Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. 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%). I don’t.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2024

How about the size of the board? Email readers, continue here…] Some board members find themselves debating whether there should be an expansion from five to seven, from seven to nine or more to allow for such a mixture of protective seats created by the investment documents and balance with outside board members.

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Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 15, 2018

And yet, as I recall the greatest thrills, the memorable events, the best of memories, almost none are about the money. The rewards of angel investing. If you are in such a good place in your life, find a local angel investing group by navigating to www.angelcapitalassociation.org and clicking on “Find Angels.”

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

I actually really enjoyed many of the points Muhammad made about marketing in general and I found myself nodding through the entirety of the article except for it’s core premise. I believe growth hacking is about all of this. I’d like to make the case that the article is wrong. I’d strongly encourage you to read it.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review SEM SEO Marketing 384

Berkonomics

MARCH 28, 2019

Sooner or later you may need to seek venture capital and accommodate the needs of the venture community in negotiating the terms of an investment. First, VC’s in general cannot invest in ‘S’ corporations or limited liability companies (LLC’s). And what VC’s worry about. What VC’s can and cannot do.

Invest 120

Invest Venture Capital Pricing Class 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2023

Indeed, while the rules and technologies for lead generation have changed, Forrester and other experts still see it as the most effective way for businesses with limited budgets to maximize their return on marketing investment (ROI). It’s also one of the most accountable, with in-depth data provided by search engines about performance.

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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.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Many MBA programs still cater too much to the needs of large, corporate management jobs or prepare students to enter big consulting companies or investments banks. If you haven’t read Adam Lashinsky’s awesome new book about Apple , you should. And that leads me to today’s post. Specifically, 1.

Startup 319

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socalTECH

OCTOBER 23, 2012

We sat down with TX Zhuo , who is heading up the firm's venture investments, about the fund and his path here after a recent stint at Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors fund in Palo Alto. We are going to focus most of our investments in LA. We have four investments so far, two of which are public.

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Funding Startup Invest Commerce 253

Berkonomics

AUGUST 10, 2023

To protect against such an event, almost every professional investor includes a clause in the investment documents which allow the investor to “put” the stock back to the company after five years, requiring the company to pay back the investment plus dividends accrued during the term of the investment. Draconian terms?

Venture Capital 292

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Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Let’s talk about the reality of taking money from professional investors. Email readers, continue here…] Almost always, professional investors, including angel groups and venture capitalists, also require at least one seat on the corporate board. It is not the first time we’ve covered this general subject nor the last.

Sales 156

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Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Now, I’m pretty on the record that being an entrepreneur is about being great at The Do. I’ve talked in the past about how I manage my own creative process. I zone out and think about how things could be different. Do you find yourself too much in email mode? And What About the Opposite?

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Venture Capital Conference Ideas Entrepreneur 400

Berkonomics

APRIL 18, 2024

We have investigated the restrictions imposed by investment documents and the obvious need to keep continuity on the board with the retention of the CEO position at the very least. How about loss of institutional knowledge? How about non-profit boards? How about staggered four-year terms?

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Berkonomics

OCTOBER 10, 2013

Many CEOs have asked me if I felt an investment banker adds value if the buyer has already been identified. Investment bankers sometimes slow the process by requiring a “deal book” to be prepared containing considerable information about a company to help a buyer. Deal books are expensive to create.

Invest 207

Invest Competition Pricing Startup 207

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Let’s talk about lawyers… Over the years in business and as a member of over forty boards, I have received good advice from corporate attorneys and on occasion bad advice as well. There is a line that should be drawn in a relationship between corporate attorney and CEO or board.

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Outsource Development Invest Conference Training 120

Berkonomics

APRIL 25, 2024

A true story… [Email readers, continue here…] One of the CEOs in a round-table who had been active and vibrant for years in both his company and the round-table, died suddenly of a heart attack. It’s all about continuity of the organization. The post Are your board members as valuable as you?

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

We also are dependent on money, advice and support of many of our friends & colleagues in the venture industry who co-invest with us in nearly every deal we do. We’re sending it directly to people’s email boxes but I figured we might as well make it public so you all have access to it.

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Funding Venture Capital Marketing Writing 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). When Ethan was considering leaving Google we talked about it. What do we like about OpenTable? Let me not bury the lede.

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CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Berkonomics

APRIL 20, 2023

But… I read several years ago that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Even more credible statistics [Email readers, continue here…] John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco, stated that “More than one-third of businesses today will not survive the next ten years.” How about the early-stage investors?

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Statistics Startup Study Invest 156

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

Having read his latest op-ed on email I know why I erred towards the side of of not loving his book as much as some did. Apparently he’s an “organizational psychologist professor and thinks that it’s rude not to answer email. I also surmise that perhaps organizational psychologists don’t get as much unsolicited emails as some of us do.

