Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

I recently got an email from a friend who had been approached by a well known VC. He sent me an email asking whether the approach was real and whether he should take it seriously. Here is the email he received (reprinted without names with his permission). Why do VCs send generic outbound emails like this?

Venture Capital 294

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Email Equity 294

Berkonomics

JANUARY 14, 2021

If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort.

Technical Review 156

Technical Review Tech Coast Angels Summary Email 156

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

Here’s Why You Should Just Send the Deck I know you have your document sending tool to send your fund-raising deck to VCs and track who read your deck, which pages they read and how much time they spend on each page. Your deck should be so good that a VC asks you for permission to show it to his or her portfolio companies.

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Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Berkonomics

JUNE 19, 2014

If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort.

Technical Review 207

Technical Review Tech Coast Angels Summary Email 207

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Or if you’re a VC raising from LPs you have to list all of your deals, your investment value, your carrying value, your multiples, your IRRs, TVPIs, DPIs, etc along with net cashflows plus your previous LPAs. So what does a VC do when he or she isn’t ready to say “no” or perhaps might like to talk with you in a year but not now?

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Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

If you are looking for money, this question will certainly come up in one form or another when you approach professional or organized angel or VC investors. What if you were the investor and someone walked into your office handing you a business plan executive summary that floored you with its brilliance? A more complex answer.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

If you are looking for money, this question will certainly come up in one form or another when you approach professional or organized angel or VC investors. What if you were the investor and someone walked into your office handing you a business plan executive summary that floored you with its brilliance? A more complex answer.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series, “ Pitching a VC.&# Getting a meeting with a prominent angel or VC is difficult enough. Some advice on how to do that was covered in this link – Getting Access to a VC. If you haven’t read how to build VC relationships and demonstrate traction make sure to read it.

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Venture Capital Startup Email News 277

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2011

I took the opportunity this past week to publish summary notes of some of the VCs and entrepreneurs I had interviewed on This Week in VC. One of my goals in doing the show was not only to educate entrepreneurs but also to put a human face on many of the VCs in our industry as VCs can be hard to get to know.

Capital 265

Capital Venture Capital Veoh Startup 265

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

But VC is like congress. “I don’t know the exact math, but I hear it again and again: the top 2% of firms generate 98% of the returns in venture capital.” As you can see from the chart their data suggests there are about $25 billion of VC distributions per year in the US. Their data looks at tech VCs.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Email readers, continue here.] And great management is able to morph a company to adopt without destroying the culture of the company in the process. What if you were the investor and someone walked into your office handing you a business plan executive summary that floored you with its brilliance?

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Venture Capital Entrepreneur Summary Incubator 240

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

kind of like a board for a VC firm). Whenever I’ve faced my toughest moments or biggest decisions as a VC firm, having trust with my LPs and vice versa goes a long way. Some board members spend all of their time in the meeting on electronic devices doing email or even checking social media. I practice what I preach.

Startup 269

Startup Venture Capital Layoffs Resource 269

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Or, as always, summary notes available below. Yeah, that was when I changed for me…” “…there was so much positive feedback on demystifying this one element of venture capital. The value of Pitch Decks; Brad’s personal preferences on deal presentation; and Brad’s practice of accepting cold approaches via email.

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Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 23, 2012

This is one of the best episodes of This Week in VC for a long time. And they invest n select VC funds. Here’s the summary and on YouTube the links to skip right to these moments is below the actual video. 27:45 Thank you to Detroit Venture Partners for their support of the show! 30:30 Are you investing in email?

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Media Company Companies Venture Capital 285

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

If you read this blog often you'll know that I'm a huge fan of First Round Capital. They have totally changed the way you run a VC firm, investing heavily in systems & events for their founders that are pushing the boundaries of the way our industry works. First Round Capital receives about 2500 submissions each year.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 13, 2011

I know with a title like that I’m going to subject myself to people thinking I’m just being a grumpy, exclusive VC. Here’s my advice: A got an email from a young, super bright entrepreneur today. He responded by emailing the COO and asking him to lunch. It can be great for second VC meetings.

Venture Capital 397

Venture Capital Startup Email Networking 397

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2019

It’s encouraging to know that there are still great VC firms like KV that are looking to make these short of big bets on shaping the future. Summary Boards are organizations that need managing just as you would do for your management team. I would argue this isn’t in your interest or the boards.

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Startup Slides Venture Capital Course 234

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2009

But so that you finish reading my post first I’ll give you the summary version – when approaching somebody at a show be polite / respectful of time, try to be introduced if possible and never assume the person remembers who you are. Then I get people sending me Twitter comments, blog comments and tons & tons of email intros.

