Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Or if you’re a VC raising from LPs you have to list all of your deals, your investment value, your carrying value, your multiples, your IRRs, TVPIs, DPIs, etc along with net cashflows plus your previous LPAs. So what does a VC do when he or she isn’t ready to say “no” or perhaps might like to talk with you in a year but not now?

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Berkonomics

APRIL 28, 2012

This important variation on “money talks” is an important consideration for entrepreneurs when seeking an investment from professionals such as VC’s. Something like a marriage (and often lasting just as long statistically), your investment partner can be a great cheerleader, coach and resource. Email readers, continue here.]

Coach 174

Coach Venture Capital Statistics News 174

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

But VC is like congress. “I don’t know the exact math, but I hear it again and again: the top 2% of firms generate 98% of the returns in venture capital.” As you can see from the chart their data suggests there are about $25 billion of VC distributions per year in the US. Their data looks at tech VCs.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Email readers, continue here…] Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally-generated funds. Venture, private equity and more: Here we lump a large number investor classes into one. It is most often a win-win for both you and the strategic partner.

Venture Capital 266

Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Your goal should be to turn your VCs into extended members of your team to get real value from them. Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. Email updates frequently.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Berkonomics

JULY 1, 2021

I recently coached a CFO in a small company to urge the CEO to stop working upon the operational issues and focus upon the future, even if that meant a pivot to protect the business as the world was changing in that industry at an accelerated rate. Here’s one that most small company founders and CEO’s miss until it may be too late.

Email 156

Email Coach Metrics Venture Capital 156

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2021

All universities love and need to get help from people in the “real world” for coaching and judging activities in their Entrepreneurship and MBA programs. Don’t do cold calls or email blasts of your resume and business plan to potential investors. Volunteer to help out with entrepreneur activities at your local university.

Entrepreneur 143

Entrepreneur Social Network Activity Networking 143

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2012

You’re on a first date with a VC – how much should you tell them? When is it appropriate for a VC to call your customers? There is no universal answer and my discussions with various VCs on these topics have yielded many differing opinions. When I was raising money I pitched to several VCs. So why are we here?”

Technical Review 316

Technical Review Venture Capital Customer Custom 316

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

As I’ve written about before, You’d Have to be a Big Baby to Complain about Being a VC. Think about it – most entrepreneurs who manage to raise seed money or venture capital usually raise enough money for 12-18 months maximum. But you realize that you can be more helpful as a coach. Investor emails.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

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. They have totally changed the way you run a VC firm, investing heavily in systems & events for their founders that are pushing the boundaries of the way our industry works. These speakers help coach CEO’s on important executive decisions.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2019

All universities love and need to get help from people in the “real world” for coaching and judging activities in their Entrepreneurship and MBA programs. Don’t do cold calls or email blasts of your resume and business plan to potential investors. Volunteer to help out with entrepreneur activities at your local university.

Networking 90

Networking Entrepreneur Social Network Activity 90

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Email readers continue here.] There are issues that stress the loyalty of board members such as placement of employees or recruiting of executives from firms where the VC or board member has inside knowledge. Second is the duty of loyalty – loyalty to the corporate person, not to the shareholders who elected the board member.

Class 179

Class Coach Invest Sales 179

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. And I certainly didn’t want him having to trapse up-and-down Sand Hill Road informing every VC of his next idea. The company was called Red Beacon. I was standing with him when he won the TechCrunch 50 award.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2016

All universities love and need to get help from people in the “real world” for coaching and judging activities in their Entrepreneurship and MBA programs. Don’t do cold calls or email blasts of your resume and business plan to potential investors. Volunteer to help out with entrepreneur activities at your local university.

Networking 63

Networking Social Network Activity Entrepreneur 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2013

All universities love and need to get help from people in the “real world” for coaching and judging activities in their Entrepreneurship and MBA programs. Don’t do cold calls or email blasts of your resume and business plan to potential investors. Volunteer to help out with entrepreneur activities at your local university.

Networking 100

Networking Entrepreneur Social Network Activity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2012

All universities love and need to get help from people in the “real world” for coaching and judging activities in their Entrepreneurship and MBA programs. Don’t do cold calls or email blasts of your resume and business plan to potential investors. Volunteer to help out with entrepreneur activities at your local university.

