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. Why did you raise VC from Polaris & how have they been to work with? Any takers in a trade for helping do some write-ups against whatever you want?

Startup 303

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Writing 303

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

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

I plan to write about it early next year when we’re all through. 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.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. As a VC you want to feel like you have “proprietary sources” of deal flow. There is one source I never liked and no early-stage VC should – investment bankers. They are venture bankers not investment bankers. What stage?

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

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

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. He is very pleasant when he calls and writes.

Tips 366

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 366

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

And because as a VC or as a CEO or senior exec you get presented to all the time we’re extra sensitive to it. 25% of VCs are expressives, like you. They form the other 25% of VCS and senior executives. The golden rule for VC is to be prepared to give yourself 20 minutes to present. Most entrepreneurs are.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

This applies to both founders and to VC’s that work with them. By the time of my second company MySQL was a much more robust solution and worked well when you had to read a lot of information but was less performant on “write&# activities. Again, I can’t imagine being a VC and NOT doing this. A quick example.

Startup 308

Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

One of the interesting things about being a VC is that you often see companies in transition. If you’re an early investor like I am that often means writing the first $2-3 million check into a business that previously had either survived on fumes or on a $500,000 angel round. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Berkonomics

MARCH 28, 2024

Even venture capitalists who sit on boards where they have significant investments often forget this point. They write in their investment documents that they will occupy a seat on the board for as long as they are invested in the company, thinking of this as a protection for their investment and tool for them to influence growth.

Class 282

Class Coach Invest Sales 282

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

And yes, VC’s, too. Negotiate directly with your VC or acquirer with lawyers present in the room. VCs : VCs are often on your side and usually act in an ethical manner. You can sometimes leverage your VC in a “bad cop&# negotiation with a buyer. What might the VC do against your interest?

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. On Losing in VC. I know I won’t win every deal I want to in VC. Write things down. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a sore loser.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. On Losing in VC. I know I won’t win every deal I want to in VC. Write things down. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a sore loser.

Outsource Development 329

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 329

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Even venture capitalists who sit on boards where they have significant investments often forget this point. They write into their investment documents that they will occupy a seat on the board for as long as they are invested in the company, thinking of this as a protection for their investment and tool for them to influence growth.

Class 179

Class Coach Invest Sales 179

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 281

Startup Coach Course Invest 281

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 353

Startup Help Blogging Entrepreneur 353

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2009

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits ;-). We helped the write out their requirements for a system. You are most vulnerable right after it has been announced that you won (I will write a separate post on this). Write things down. This one was eye-opening.

Startup 151

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review 151

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

You are writing about the essentials of business. I am planning right not to write a post about how startups often get SEO wrong. Sometimes we draft business plans and coach the entrepreneurs on their pitch, and sometimes we even help develop a business model. A few years ago “venture capital” was a revenue model.

Startup 150

Startup SEO Pepperdine Blogging 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

A trophy investor is a great coach and mentor, sometimes providing the only shoulder an entrepreneur can cry on during difficult times. The trophy angel investor typically participates in networks of other angel investors and venture capital firms that are available for evaluation, feedback and syndication. Emotional maturity.

Entrepreneur 83

Entrepreneur Mentor Invest Angel 83

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

For me, it’s very much showcasing that angel investing is not just writing a check, it’s so much more. In addition to coaching and mentoring, I want to put them in the game of investing into startups. Also, the skill sets and expertise they can learn and experience as an entrepreneur. The numbers are low, but they are not zero.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

Yesterday I wrote Part 1 of the series on the changes to the software industry over the past decade that has led to changes in the venture capital industry itself. These trends have put pressure on traditional VCs. So VCs spent a couple of years experimenting with earlier-stage investing, which is OK. Funny, that.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Capital Software Startup 296

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. There are countless of great individuals willing to help, coach, mentor and guide new companies and new entrepreneurs that vastly outnumber the ones who seek out to do damage. We are all part of the ecosystem after all.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

My primary role was “chief psychologist&# and as I’ve learned over the past few years the same has been true as a VC. I finally got around to writing it having read Fred Wilson’s post about what a CEO does. As a VC you see the insides of companies rather than the companies positive spin on TechCrunch.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

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 467

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 467

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

So part of playing an effective coach is helping the team to see the answer for themselves. We talk a lot about his schooling, his early jobs as a developer and then as a VC and we talk about his decision to spend winters in Los Angeles. Fred is generous with his time and advice and I hope has shaped a generation of VCs for the better.

Venture Capital 327

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 327

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

But VC is like congress. In the original version of his post, Andy writes. “This essay is dedicated to the great VC’s on my board who I am lucky to work with: Sameer Gandhi from Accel, Jeremy Liew from Lightspeed, and Kirsten Green from Forerunner. . Their data looks at tech VCs. Because they know him or her.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

I’ve tried over the years to write many times about the realism of the downsides of being an entrepreneur because there is a complete cognitive dissidence between what you read about yourself in the press and what you feel internally about where you’re at in the journey. Advisors / Coaches / Mentors. I was 31.

Press 382

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 382

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

DECEMBER 17, 2020

This class of investor typically writes checks from $50,000 to $250,000. 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. Then there is venture capital. Accelerators.

Equity 156

Equity Technical Review Class Organization 156