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.

Invest 243

Invest Entrepreneur Sales Startup 243

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. ” I hear it when I visit LPs (the people who invest in VCs) all across the country, “Yeah, I haven’t been out there for a few years but I keep hearing that something is going on there.” But even this is changing.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

TechCrunch LA

MAY 12, 2020

The group occupies some familiar spaces for past investments, with a focus on niche social communities, mobile media tools and augmented reality. Snap investment Hardworkers. Mogul Millennial : a media startup sharing professional resources for Black entrepreneurs. Yellow investment SketchAR.

Invest 237

Invest Startup Artificial Inteligence Class 237

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.

Help 224

Help Entrepreneur Capital Startup 224

Berkonomics

MARCH 6, 2025

A punch in the gut Small companies most often scrape by with borrowed or invested funds, doing everything possible to grow and prosper with limited resources. So, it is like a punch in the gut when an employee makes a claim against the company for a perceived or actual violation of a law or regulation. Protect who?

Entrepreneur 177

Entrepreneur Class Resource Email 177

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2020

The name “investment bank” somehow always sounded like a place where I could deposit my investments, and maybe even earn a little interest. Then I learned that these banks really negotiate investments and collect fees on the transactions, sort of like commercial banks do with loans to businesses. Very confusing.

Invest 144

Invest Entrepreneur Venture Capital Funding 144

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 8, 2020

Watt, who came to MoviePass as an entrepreneur in residence at True Ventures, previously founded the brand and product placement startup NextMedium and also spent time as a board partner at Upfront Ventures. Now, the serial entrepreneur and startup investor is combining his two career paths under the auspices of Share Ventures.

Company 249

Company Companies Idealab Tool 249

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 22, 2018

In an attempt to boost diversity and inclusion efforts and civic engagement between the growing technology industry in Los Angeles and the community that surrounds it, over 80 venture capitalists and entrepreneurs joined the city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, and the non-profit Annenberg Foundation to announce PledgeLA.

Los Angeles 249

Los Angeles Angel Entrepreneur Orange County 249

Berkonomics

APRIL 12, 2018

Small companies most often scrape by with borrowed or invested funds, doing everything possible to grow and prosper with limited resources. So, it is like a punch in the gut when an employee makes a claim against the company for a perceived or actual but unintentional violation of a law or regulation. So, my advice is simple.

Entrepreneur 226

Entrepreneur Class Resource Email 226

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Investors love to see entrepreneurs who have used their own money to ignite their businesses. But often, entrepreneurs turn to others for initial capital. And now that “crowd sourcing” has been enabled using the Internet – seeking many investors at a small amount per investment. Does issuing a PPM insulate the company?

Company 156

Company Companies Invest Entrepreneur 156

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

I often talk about what I’m looking for when I meet with an entrepreneur. Above all else I’m looking for a genuine passion for what the entrepreneur is doing. You can sense when it is a “mission” for this entrepreneur to succeed and she will continue the journey even if success isn’t easy or immediate.

Venture Capital 373

Venture Capital Startup Course Entrepreneur 373

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2014

I spend a lot of time with startups and thus hear many companies talk about their approach to sales and their interactions with customers. I had dinner this week with a top new customer at one of our enterprise software investments. If they want to invest that’s great. Starting with a positive. If not, somebody else will.

Customer 341

Customer Custom Venture Capital Software Review 341

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

AngelList 101 : As you know, AngelList is a platform where angels can invest in semi-screened tech deals. It should help some entrepreneurs to better access early-stage capital and should allow some angel investors better access to deal flow. M&A discussions (where your company is buying or being bought). Both are right.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. Prorata investments rights given investors the right to invest in your future fund-raising rounds and maintain their ownership % in your company as your company grows and raises more capital.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

Berkonomics

JANUARY 20, 2022

Dave’s note: This is a reprint of a 2015 insight that seems to have struck a chord with investors and entrepreneurs. None of this advice has changed… Let me tell you a few short hair–raising stories of entrepreneurs who have raised money and regretted it later. The problem, of course, comes if the business fails.

Startup 317

Startup Entrepreneur Invest Course 317

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 26, 2024

Be careful about investor rights This important variation on money talks is an important consideration for entrepreneurs when seeking an investment from professionals such as VCs. Something like a marriage (and often lasting just as long statistically), your investment partner can be a great cheerleader, coach and resource.

Coach 156

Coach Venture Capital Statistics News 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2021

As an angel investor in early-stage startups, I’ve long noticed my peers apparent bias toward the strength and character of the founding entrepreneurs, often overriding a strong solution to a painful problem with a big opportunity. Find and enjoy the company of one or more mentors. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 165

Entrepreneur Mentor Ideas Invest 165

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2020

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. Return on investment for demand generation.

Marketing 174

Marketing Invest Demand Metrics 174

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. The core of the investing job of course is investing dollars into startup companies and helping as a mentor, advisor and board member on the companies in which you’ve invested. So What Does All This Mean? I’m only 52!

