Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124

socalTECH

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Earlier this week, Good Growth Capital (www.goodgrowthvc.com) announced it has started looking at investments in Southern California, adding Krisztina Holly as West Coast Venture Partner for the firm. Krisztina Holly: We are an early stage fund, known for our ability to discovery and cultivate very complex science and technology deals.

Southern California 124

Southern California Capital Technical Review Startup 124

TechCrunch LA

MAY 20, 2021

Construction tech startups are poised to shake up a $1.3-trillion-dollar As more people spent time at home last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the startup saw its contract revenue spike by 5x, Wu says. The company plans to take its new capital and “go deep into the product side.”. trillion-dollar industry.

Technical Review 185

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Software Review 185

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2019

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Today, we share the thoughts of Kelly Perdew , the founder and Managing Director of Moonshots Capital (www.moonshotscapital.com). Since 2010, $6.3B

Capital 100

Capital Technical Review Truecar Venture Capital 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 22, 2020

Every year, we feature the year end reflections of founders, CEOs, investors, and others in Southern California's high tech community. Today, we have Kelly Perdew , Co-founder and General Partner of Moonshots Capital. It's been a tough year for many due to the pandemic; how have you or your company adapted to the business environment?

Capital 124

Capital Technical Review Truecar Southern California 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2022

Quality of your technical and business teams. Back in the early days of the personal computer, Bill Gates and Microsoft were widely recognized and having the strongest technical culture, as well as a commanding marketing presence. Proprietary technology with a high barrier to entry. You need to do the same now.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Social Media Entrepreneur Startup 147

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Every year, we feature the year end reflections of founders, CEOs, investors, and others in Southern California's high tech community. Today, we have Aaron Fyke , Founder and Managing Partner of Thin Line Capital (www.thinlinecapital.com). Thin Line Capital successfully reached the final close of its first fund.

Capital 113

Capital Technical Review Southern California CalTech 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2019

During the holiday season, our tradition over the last few years has been to post reflections on the past year and some predictions from Southern California's technology industry. As we close out our contributions for the end of 2018, we have a contribution from investor and investment banker Peter Cowen of Sutton Capital Partners.

Capital 113

Capital Southern California Technical Review SaaS 113

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board. In Why assemble an advisory board?

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Technical Review Technology CTO Hire 150

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Every year, we feature the year end reflections of founders, CEOs, investors, and others in Southern California's high tech community. Here, we have Greg Martin, Founder and Managing Partner of Archer Venture Capital (www.archervc.com). What are you most looking forward to in the technology/startup world in 2021?

Venture Capital 124

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Brentwood 124

socalTECH

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Los Angeles-based AppOnboard , the developer of mobile app demo technology led by Jonathan Zweig, says that it now has such app developers as FoxNext Games, Game Insight, Superheart Studios, Jam City, Huuuge Games, and Simple Habit using its tools. READ MORE>>.

Technical Review 133

Technical Review Mobile Technology Customer 133

socalTECH

APRIL 16, 2013

The Tech Coast Angels , Southern California''s largest angel investment group, is ranked number two in the nation this year in terms of the number of deals the group did, according to the latest 2012 Halo Report. cbinsights ranking report capital venture investment angel angels coast tech' READ MORE>>.

Tech Coast Angels 213

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Report 213

Xconomy

JUNE 24, 2019

These can be positive attributes in an entrepreneur, but in a more rational world, technology investors wouldn’t overvalue them. Risk capital would be allocated based mostly on evidence, data, progress towards milestones—in short, on proof. Venture investors know they’ll lose many of their bets—that’s why it’s risk capital.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Course Capital Entrepreneur 107

TechEmpower

JULY 31, 2023

Proving your Business Model Works - Build, Define, and Review But how do you prove your numbers? If your numbers work out, then scaling becomes a question of capital. Finally, review the numbers with your partners. Start by building just enough of your product to get early CAC and CLV signals (they won’t be perfect).

Metrics 260

Metrics Startup Slides Technical Review 260

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

controlling your psychology ) you no doubt have heard me say that raising capital is a sales & marketing process. Building models to evaluate the deal and/or reviewing customer files, company financials, business plans, etc. This is critical to build a cohesive venture capital firm. Remember, it’s not easy for anybody.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Investors are very focused on diligence, on business models that make sense, and those companies that have a definite competitive advantage and defensibility to what they're doing. Mike Napoli: We've revised the way we review companies at the prescreening stage. The ideas and people seeking money are out there in quantity.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

Berkonomics

JANUARY 14, 2021

If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort.

Technical Review 156

Technical Review Tech Coast Angels Summary Email 156

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

Hello friends, and welcome back to Week in Review ! This writeup from industry analyst Karl Guttag showcases how Magic Leap has turned away from several of the key technologies it raised billions of dollars to develop with its latest hardware which he nevertheless believes will “blow away” the HoloLens 2 in image quality.

