TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Fables of the reconstruction.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

By way of a definition, a business or startup incubator is a company, university, or other organization which provides resources to nurture young companies, usually for a share of the equity, hoping to capitalize on their success, or at least strengthen the local economy. The reality is far different. Facilities support.

Incubator 146

Incubator Technical Review Entrepreneur Mentor 146

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2022

In the US, a nonprofit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants.

Funding 130

Funding Equity Technical Review Organization 130

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 13, 2013

Once you have a VC on the hook, you’ll want to negotiate the best deal in terms of valuation and deal terms (for more details about negotiating the best terms, check out my previous post: 9 Ways to Negotiate Your Best VC Terms ). Make clear what milestones you are shooting for with this funding round and get VC buy-in.

Venture Capital 84

Venture Capital Funding Invest Capital 84

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Tortuga Logic , a new startup focused on chip-level cybersecurity technology whose founders include professors from UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, has raised $2M in a seed funding, the company disclosed on Thursday. The seed funding came from Eclipse Ventures.

Software Review 124

Software Review UCSD Santa Barbara San Diego 124

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

If you track the venture capital industry it would be hard to miss the conversation going on this week over AngelList “Syndicates.” But Jason is one of the smartest thinkers in our industry so while style points in his eye-poking post might be low, he’s definitely scratching at something important.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Capitalism is fundamentally about timing, since market competition is about finding opportunities before others. When should a VC invest? Between TechCrunch today and my former roles in venture capital, I’ve had the opportunity to practice timing a lot. Mithril Capital, management fees, and VC strategic drift.

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series of posts and I need to file this one under both Raising Venture Capital and Startup Advice. So, definition: when I talk about a business plan I’m not talking about a 40-page Word document outlining your market approach. Why do VC’s care about these years? Do so at your peril.

Web 2.0 334

Web 2.0 Venture Capital Web Technical Review 334

InfoChachkie

MAY 7, 2012

Although it is tempting to overly intellectualize modern-day venture capital, its underlying construct has been part of human society for thousands of years. If you are fortunate to pitch a sophisticated investor in person, assume they already believe in the veracity of your idea, the market and the underlying technological trends.

Ideas 251

Ideas Venture Capital Education Entrepreneur 251

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

JULY 26, 2010

Social Proof in Action … Yesterday I wrote about the benefits of using social proof and authority in raising venture capital. It influenced a generation of tech marketers. The book popularized the technology adoption lifecycle curve that originally came out of Iowa State University shown below.

Marketing 294

Marketing Customer Custom Technical Review 294

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

I remind founders that the no’s come early because it’s super easy to qualify out a deal that you know is unlikely due to stage, focus, geography, competitive deal you’ve done or even just the fact that you’re too busy right now. These are the “lemons that ripen early.” When you finally get a term sheet you get three.

Press 232

Press Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 232

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

I think as a tech industry we have bred a culture that places more emphasis on product excellence than managing human behavior. Yet talk with people at Twitter these days and many seem to feel like they are part of a movement – and that doesn’t just come due to product success. Those are the easy cases.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2017

One of the most common complaints I hear from new business owners and startups is about the pain and difficulty raising capital. The “venture capital” model is the only option they know, where they feel they get no mercy, giving up equity and control. Block out sufficient time on your calendar for raising capital.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Equity Capital Entrepreneur 88

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

They’re not in search of price fixing or collusion, they’re in search of diligence information about the company. This also happens with VCs. That was an important part of our “social proof&# that we had built interesting technology. I asked every VC not to call Salesforce. How did VCs respond?

Pricing 292

Pricing Entrepreneur Technical Review Venture Capital 292

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

In the US, a nonprofit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants.

Equity 94

Equity Startup Technical Review Organization 94

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

“Yes&# was given to me by one of my favorite angel investor / seed VC’s to work with – John Greathouse of Rincon Venture Partners and author of the blog InfoChachkie that you should check out because it is filled with great info from a guy who has been a very successful operator. So how does this apply to you?

Guide 293

Guide Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 293

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. Or app companies that went viral due to spammy friend requests to download in an app store only to have a community backlash and subsequent crash. Success for many is ephemeral.

Product 150

Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 150

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My original thinking from Oct ’09 was, while I didn’t (and still don’t) have a crystal ball I worried that: consumers were over-stretched with debt (and make up 77% of the economy), unemployment would continue to rise, which in turn would drive the stock market south and cut the rate of M&A activity and VC investment even further.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2010

until the technology matures?&#. And that’s how I view VC today. If you’re not engaging your VC this way you’re losing out. And don’t limit it to VCs. Find ways to get friendly people to do peer reviews on parts of your business and offer the same in return. Such is leadership.