Activity 97

Activity Networking Entrepreneur Startup 97

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 28, 2010

I come from a world that if the coach wasn’t yelling at you, it meant he didn’t care. I get emails like the one above all the time. I found that most VC’s never gave me any feedback when I was pitching. I come from a world that if the coach wasn’t yelling at you, it meant he didn’t care. Me: “LOL.

Startup 378

Startup Framework Slides Coach 378

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

All universities love and need to get help from people in the “real world” for coaching and judging activities in their Entrepreneurship and MBA programs. Don’t do cold calls or email blasts of your resume and business plan to potential investors. Volunteer to help out with entrepreneur activities at your local university.

Networking 97

Networking Startup Activity Entrepreneur 97

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 26, 2019

No, Seriously … Exactly six years ago today I received an email from my friend Ynon Kreiz introducing me to Andrew Stalbow and Petri Järvilehto. Not only was his commitment to LA tech enormous but we happened to have kids on the same traveling soccer team where Andrew was the assistant coach! Some Seriously Great News.

News 33

News Mobile Santa Monica Coach 33

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Entrepreneurs are everywhere and capital isn’t. We get a lot more emails from women entrepreneurs who say they are a high net worth in their community and we should come and help boost the number of angel investors in their companies. In addition to coaching and mentoring, I want to put them in the game of investing into startups.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

And of course I’ve sat on the other side of the table: As a VC. This is not just the perspective of a VC although I can’t say I have zero VC bias. This is not just the perspective of a VC although I can’t say I have zero VC bias. I now observes the fund raising process as a profession. Why buy me?

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

We’re a national venture capital investment firm but with our roots firmly in Los Angeles. I’ve spent hours this week reading about the firing of the head coach and personnel manager of the football team I support – The Philadelphia Eagles. Many tech execs (and VCs) I know have “bunker mentality.”

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2010

VC’s Want to Help! To understand what most VC’s want between board meetings I think it’s useful to start with a quote from Mark Solon ’s blog for which I’m in complete agreement (along with agreeing with his entire post, which was brave, honest and accurate ). Most VC’s want to help.

Startup 301

Startup Venture Capital Software Review Email 301

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

Email readers, continue here… ] The Angel Capital Association (ACA) lists over four hundred member groups, located throughout the USA. These firms will continue to finance the company without VC money required, and in return keep the capital structure simple for the life of the company.

Equity 156

Equity Technical Review Class Organization 156

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

As many of you know I run a weekly webcast called This Week in VC that’s getting between 25-35,000 weekly views across ThisWeekIn.com, YouTube & mostly iTunes. He started by using email (send your eCard to a friend) and there he sees 3-4 clicks back per share action. Advice, coaching, intros?

Startup 303

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Writing 303

SoCal Delicious

MARCH 1, 2010

Sand Hill Road has so many venture capital firms and they are so large, and they have been around for so long and they are very closely coupled and tied with Stanford [University]. And what happened in L.A. is--were not Sand Hill Road, right? Nowhere in the world is Sand Hill Road. Let me point out what I believe that means.

Los Angeles 50

Los Angeles Company Companies Angel 50

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: On Sunday we presented to a panel of judges consisting of entrepreneurs and a VC investor. The following day, I again tried asking for access in order to setup everyone’s email. We received great feedback and was unanimously voted the 1st Place Winner. Again, the answer I got was, “I’m on it.”

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2013

Seth is one of the most decent human beings in the venture industry so the rant was off base. But even if a VC is nasty a rant email back isn’t the right way to channel your frustration. I wish more startups would get personal coaches so they could let out their angst to neutral people – not staff, not investors.

Startup 371

Startup Press Blogging Entrepreneur 371

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 2, 2010

As a VC I’m acutely that a “yes&# decision to support an entrepreneur can do just that, yet I only write 2-4 of them per year and maybe another 3-4 as an angel. You can also spend time with a newer startup helping them navigate the world of product management, venture capital or team building.

Startup 352

Startup Help Blogging Entrepreneur 352

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Investors are human and subject to human tendencies, whether they are your rich uncle, an angel investor with personal funds or a venture capital investor with institutional money. Academic coach investors. Coaching should be expected and appreciated, but you don’t have time for constant tutorials on how to run a business.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Coach Invest Sample 108