SKKY Partners in conjunction with ex-Carlyle consumer head Jay Sammons to invest in business across consumer products, hospitality, luxury, digital commerce and media, the Wall Street Journal first reported. Serena Williams’ next act in venture capital is essential in this moment.

Equity 299

Equity Journal Venture Capital Los Angeles 299

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 26, 2024

Be careful about investor rights This important variation on money talks is an important consideration for entrepreneurs when seeking an investment from professionals such as VCs. Something like a marriage (and often lasting just as long statistically), your investment partner can be a great cheerleader, coach and resource.

Coach 156

Coach Venture Capital Statistics News 156

TechCrunch LA

JULY 2, 2020

When it comes to venture capital, Los Angeles is a city on the rise. In the past year, it’s seen one of the most profitable venture-backed exits of any tech ecosystem (with the $4 billion sale of Honey to PayPal) and investors are minting billion-dollar companies in the region at a torrid pace.

Los Angeles 277

Los Angeles Venture Capital Capital Invest 277

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

Los Angeles-based Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health , the venture investment fund focused on healthcare, which is led by John Nackel, Jay Goss, Eric Marton and Kwame Ulmer, says it has just completed its 25th investment--all made in the last 18 months. READ MORE>>.

Invest 200

Invest Southern California Los Angeles Activity 200

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Most of the venture capital firms covered in TechCrunch and other tech publications compete for a spot on the cap table of the hottest Bay Area, New York or Los Angeles companies of the moment. Since Revolution launched in 2005, venture capital activity in underrepresented markets has grown significantly.

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Funding Seed Funding Activity 211

socalTECH

JULY 21, 2021

Los Angeles-based venture capital investment fund Bonfire Ventures is looking to extend its network--and make more angel, pre-seed, and seed investments--through a new program is is calling Bonfire Firestarters.

Invest 113

Invest Networking Angel Venture Capital 113

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. Think USV is only invested around Union Square in NYC? The key it to have “realistic capital.”

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Press San Diego 378