Email 250

Email Writing Conference Mobile 250

Berkonomics

JANUARY 25, 2024

Everyone, even seasoned CEO’s can use a good coach who knows how to bring out the best in a person, is knowledgeable about the business process, and who has an extended list of relationships to call upon to fill needs that become obvious in the coaching process. Business coaches come in all sizes and shapes. It is worth asking.

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Coach Organization Resource Equity 156

Berkonomics

MAY 31, 2018

Feel good about the former employee’s success. Tom almost always had ideas to contribute, particularly about marketing programs and opportunities. Email readers, continue here…] One day Tom came to me and said, “I want to transfer to marketing. Five years later, I received an email from Tom. Keep me informed.”

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Email Coach Invest Equity 226

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally generated funds. There is a lot to say about retaining control. Better yet, the valuation of your enterprise is often higher than if the same investment were taken from a professional investor.

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Venture Capital Startup Class Invest 295

Berkonomics

JANUARY 20, 2022

Some relatives believe that a family bond is an insurance policy, and that all investments or notes will always be repaid, no matter what the circumstance. Consider whether the family member being asked to invest has the capacity to walk away “happily” from a lost cause. The problem, of course, comes if the business fails.

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Berkonomics

JUNE 15, 2023

Email readers, continue here…] Once achieved, a goal is meant to be overwritten with a newer one, set to even higher standards. The good thing about a goal is that it is measurable, and progress toward it can be measured as well. If achieved early, celebrate and set another goal earlier than planned.

Satisfaction 156

Satisfaction Email Examples Report 156

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Companies sometime run out of cash in the midst of their increasing success, and often find that sources of loans or investment are not freely flowing at the moment of need. What about those unicorns? Yes, there are – when it comes to entrepreneurial growth. Growth brings financial issues.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 11, 2012

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 -- Going Global: Cross Border Acquisitions and Investment Strategies for Successful International Operations. Recent years were about cost cutting and restructuring but now the focus is shifting. Email kelly.barba@klgates.com. 40% of U.S.

Acquisition 113

Acquisition Invest Email 113

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 19, 2018

Gross and Barnehama met through a mutual friend in the robotics industry in Los Angeles, the chief executive of Embodied, Paolo Pirjanian, Barnehama wrote in an email. After about a year of research, the company launched with an initial investment of $1.2 And Barnehama was equally vague about the company’s mission.

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Los Angeles Angel Artificial Inteligence CalTech 207

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 31, 2023

Business success is all about meeting the needs of the modern buyer, who is more informed, has access to more choices, and is ever smarter about making purchasing decisions. Nurturing stage email performance. Return on investment for demand generation. Don’t just use these in isolation.

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Metrics Demand Paramount Content 102

Berkonomics

AUGUST 5, 2021

Investment documents usually call for quarterly reporting by the company to the investors. Less than a quarter of companies receiving early-stage investment voluntarily fulfill this promise. Usually, one or more of the investors is placed on the board as a requirement of the investment documentation.

Invest 156

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

You race back to the office to tell everybody how well it went and you wait for the follow-up call to have a partners’ meeting or talk about term sheets or at least dip into due diligence. It’s predictable, there is no reason to get mad about it and with a well-designed play book you can overcome this much of the time. everything.

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The rest of the purchase price was concocted from a brew of zero-coupon bonds (where the face value is many times the invested amount until the reduced cost bonds mature thirty years later), and borrowing using the target company’s accounts receivable and other assets as collateral for a loan to purchase the company.

Pricing 156

Pricing Sales Examples Tool 156

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2011

That post ignited a firestorm of criticism and controversy among the technology community, both publicly and privately in emails, tweets, comments, and phone calls. And while I generally agree and give similar advice, here are three anecdotes or truths about SoCal investing and startups that contradict. On associates.

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Clearstone Invest Tech Coast Angels Venture Capital 160

Berkonomics

AUGUST 4, 2022

What about hiding the “why” from employees or investors? One of my companies where I have an investment and am on the advisory board was in the midst of a sprint to close its acquisition by a larger company before the cash ran out and enterprise value plummeted. I’ve recently experienced an example of this.

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Journal Acquisition Class News 156

socalTECH

DECEMBER 16, 2019

For our interview today, we have Noramay Cadena , a Partner at MILA Capital , who spoke to us earlier this year about the venture capital investment firm and what it looks for in entrepreneurs. Noramay Cadena: We're investing at the intersection of tech, manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. What is MiLA Capital?

Capital 100

Capital Invest Venture Capital Entrepreneur 100

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

And I found from experience – after investing in many other entrepreneurial businesses over the years – that this stage typically occurs first at about twenty employees or $3 million in net revenues (or gross profit) for most any kind of company. Email readers, continue here…] My story of “that rock” in one paragraph.

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.Net Los Angeles Content Entrepreneur 156

Berkonomics

MAY 13, 2021

important point of that book, which was written to prompt discussion between entrepreneurs, professional managers, and their boards of directors about issues that could unite them or strain the relationships between them. Relationships are often as valuable as an investment. How about context as a basis for decisions about growth?

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