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. Size of the fund was not announced. Source of the funding for the new venture capital fund was not announced.

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Capital Funding Startup Venture Capital 191

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Riot Ventures , the Los Angeles-based, early-stage and deep technology investment firm is going out to market to raise a $75 million second fund to finance the development of startups in LA and beyond, according to fundraising documents viewed by TechCrunch. Marcus has a long background in angel investing and company creation.

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Los Angeles Artificial Inteligence Invest Angel 126

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

Jason Calacanis , the serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and conference organizer, announced Tuesday morning that it has closed his first, formal angel investing fund, The LAUNCH Fund I. Calacanis said the fund will invest $100-$250K in 50-100 startups. READ MORE>>.

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Funding Company Companies Conference 178

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Los Angeles- and Austin-based Moonshots Capital , the venture capital fund led by serial entrepreneur Kelly Perdew, is ramping its investment pace, with the first two formal investments out of its new fund. seed funding in that firm. Moonshots also led the investment in New Knowledge. READ MORE>>.

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Invest Capital Seed Funding Social Network 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2022

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. Can you justify your use of funds to this investor? If you ask for more money than your company is now worth, no investor will bite. Are you flexible on the terms of the investment?

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Funding Startup Equity Invest 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2021

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his classic book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

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Funding Startup .Net Invest 144

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 20, 2020

More than ever, the banks and lenders today require personal guarantees from entrepreneurs, and even from CEO’s of angel or some VC funded businesses. Starting and running a small or growing business can be a challenge to the most confident and optimistic entrepreneur. A novel reward for the entrepreneur from the board.

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Company Companies Venture Capital Entrepreneur 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2022

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t make equity investments in nonprofit good causes. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. In the US, a nonprofit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c).

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Funding Equity Technical Review Organization 130

TechCrunch LA

MAY 23, 2019

The Los Angeles ecosystem is $76 million stronger today as Fika Ventures , a seed-stage venture capital firm, announces its sophomore investment fund. Fika invests roughly half of its capital exclusively in startups headquartered in LA, with a particular fondness for B2B, enterprise and fintech companies.

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Funding Startup Seed Funding Los Angeles 218

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. Of course, there are thousands of other companies that don’t achieve their minimum goal, requiring all contributions to be returned. Donation good-cause model.

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Funding Startup Outsource Development Satisfaction 141

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2017

If you have been following our recent insights, you’ll be up to speed knowing that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to sell their shares and more.

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Invest Entrepreneur Sales Startup 243

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

We’ve been dying to tell you all for a while that we had raised a new venture capital fund and of course given SEC filing requirements the story was somewhat already scooped by the always-in-the-know Dan Primack a few weeks ago. Wait, didn’t you just raise a fund? Was it hard to raise the fund?

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Venture Capital Funding Technical Review Startup 396

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources.

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Funding Startup Ideas Equity 125

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2023

If you aren’t willing to take some risk as an entrepreneur, then don’t expect any gain. Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Even top big-company executives are considered high-risk in a startup environment. If you want U.S.

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Invest Sites Technical Review Social Media 98

socalTECH

JUNE 22, 2021

A new, Los Angeles-based startup, Donut, said today that it has raised $2M in a funding round. The funding came from Redalpine, Inventures, angel Robert Leshner (Compound), Entrepreneur First, and theowners of the Washington Nationals baseball team. According to the company, the new round brings its total raised to $3.8M.

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Funding Tool Los Angeles Entrepreneur 113

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. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

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Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Leonardo DiCaprio is making a significant commitment to the Los Angeles-based investment firm, Struck Capital , as part of the actor’s commitment to building LA into a tech development powerhouse. DiCaprio has already made a number of investments in startup companies that have done very well for the Academy Award-winning actor.

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Capital Funding Los Angeles Invest 188

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities.

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Funding Activity Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. The large investment amounts preferred by VCs are no longer needed to launch winners.

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Guide Venture Capital Funding Class 136

socalTECH

JUNE 15, 2020

The Tech Coast Angels says it has launched a new, annual fund, and is continuing to invest--despite the pandemic. The angel group, the largest in the nation, said it invested over $19M in 2019, in part due to a similar fund created by its San Diego chapter, the TCA-San Diego, last year.

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Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Los Angeles Angel 113

socalTECH

AUGUST 26, 2014

Los Angeles-based The Honest Company , the online, family products retailer led by serial entrepreneur Brian Lee, and which was co-founded by Jessica Alba, has raised $70M in a funding round, according to the company Tuesday. The funding brings the company''s total raised to $122M. READ MORE>>.

