Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Something happened in the past 7 years in the startup and venture capital world that I hadn’t experienced since the late 90’s — we all began praying to the God of Valuation. How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? What happened?

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 282

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

There has been much discussion in the past few years of the changing structure of the venture capital industry. The rise of “micro VCs” or seed-stage funds. The rise of alternative sources of capital (crowd funding and the like). On the surface the narratives have been. Where are we today?

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

socalTECH

MARCH 29, 2019

MiLA Capital , the venture capital firm that is behind the Make In LA hardware accelerator, says it has raised its first official venture capital fund, officially closing its first fundraise. Source of the funding for the new venture capital fund was not announced. Size of the fund was not announced.

Capital 191

Capital Funding Startup Venture Capital 191

socalTECH

JUNE 29, 2017

Core Innovation Capital. Managing Director: Arjan Schutte, Kathleen Utecht Investment interests: Fintech startups. Okapi Ventures. Fika Ventures. Moonshots Capital. Investment interests: Wide ranging interests related to the firm's startup accelerator. www.corevc.com. Fund size: $100M fund. Fund size: $40M.

Southern California 178

Southern California Venture Capital Artificial Inteligence Capital 178

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2023

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Startup 98

Startup Venture Capital Funding Invest 98

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

One of the hardest things about the fund-raising process for entrepreneurs is that you’re trying to raise money from people who have “asymmetric information.” VC firms see thousands of deals and have a refined sense of how the market is valuing deals because they get price signals across all of these deals. So why does a VC ask you?

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Venture Capital Pricing Startup Invest 324

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

The subject of raising money is critical to many businesses and a passing option to others, depending upon the capital efficiency of the enterprise. Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally generated funds.

Venture Capital 295

Venture Capital Startup Class Invest 295

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. It goes something like this … VC: “How much money are you raising?” Founder: “$8–10 million” VC: “What’s your current burn rate?” A VC is looking for reasonableness.

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Venture Capital Capital Funding Demand 247

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Solicit venture capital investors.

Startup 106

Startup Capital Equity Funding 106

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series called “ Start-up Lessons.&#. I came across this blog post about getting a computer science degree as the best degree for getting into venture capital or working at a VC-backed start up. I paid up for the diploma but can’t say that I saw better results.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

how on Earth could the venture capital market stand still? One of the most common questions I’m asked by people intrigued by but also scared by venture capital and technology markets is some variant of, “Aren’t technology markets way overvalued? The most connected and high-potential founders start with wads of cash.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

MARCH 23, 2016

A new survey, released this week by Silicon Valley Bank, finds that even as the availability of venture capital in Southern California is tightening, and lofty unicorn valuations are declining, startup entrepreneurs are still optimistic about the future of technology in the region. and China for their opinions.

Southern California 100

Southern California Venture Capital Capital SoCal 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Venture Capital 125

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Startup Invest 125

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. If a deal has a lot of support and no strong detractors it will often but up to the sponsoring partner to know what he or she wants to do with the deal.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Startup Invest 150

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 7, 2015

Who makes more money, entrepreneurs or venture capitalists? Jason concludes that: A top founder takes much more risk, at least on paper, but can make a lot more than even the best VC of all time. A pretty good VC probably makes more than a pretty good and successful founder. The Answer: “Yes and No”. My Experiences.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Capital .Net Entrepreneur 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 3, 2023

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 -- Fundraising in Today’s Startup Market. Are you looking for guidance on raising capital for your venture? We invite you to our upcoming in-person Founder’s event in Santa Barbara, “Fundraising in Today’s Startup Market."

Santa Barbara 100

Santa Barbara Marketing Startup Venture Capital 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

I always tell founders … “An investors job is to deploy capital and make a return. 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. Of course there’s no exact number of VCs you should meet?

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2010

Clean up your own shite. I know that the tone of the title and post will seem a bit aggressive for a post from a venture capitalist on fund raising. It’s meant to be a bit provocative but the reality is that I give this advice to entrepreneurs all the the time and I usually leave the “e&# off of the end.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 289

socalTECH

AUGUST 21, 2017

A new bill is expected to be introduced this week by local Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), to target incidents of sexual harassment in the venture capital industry. Hanna-Beth Jackson is looking to use Senate Bill 224 to amend the Unrah Act, to clarify that the law applies to women entrepreneurs. READ MORE>>.

