Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2015

We all have strengths and special interests, and it always pays to capitalize on these, rather than assume all opportunities are the same. These people are the ultimate chess players in the game of startups, always looking to be two or three moves ahead of the competition. Many might say Donald Trump epitomizes this category.

Startup 106

Startup Incubator Entrepreneur Metrics 106

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 7, 2014

On the bottom right hand corner of the screen, an ominous button reads ADD MORE STRESS? . The difference here, is the quick injection of capital and guidance to create bullet train-like growth. The clock boldly stated 46:23:50. 46 days, 23 hours, 50 minutes. “What does that do?” ” I wondered.

Startup 74

Startup Case Study Study Screening 74

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.” Bowery Capital). AngelList 101 : As you know, AngelList is a platform where angels can invest in semi-screened tech deals. Is AngelList Syndicates really such a big deal?

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Draw Your Ideas - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , May 16, 2010 I saw Jack Dorsey give this talk at The 99% Conference last month. He started targeting the ad by location and interest, and the number of potential people he was reaching began decreasing on screen (Facebook tells you dynamically). Tesla is not. It's a great talk.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Our guest this week on #TWiVC was Dana Settle , partner at Greycroft Partners , a venture capital firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Current rount: $8.14mm in Series A from Redpoint (lead), Foundry Group, with previous investors, First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital (Chris Sacca), Ravi Narasimham. Go Boulder!

Venture Capital 240

Venture Capital Startup Platform Technical Review 240

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I recently filmed a show for This Week in Venture Capital in which I talked about how to prepare for a VC meeting: whom you’ll meet, who should attend from your side, what materials you should bring and how you should run the meeting. The conversation moves from consuming images on a screen in lean back mode, to active engagement.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

I told this story at our screening of the must-see movie —  Code: Debugging the Gender Gap. She’s a competitive athlete. She worked 6 years in venture capital at Battery Ventures, co-headed Corporate Development at IAC, ran a product line there and started her own company. I didn’t tell Kara until recently.

Startup 150

Startup Los Angeles Help Screening 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

Stay on the radar – You need to find a very polite way to persistently be on the top of the radar screen of your VC. You’re just trying to stay on the radar screen. Do a 5-page PowerPoint competitive assessment. Tags: Pitching VCs Start-up Advice startup technology vc venture capital. So how to proceed?

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Venture Capital Startup Email News 277

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Last year I was on Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley meeting with one of the most prominent venture capital firms in the country. In my LA I often see computer screens open with entrepreneurs talking about digital media. It’s hard to get people to take a risk at a startup or for a reasonable salary with all this competition.

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Venture Capital Southern California Google Startup 313

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

I always tell founders … “An investors job is to deploy capital and make a return. 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. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them.

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Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

socalTECH

JUNE 25, 2009

round of funding from the Pasadena Angels and Frontera Capital for a voice-over-IP service, and we thought we'd talk with Cliff Rees, the firm's CEO, to understand how the firm is different from those many providers. We think Asterisk is an entirely different marketplace, and therefore not a competitive threat.

IP 165

IP Pasadena Angels Pasadena Los Angeles 165

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

There is no secret, just a lot of hard work and screening of both startups and investors. AngelList has introduced new competition and competition in any industry is always good. I personally prefer debating the merits of one’s logical arguments rather than character assaults.

Startup 292

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Summary 292

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

There is all sorts of advice on the Internet about how to raise capital. I’ve raised money as a “hot company” and I’ve raised capital when no one would return my phone calls. It’s your job to find a continued way to stay on the radar screen of the VC. You need to create a sense of competition.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 12, 2016

So riffing off the famous Andy Grove statement that “only the paranoid survive” and believing that “only the most exceptionally talented startup teams survive” — most get washed out by the constant cycle of change and competition. Why Invest? We believe that chat-based communications will be another i/o for all enterprise applications.

Software 105

Software Mobile Artificial Inteligence Oracle 105