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Company Companies Venture Capital Los Angeles 200

socalTECH

MARCH 15, 2012

Los Angeles-based ticketing and concert management firm Live Nation is getting into the early stage investment business, announcing Wednesday that it has established the LN Labs Fund , which will invest in early stage technologies and entrepreneurs. Size of the fund was not announced. READ MORE>>.

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Invest Funding Startup Equity 171

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 16, 2020

Over their longtime personal and professional relationship, the two Los Angeles-based serial entrepreneurs have invested in each other’s companies and investment firms, but never worked together until now. We’re seeing a lot more companies that are starting up now as a result of a [the pandemic],” said Norton.

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Funding Southern California Los Angeles Invest 230

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

Raising capital for a female-led startup can be very diffiult--which is what Justine Lassoff and Melinda Moore found out when they started their own company, LovingEco, in Los Angeles. After we sold that company, we look at each other, and decided to become part of the solution. Goop is the lifestyle brand founded by Gwyneth Paltrow.

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Help Entrepreneur Capital Startup 224

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Los Angeles-based TenOnTen Ventures, the venture capital investment fund run by David Waxman, Gil Elbaz, and Minnie Ingersoll, has kicked off efforts to raise a third fund, TenOneTen Ventures III, with a goal of raising $60M in the fund, per recent regulatory filings by the firm.

Funding 113

Funding Google Venture Capital Los Angeles 113

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). Today we’re in a world where 10 accelerators are bombarding you with emails to meet their 10-15 companies. So that means 2-3 good investments a year and we are doing well.

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Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have learned that it’s almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone you know, rather than angel investors or professional investors (VCs). In fact, most investors “require” that you already have some investment from friends and family before they will even step up to the plate. Be upbeat and respectful.

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Invest Technical Review Startup Ideas 135

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 18, 2019

With an inaugural investment into the Los Angeles-based entertainment startup Culture Genesis , Clifford Harris Jr., ”, has launched a new syndicated investment vehicle called Tech Cypha. And that’s by coming together to pool our resources so we can invest more.” who’s better known as “T.I.”,

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Invest Los Angeles Resource Venture Capital 187

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2018

This morning, Moonshots Capital (www.moonshotscapital.com), led by Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings , announced its first formal fund, a $19M seed stage fund. What we would do, is we would round up ten other angel investors, get $25,000 from each of them, and then roll up our sleeves and help that entrepreneur find venture capital.

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Capital Funding Startup Venture Capital 164

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs. Identify customer executives who need your solution.

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Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Santa Monica-based venture investor March Capital Partners (www.marchcp.com) announced last week that it has raised a second fund, worth $300M. To learn about the new fund, we sat down with Jamie Montgomery , one of the fund's co-founders, to hear about March Capital's strategy and the new fund.

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Funding Capital Artificial Inteligence Startup 160

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2022

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. In fact, Michael Dell privatized his company again in 2013 for a few years, in his words to “unleash again the passion of our team members.”

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Funding Startup Satisfaction Venture Capital 107

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Los Angeles-based Moonshots Capital , the venture capital investment firm led by Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings, has raised its first official fund, a $19M seed stage venture fund. Moonshots said the new fund will focus on seed stage deals, holding reserve capital for follow-on pro rata. READ MORE>>.

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Artificial Inteligence Capital Funding Social Media 133

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2021

Some aspiring entrepreneurs are so desperate for funding, or naïve, that they ignore the obvious signs of scams and rip-offs on the Internet, praying for a windfall. No real investor or venture capital firm asks for money from the company they are intending to invest in. Loan offer in lieu of investment.

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Technical Review Tips Funding Startup 148

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

I’m over-paying for every check I write into the VC ecosystem and valuations are being pushed up to absurd levels and many of these valuations and companies won’t hold in the long term. On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. dot-com bonanza. Seed has become an option factory for many.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2017

Are you an entrepreneur, looking for capital here in Southern California? It's turning out to be a great time for entrepreneurs looking for funding in the region, with not only high profile exits of such companies as Snap Inc., www.watertowerventures.com) Fund size: $5M. Fund size: $40M. Fund size: $20M.

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Southern California Artificial Inteligence Funding SoCal 138

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 12, 2022

providing freshly packaged salads, heat-and-eat prepared meals and vegan overnight oats, raised $7 million in funding as it goes after the $34 billion fresh prepared foods market. In January 2020, the company was in discussions with Whole Foods about launching a pilot of its meals in a few stores. Positive Food Co.,

Invest 175

Invest Los Angeles Startup Funding 175