Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2012

I recently read Brad Feld’s thought provoking piece encouraging founders to sit on the board of another startup company. I found it thought provoking because I’ve always believed startup founders need extreme focus on only their company to succeed. So I was intrigued by Brad’s post.

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Startup Carson Summary Press 294

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2016

We believe that it is incrementally harder to differentiate on simple Internet products or mobile apps and while great companies are built doing this, our goal as a fund is to try and fund things that can be 100x returns if they work. We’re not Pollyannaish about this. In short, we’re after venture returns.

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Company Companies CTO Coach Funding 207

InfoChachkie

MARCH 5, 2012

.” I recently discussed the explosion of seed accelerators and incubators with Brad Feld, who, as the Co-Founder of acclaimed startup accelerator TechStars , is uniquely qualified to opine upon the subject. You can watch my seven minute discussion with Brad below or on YouTube here: [link].

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

I was recently interviewed for an article that appeared in Fast Company titled, “ Why you should start a business in LA.&# If you’re interested in the topic it’s worth a read, but I thought I’d elaborate on the topic since it comes up all the time. But we have a great city for building technology companies.

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Company Companies Technology Startup 290

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2012

Brad Feld visited Los Angeles this past week. I always enjoy spending time with Brad as the antidote to the eco chamber. That seems very Brad to me. Brad was our guest of honor. But I think Brad actually has a point. The people I know in LA building serious companies ARE working their asses off.

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Startup Venture Capital Los Angeles Woodland Hills 304

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Most of what I think about startup communities came from mentorship by Brad Feld through hours of private discussion and debate. You can now take advantage of this wisdom directly as Brad has now published it for everybody in a fantastic new book, “Startup Communities.” Think Fred Wilson, Tony Hsieh or Brad Feld.

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Press San Diego 378

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

We all could learn a bit more about balance , as Brad Feld has outlined. Many through history became entrepreneurs precisely because they were unemployable. How to help his companies. The Dave I know is a tireless traveler and loyal to his friends the way Brad Feld is. He is tireless and works his arse off.

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Startup Venture Capital Email Writing 309

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 7, 2013

The good news for entrepreneurs is that there have never been more office space options for early stage companies. I explored this issue in a recent conversation with fellow WSJ Accelerator, Brad Feld. We are actually giving the companies money, rather than taking money from them.

Incubator 238

Incubator Startup News Entrepreneur 238

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 12, 2010

Two people whom I respect (Babak Nivi and Brad Feld) added commentary that made me want to come back and clarify my thoughts. Brad Feld started with a bias for action in his post, “ Give Your VC’s Assignments.&#. I agree with Brad. Generic requests are useless. I liked that. Especially Ad.ly.

Startup 267

Startup Venture Capital Writing Entrepreneur 267

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

After the weekend kerfuffle over AngelList I was reading Brad Feld’s post on Signal vs. Noise. But aside from choosing the time of day to focus on signal vs. noise, Brad’s post got me thinking about another question – what is signal and what is noise? It sure wasn’t when I was a first-time entrepreneur.

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Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

InfoChachkie

JUNE 30, 2014

Entrepreneur and noted investor Brad Feld unwittingly echoed Franks approach to marketing when, during a discussion with me , he declared, " …companies should… focus on building amazing products. In such cases, entrepreneurs risk confusing marketing traction with product traction. Hurry Up And Stop Marketing.

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Marketing Software Review Product Social Media 193

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Want to be an entrepreneur? In addition, Entrepreneur Magazine recently included UCSB in its Top 50 Schools For VC Backed Entrepreneurs at number 37. Brad believes that by placing entrepreneurial programs within Business Schools, ".a A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. Don''t go to Wharton or Harvard.

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Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

I know Brad Feld wrote a similar post. Brad is the ultimate giver. One of the most common questions I hear from first-time entrepreneurs is, “How do I meet angels?” Of course he wanted to talk a lot about his product and company – he was looking for money after all. He would send deals.

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Venture Capital Press GRP Partners Blogging 407

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 5, 2015

In most instances, an entrepreneur’s initial concept is only remotely related to the go-to-market plan that ultimately proves successful. Wise And Feld To The Rescue. Sean Wise and Brad Feld's Startup Opportunities, Know When To Quit Your Day Job is for students B and C. Looking Over the Ledge And Deciding Where To Jump.

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Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Santa Barbara 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2015

The law of large numbers, platforms that can make your company blow up unexpectedly and the trendy nature of tech markets can be deceiving. This is why I loved Brad Feld’s recent post about the “ illusion of product / market fit.” ” This, too, is a must read for any entrepreneur.

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Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 150

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2013

And I am often approached by entrepreneurs in cities which don’t have a vibrant VC community. You can build a meaningful company just about wherever these days. They also view it as a responsibility of the money they manage on behalf of others to provide oversight of these companies. I travel the country a lot. Not easily.

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Venture Capital Marketing Santa Barbara Startup 365

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

In my bones I’m convinced that entrepreneurs are more nature than nurture although I know both are involved. I have recently written extensively on what I believe the 12 characteristics of an entrepreneur are. Entrepreneurs aren’t born, they’re made.&# The data in this article is at best, a stretch.

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Startup Statistics Entrepreneur Study 289

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2009

There are now a second generation of entrepreneurs and companies that have learned from their last successes and are producing great new companies like TopSpin Media , Sometrics and GumGum. Twiistup 6 featured 12 showoff companies as the opening act of a 2-day conference.

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Twiistup SoCal Southern California Yammer 228

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 5, 2010

I’ve been meaning to write this post since September of last year when Brad Feld first wrote about the The Founders Visa Movement. Two weeks after Brad’s post I was at the 140 Conference in LA and I held open office hours for any entrepreneur who wanted to spend 15 minutes talking with a VC about their business.