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

In my Twitter bio is says that I’m “ looking to invest in passionate entrepreneurs ,” which almost sounds like I was just looking for a cliché soundbite to describe myself. Yet along with “authenticity” they are two of the key attributes I look for when I meet with companies I may consider funding one day.

Startup 419

Startup Entrepreneur Design Funding 419

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

That company was Invoca, which just announced a $20 million fund raise led by Accel. At the time I pointed out: “If I had realized exits almost certainly it would be because I invested in a company that failed. Lemons ripen early, great companies take time.” 5 years ago. ” Still. Since then?

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2017

Upfront VI is our latest core fund and is $400 million to invest in early stage entrepreneurs. LPs (the people who invest in VC firms) have clearly voted in favor of LA with the creation of 15+ new early-stage venture firms and the continued growth is size and team of the great larger firms that are well established.

Funding 287

Funding Venture Capital Santa Monica Invest 287

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2022

With the cost of entry at an all-time low, and the odds of success equally low, more and more entrepreneurs are starting multiple companies concurrently. Other prolific entrepreneurs, like Richard Branson and Elon Musk , simply have several startups on the table at any given moment. Optimize your advisers and investors.

Entrepreneur 145

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Course 145

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

Not all of these products & companies came from Silicon Valley but the overwhelming majority did. Open source computing, which reduced costs to start a company by 90%. To be clear we will continue to see great infrastructure companies built and these will mostly come from Silicon Valley. All great communication companies.

Startup 390

Startup Venture Capital Capital Funding 390

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. Both provide entrepreneurial “head start” programs for aspiring entrepreneurs, free legal guidance, and access to experienced staff members.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Although Elon Musk doesn’t talk about it very much, he owns over 350 patents through Tesla, just one of his many companies.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, SAIC and the Israel Aerospace Industries company, Techstars and Starburst Aerospace are launching an accelerator focused on the space industry in Los Angeles. The list of incredible companies just keeps growing,” said Espahbodi, the co-founder and managing director of Starburst, in a statement.

Los Angeles 275

Los Angeles Angel SpaceX Entrepreneur 275

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Last week a company we enthusiastically backed, uBeam , led by a very special entrepreneur, 25-year-old Meredith Perry , announced a $10 million round of financing. Here I make the case that entrepreneurs must stay focused on the prize, not the doubters. Entrepreneurs. ” **.

Technical Review 417

Technical Review Startup Software Review Course 417

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

So I recommend a high-level “state of the company” email a couple of times a year but a message that you assume might get shown to others. This is no different than a public company where of course most investors are not given detailed financial and performance information and when they are it is quarterly and after the fact.

Venture Capital 352

Venture Capital Seed Funding Email Blogging 352

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. We talked about how business school historically hasn’t positioned entrepreneurs well for success. Some money out of every investment.

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2021

Therefore, the least you can do is take advantage of some of the self-assessment tools and guides around, like the classic book “ The Entrepreneur Equation ,” by Carol Roth, which highlights personal characteristics and skills required. It helps to work in a similar company before you start your own. Take stock of whom you know.

Entrepreneur 169

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Guide 169

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Here’s the problem: Investors sometimes join into investment rounds that have been pre–negotiated by others, receiving the paperwork already created by attorneys from that negotiation. What if it is the company attorney or entrepreneur that finds the stinky clause so very late in the game?

Invest 156

Invest Email Entrepreneur Help 156

Berkonomics

JANUARY 7, 2021

Think of startups and early stage businesses whose entrepreneurs you know. We should think of the creation and growth of a high valued company as the sum of three parts, with three distinct classes of participants helping to make real value out of a raw start-up. One: The entrepreneur. Two: Co-management. Reward for early risk.

Startup 240

Startup Equity Statistics Entrepreneur 240

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Yet every business and every entrepreneur I know struggles with this challenge, focused on hiring the right people and implementing the right process. I was happy to see my own view reinforced in the classic book, “ Innovation Thinking Methods for the Modern Entrepreneur ,” by long-time entrepreneur and innovation expert Osama A.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Design 158

Berkonomics

MARCH 20, 2025

If fixed expenses, especially payroll, are paid out before cash is received from services or shipments, the company is financing its growth with ever-increasing working capital needs. This is one interpretation of It takes money to make money , although that statement was probably created to describe new investment opportunities.

Acquisition 285

Acquisition Email Competition Activity 285

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Scott Kupor of A16Z responded with a comprehensive overview of valuation methodology in a post that while accurate feels more targeted at sophisticated Limited Partners (LPs) who invest in funds. As an entrepreneur I never really knew what to make of VC return data. Simple: it is value-added for both entrepreneur and co-investor.

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Venture Capital Invest Funding Competition 264

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

High-profile entrepreneurs and investors, Peter Thiel, for example , have left. “It’s hard to make a difference in San Francisco as a single entrepreneur,” said J.D. “It’s not as a hard to make a difference as a successful entrepreneur in Columbus, Ohio.” ” J.D. Here's why.

Venture Capital 279

Venture Capital Startup Capital Entrepreneur 279