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Santa Barbara Capital Ventura 113

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I became a VC 12 years ago in 2007 when the pace of deals was much slower. I had just left Salesforce.com where I was VP, Products, after they had acquired my second startup. It proved to be fortuitous because it allowed me the time & space I needed to get to know tons of founders and VCs and to hone my craft.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” Others are debilitated by their fear, avoid risk at all costs, and never start.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Knowledge Base 153

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2011

This is the final part of a 3-part series on the major changes in the structure of the software & the venture capital industries. The series started here if you want to read from the start. Or the Cliff Note’s version: Open Source & Cloud Computing (led by Amazon) drove down tech startup costs by 90%.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Capital Cloud Computing Marketing 289

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 24, 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016 -- Alternative Accelerators and Start-Up Resources. Today, start-ups have more choices for accessing business resources and seed funding than ever. This is especially true for first-time and early-stage entrepreneurs not yet ready to pursue venture capital or who lack certain critical capabilities.

Startup 100

Startup Resource LAVA Seed Funding 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 17, 2016

Thursday, June 23, 2016 -- Alternative Accelerators and Start-Up Resources. Today, start-ups have more choices for accessing business resources and seed funding than ever. This is especially true for first-time and early-stage entrepreneurs not yet ready to pursue venture capital or who lack certain critical capabilities.

Startup 100

Startup Resource LAVA Seed Funding 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2011

tl;dr version: If you’re an entrepreneur or VC or will be working in this industry - buy this. When I first started as a startup CEO in 1999 there were no guides on raising venture capital. 3) VCs are anal about things like voting thresholds, seniority of their stock, protective provisions, etc.

Venture Capital 304

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Guide Blogging 304

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 30, 2020

Monday, August 3, 2020 -- Fixing the Top Fundraising Mistakes Startup Entrepreneurs Make. Join JJ Richa in a fireside chat with Scott Fox, CEO of the OC Startup Council, for a discussion of the top mistakes that early stage entrepreneurs make when pitching their startups for funding. See [link] (more)

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Slides Startup Venture Capital 100

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. Lindel is no stranger to thorny venture capital issues — he was arguably amongst the most successful LPs of his generation. Maybe that’s USV, too.

Venture Capital 161

Venture Capital Funding Capital Startup 161

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 can unequivocally say this has started to work in the companies that we have funded since this clause was inserted. Ours is: upfront.com/inclusion.

Venture Capital 284

Venture Capital Coach Ideas Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2010

In addition to the P2P deals covered below, on the show we also talked about some of my favorite financing startups ( Wonga in the UK run by Errol Damelin , who is a superstar) and Affordit.com run by serial (and I mean serial!) entrepreneur Wil Schroter (I am an angel investor in Affordit). LendingClub. 24.5mm in Series C.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Capital Email Blogging 265

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2013

Obviously, a key factor is always the state of the economy and the mood of the venture capital community. The good news is that both of these are looking up these days. California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention.

Venture Capital 95

Venture Capital Capital Startup Funding 95

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors. Visibility to startup job opportunities and career guidance.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2014

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Venture Capital 106

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Angel Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

Based on the final report for 2012 from Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), it may appear that IPOs are back as a viable startup exit strategy. For the full year 2012, venture-backed initial public offerings raised $21.5 Line up a winning team.

Venture Capital 101

Venture Capital Startup Capital Seed Funding 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2023

In my experience, the Silicon Valley startup model, focused on disrupting established industries, has treated the USA well and created some great global businesses. It has played almost no role in the emergence of current non-US bred startups, including Alibaba in China, Waze from Israel, Paytm in India, and many more.

Capital 138

Capital Marketing Ideas Venture Capital 138

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

A new program, run by the Alliance for Southern California Innovation, is looking to connect startups with Series A funding, according to the group. According to the two, the program recruits and selects top SoCal-based startups that have demonstrated clear market traction and provides introductions to leading venture funds.

Southern California 197

Southern California SoCal Funding Startup 197

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Join a startup incubator. It always reduces risk to plan your business first.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136