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Technical Review Startup High Tech Software Review 282

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2015

I am reminded of this problem every time my firm does a financing where a note went before us but more specifically I was reminded by this great post by Brad Feld to talk about the pre-money vs. post-money conversion issue. Pre-money ($8m) + investment ($2m) = Post-money ($10m) and the investors now own 20% of your company $2m / $10m.

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Venture Capital Pricing Startup Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2017

One of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs make when they start a company and raise outside capital is figuring out what an acceptable “burn rate” is. That is, how much should your company be willing to lose in cash every month as you make investments in staff and equipment that funds technology, sales, marketing and management.

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Startup Venture Capital .Net Capital 212

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 15, 2012

One the most frequent questions asked of me by entrepreneurs is, "How can I become a Venture Capitalist?" The inquiry is common because being a VC is (to an entrepreneur, at least) a sexy job. I define a "VC" as, "a professional investor who deploys third-party funds into relatively early-stage companies." Microscopic Industry.

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Venture Capital Technical Review Invest RSS 242

InfoChachkie

MARCH 9, 2019

Successful serial entrepreneurs know that their relationships are valuable assets worthy of careful nurturing – employees, investors, customers and suppliers are loyal to entrepreneurs they trust and trust is built on honesty and integrity. Michael Bloomberg, American Entrepreneur and Politician. In short, he was smitten.

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Startup Netflix Entrepreneur Metrics 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2013

And yet as I reflected this week on December/January board packs that highlighted the year many companies I’ve invested in have had it is pretty mind boggling. But as an entrepreneur (and VC) you need to be aware of your own stress levels, the consequences of bottling that stress and the impact on your families & friends.

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Writing Venture Capital Blogging Startup 313

socalTECH

OCTOBER 22, 2020

We just launched a third, $100M fund focused on seed to Series A investments in transformative science and technology companies. Our two founders, Amy Salzhauer and Maureen Stancik Boyce, have been working since 2000 building very deep tech companies based on university research and other partners. We do pre-Seed to Series A deals.

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Southern California Capital Technical Review Startup 124

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I should note that my friend Brad Feld has written a new book on the subject that I would recommend if you want the bible on the topic. I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

This is going to be fairly specific to the company. I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. You really should go read Brad Feld's Implied Suspicion Versus Implied Trust. Entrepreneur: Following is an email describing my idea. How Stealthy Should You Be?

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

This is going to be fairly specific to the company. I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. You really should go read Brad Feld's Implied Suspicion Versus Implied Trust. Entrepreneur: Following is an email describing my idea. How Stealthy Should You Be?

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2010

The life of an entrepreneur is filled with 20 second opportunities. I run a company called Formation Media. So 2 things reminded me of that story and got me thinking about writing this post: I was on a panel this week talking to a crowd of a couple of hundred aspiring entrepreneurs. Brad Feld was sitting at my table.

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Startup Content Conference Media 315

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 9, 2010

TechZulu has covered Launchpad LA before they opened their doors to entrepreneurs looking for mentorship in the Los Angeles area. frustration of seeing too many companies receive funding by Northern California VCs and then relocate their teams." Click here to watch live on August 11, 2010 at 5:30pm PST.

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GRP Partners Startup Los Angeles Education 72

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 26, 2011

I have often said that what separates real entrepreneurs from pundits and bystanders is a bias towards getting things done versus over analyzing things. It’s the hardest thing to teach people who come out of big companies, out of conservative jobs. The startup entrepreneur knows that they’re going to be wrong often. Hire Slowly?

Startup 335

Startup Technical Review Framework Entrepreneur 335

Steve Reich

MARCH 2, 2013

A number of tech companies, such as Bluebeam and Materia, are quietly building powerful businesses, and many startups are in Old Town. The goals are straightforward: 1) brand the Greater Pasadena Area a desirable location for tech companies to startup or locate, and 2) encourage collaboration among companies.

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Pasadena CalTech Pasadena Angels Idealab 56

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2010

I know many super experienced entrepreneurs who don’t understand the basics of how fund size and age can affect them so I thought it was worth establishing a baseline. In a world of The Funded, VentureHacks and entrepreneur blogs this kind of informations spreads like wildfire. Let me explain: 1. And they don’t.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Seed Funding Pricing Invest 265

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

Back in 1999 when I first raised venture capital I had zero knowledge of what a fair term sheet looked like or how to value my company. Brad Feld hadn’t written his seminal “ term sheet series &# and The Funded hadn’t yet been created. But this example above is all entrepreneur math, not the VC’s.

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Venture Capital Pricing Startup Funding 405

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

In his words, [in some instances] “because lots of capital is available, the company takes on the capital and that ends up resulting in no constraints on decision making and so the company decides to do five things in stead of just one.” You are defined by how you serve the companies that are struggling.

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Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

InfoChachkie

MARCH 10, 2014

Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do - entrepreneurs never calculate probabilities, even if the chances are one in a million, "one" is all you need to win. It''s your most valuable asset - honesty is a serial entrepreneurs most potent weapon. Go venture. Watch for big problems.

Competition 274

Competition Mentor Entrepreneur Startup 274

InfoChachkie

JULY 30, 2012

Rather than hire the clichéd booth babes (which I have always found to be more than a bit sleazy), the company secured the services of a cigar-smoking, bearded angel with an exaggerated New York accent. Her company has since signed a contract with Central Desktop. Serial entrepreneur Seth Epstein is an incredible marketer.

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Marketing Conference RSS Angel 209