Help 288

Help Startup Venture Capital Framework 288

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Pitching a VC. I know you’re not a tech guy and haven’t done anything other than an HTML course you once took, but if you’re inspirational and a leader you’ll find somebody to moonlight for free to get your prototype built. They might be as hard as raising VC.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2019

Conglomerates, which were the engines of growth and vitality in the twentieth century, have proven themselves unable to innovate, and have a tarnished public image due to financial woes and poor management. Most now routinely buy startups for new technology and new products. Women are a growing force as entrepreneurs.

Startup 128

Startup Social Media Satisfaction Entrepreneur 128

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I spoke about how Amazon Web Services deserves far more credit for the last 5 years of innovation than it gets credit for and how I believe they spawned the micro-VC category. I said that I felt that Micro-VCs were the most important change in our industry. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. I believe that.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2014

original essay, and the “ Enough is Enough ” emotional Lodsys article by VC Fred Wilson. Even after your application is accepted, the issuing process takes a lifetime in today’s technology (4-5 years). Software technology changes rapidly. They don’t insist on something very narrow, with proper technical content.

Patents 100

Patents Software Review Software Technical Advisors 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

And of course the most successful technology companies: Google, Facebook, Salesforce.com [duh], Oracle, Microsoft all have loads of sales people. As in, “Well, as a tech firm we put tons of effort into APIs so that you can do your own integrations. But they’re technology people not sales people!

Startup 403

Startup Sales Software Review Technical Review 403

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 19, 2010

The Samsung Galaxy S definitely deserves a double take at the least. However, not all things are perfect and there are some issues that will be brought up later in this review. 264, WMV, VC-1. Overall the pro's of the Samsung Galaxy S far out way the con's and is definitely the Android smart phone to have in the market today.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Screening RSS Web 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2013

I have never felt prouder of the team & product at awe.sm ( please visit to check out our latest & be ready for our next big product announcement due out in next month or so) and yet we just brought in a new CEO to the company, Fred McIntyre. I know because I marked the occasion with a blog post on how to have a great VC meeting.

Startup 303

Startup Technical Review Product Blogging 303

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. Prices have definitely gone up in 2011 as depicted in the anecdotal chart below.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

I guess this is the ultimate definition of implementing a business model when you’re not clear on strategy! And finally there is the most modern spin on these concepts by two individuals who have built tech startups and have done an excellent job at describing the process. My take on his argument is this: 1. Like DeviantArt.

Startup 401

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 401

socalTECH

MAY 27, 2009

I wouldn't say we're extremely close to anything right now, but we've seen I'd say at least three different companies were we went further than an initial meeting--not a term sheet, but deeper diligence. There are definitely interesting things in Southern California. where do you see the VC industry here now?

Southern California 113

Southern California Venture Capital Startup SoCal 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2014

By way of a definition, a business or startup incubator is a company, university, or other organization which provides resources to nurture young companies, usually for a share of the equity, hoping to capitalize on their success, or at least strengthen the local economy. The reality is far different. Facilities support.

Incubator 103

Incubator Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor 103

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 4, 2014

It’s almost been a work week since Techzulu and Gadget Review’s REACH | The Connected Future and we’re still reeling with excitement. Today, the conversation on Cleantech with a panel of entreprenurs, doing work as local VC’s, university, incubators, and startups. Technology Drives Carbon Reduction.

UCLA 99

UCLA Technical Review Software Review Incubator 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2013

By way of a definition, a business or startup incubator is a company, university, or other organization which provides resources to nurture young companies, usually for a share of the equity, hoping to capitalize on their success, or at least strengthen the local economy. The reality is far different. Facilities support.

Incubator 115

Incubator Help Startup Technical Review 115

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

10 Ways To Be Your Own Boss - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , June 18, 2010 The folks at Behance and Cool Hunting asked me to talk at their 99% Conference a couple months ago. had two occasions recently to review products which had clear market leadership. " Is Your VC Founder Friendly?

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 15, 2017

The largest VC backed companies in this space have raised several hundreds of millions in funding to help expand their global footprint. It definitely is true that you will be dealing with a lot more noise and chatter than you will be used to in a home office. In a coworking space, you have people working diligently all around you.

Technical Review 91

Technical Review Study Web Design Startup 91

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

In the US, a non-profit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants.

Startup 100

Startup Angel Equity Technical Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. As a startup in this phase you often raise capital, get press, hire staff and everything feels possible. As an early-stage VC I love this phase.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286