Marketing 246

Marketing Newsletter Technical Review News 246

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 10, 2020

Some firms have said that they’re going to turn to HBCUvc , a nonprofit organization that helps students from historically Black colleges and universities enter venture and tech. It held a city-based internship program with Los Angeles, which connects students to venture capital firms in the area.

Equity 220

Equity Technical Review Venture Capital Blogging 220

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

socalTECH

APRIL 17, 2013

the online business credit company headed by serial tech entrepreneur Jeff Stibel, is looking to make its technology avialable to traditional publishers looking to go online, the firm said last week. Stibel is the former CEO of Web.com and former GM at United Online, and is backed by over $100M in capital from Great Hill.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Technology Social Media Platform 124

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 5, 2020

Companies that have leveraged technology to make the procurement and delivery of food more accessible to more people have been seeing a big surge of business this year, as millions of consumers are encouraged (or outright mandated, due to Covid-19) to socially distance or want to avoid the crowds of physical shopping and eating excursions.

Technical Review 343

Technical Review Startup Marketing San Diego 343

SoCal Tech Calendar

AUGUST 30, 2018

Rob Vickery, Co-Founder of Stage Venture Partners, which is one of LA's leading enterprise software venture capital fund, will be exploring the core principles of venture capital and core due-diligence techniques that are adopted in this area of finance.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Software Review Capital Software 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 28, 2013

The Tech Coast Angels , Southern California's most active , organized angel investment group, has a goal: cut down the time it takes to fund a startup presenting to the organization.

Tech Coast Angels 168

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Funding 168

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

With the new capital, SpotOn has raised $628 million since its inception. Since its 2017 inception, SpotOn has been focused on providing software and payments technology to SMBs with an emphasis on restaurants and retail businesses. So they see a responsibility to install the necessary technology to properly run their business.”.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Software Review Invest Acquisition 296

socalTECH

JUNE 7, 2012

CapLinked said it has tied with Launchpad LA , Science , 500 Startups , Tech Wildcatters , Amplify , and LaunchBox Digital on its invitation-only program, which allows startups enrolled in those accelerators with access to the firm's premium TEAM accounts.

Technical Review 224

Technical Review Software Review Los Angeles Startup 224

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2011

William Quigley , a venture capitalist at Clearstone Venture Partners, is making the argument that venture capital returns are set to return superior returns in the coming years, due to the disinterest of institutional investors.

Venture Capital 160

Venture Capital Capital Clearstone Technical Review 160

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 8, 2019

Responding to Elizabeth Warren’s call to regulate and break up some of the nation’s largest technology companies, the venture capitalists that invest in technology companies are advising the presidential hopeful to move slowly and not break anything. In this case the barrier would be reduced access to capital.

Technical Review 144

Technical Review Startup Chief Technology Officer Social Media 144

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 19, 2020

A new initiative from a Los Angeles investor is taking stock of venture firms and their ability to commit capital in an effort to match firms that are still open for business and cutting checks to startups that are fundraising in the age of COVID-19.

Venture Capital 135

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Los Angeles 135

SoCal Tech Calendar

AUGUST 21, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009 -- TCVN Deal Review. Is your business "starved" for capital? Attend the TCVN Deal Review and learn how to put money into your piggy bank. Need to raise funds?

TCVN 100

TCVN Equity Entrepreneur Funding 100

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses. As a result of the IPO window shifting we saw a massive inflow of public-market capital into the latest stages of venture. What gives?

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Invest Seed Funding Startup 328

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 63

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

During the holiday season, our tradition over the last few years has been to post reflections on the past year and some predictions for 2019 from Southern California's technology industry. Are there any technology innovations, gadgets, devices, software, that you found most interesting in 2018?

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

The practical uses for uBeam technology is limitless. Did anybody hold patents that would prevent us from using this technology? I seldom hire patent attorneys during due diligence but this was too important. We hired IP specialists to review prior art. Did the physics actually work? Was it safe? It was impressive.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Tech.Co

MARCH 8, 2018

Fortunately, for those headed to SXSW, Startup Night SXSW 2018 , presented by the Kauffman Foundation and TechCo, will be filled with investors from a multitude of industries who are looking to discover and fund startups building the latest solutions and tech innovations. Joanne Chen, Partner at Foundation Capital.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Startup Software Review Entrepreneur 70

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

If you read this blog often you'll know that I'm a huge fan of First Round Capital. One example is that they introduced a program where their founders can pool together shares from their company and exchange them for a small portfolio of other First Round Capital companies. First Round Capital’s Tools, Techniques, Processes.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

On the third Wednesday of every month I co-chair a meeting called the SoCal VCA (venture capital alliance), which represents participants from all of the top venture capital firms in Southern California as well as prominent members of the Tech Coast Angels (TCA). We feature a prominent speaker at every event.

Venture Capital 241

Venture Capital Technical Review Southern California Company 241