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Startup Conference Email Venture Capital 322

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2012

Every serious investor, on the other hand, has a stack of these in their in-basket (email or real plastic) awaiting review, and is looking for the flaw or less-capable entrepreneur in each that predicts failure, allowing them to discard it like another piece of junk mail. Send the plan without a summary. You lose in either case.

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Summary Technical Review .Net Ideas 97

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Every serious investor, on the other hand, has a stack of these in their in-basket (email or real plastic) awaiting review, and is looking for the flaw or less-capable entrepreneur in each that predicts failure, allowing them to discard it like another piece of junk mail. Send the plan without a summary. You lose in either case.

Summary 97

Summary Technical Review .Net Ideas 97

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

I got an email recently from my friend & fellow VC, Jeff Bussgang from Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston. In Summary. Here is a sample of the reading list for the course that gives you a flavor for just how modern and practical this course is. And that leads me to today’s post.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

They don’t handle Twitter feedback, emails or IM. At the end I normally like to say “I’d love to list out what I think I heard are your issues to test whether I had properly understood them.&# Normally after I read off my summary they clarify points a lot and I realize that I was only directionally correct.

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Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

InfoChachkie

JUNE 27, 2011

In particular, Marcia Brown’s 1947 retelling of the classic French folktale Stone Soup is a veritable playbook for how to start a venture. Plot Summary. Your child will also learn the value of a tangible representation of a venture. It is flattering to be asked to share your insights and VCs are as subject to flattery as anyone.

Entrepreneur 270

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Resource 270

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2012

For this, you should expect participation in monthly strategy and review meetings, and unlimited access via phone or email for questions, mentoring, and advice. Even more importantly, you should expect these members of your team to be your advocates to angel or VC investors, or even be part of your friends and family financing round.

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2010

Since it’s already written (and since I promised not to republish on my blog other than a summary) if you’re interested please have a read over there. Summary notes and then I’ll extend: Should you blog? Now I’m a VC. I also recommend you put it under your email signature in a color other than black.

Blogging 286

Blogging Startup Writing Summary 286

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2011

For this, you should expect participation in monthly strategy and review meetings, and unlimited access via phone or email for questions, mentoring, and advice. Even more importantly, you should expect these members of your team to be your advocates to angel or VC investors, or even be part of your friends and family financing round.

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Or read the quick, informative summary below the image! What better than to have capital from somebody who has actually done it in the trenches? Matt’s commitment to re-investing in tech startups is reminiscent to this great Fred Wilson post of “recycling capital. &#. Here’s a summary of our interview.

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Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

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. Executive Summary. Fund raising is bloody hard. Why buy me?

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2010

For this, you should expect participation in monthly strategy and review meetings, and unlimited access via phone or email for questions, mentoring, and advice. Even more importantly, you should expect these members of your team to be your advocates to angel or VC investors, or even be part of your friends and family financing round.

Invest 50

Invest Technical Review Software Review High Tech 50

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2017

The perverse nature of raising capital is that “no’s” almost always precede “yeses” because it’s very easy for a VC to tell you that you’re not a good fit without doing any real work to evaluate your company so you hear “no” far before others start doing more work. The best VCs follow up but then so, too, to the best entrepreneurs.

Funding 238

Funding Venture Capital Startup Course 238

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. For years I saw myself as the new guy in VC but then you wake up one day and realize that 50% of your peers have been doing it for less time than you and time has moved on. What I’m saying is that you can’t spend all of your time in email working your inbox.

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Startup Technical Review Venture Capital Email 317

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

► August (3) Venture Capital - What's the rush? StrongMail Systems (Digital Messsaging Infrastructure Software) Status: VC-backed (Sequoia Capital, Globespan and Evercore) Lesson: Trust your gut. . Venture Capital Funding 7. I'm 30, now will you take me seriously? Zondigo, Inc. Relaxing 2.

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Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs. Let’s be clear: AngelList doesn’t scare a single VC I know. But it’s not cutting VCs out. It is additive.

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Startup Venture Capital Blogging Summary 292

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2020

with $15 million to Prove It The venture capital world has started firing up a few cylinders again and looking for businesses that it believes will help us all succeed in ways that resonate with new ways of working as we begin to return to work. Bevy is Emerging as a Leader in Software for Building Virtual Communities?—?with

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Software Startup Tool Platform 234

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2015

I do it every morning and many school days I get email and/or blogging out of the way in the early morning so I can cuddle up with them before school. When I was done I had to send an email to Adam Lezack that was urgent and due by the morning. I will call, email, text or see each one whenever they have something urgent going on.

Blogging 150

Blogging Writing Email Startup 150

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This is a long post, so I put an executive summary here if you want to get the point without reading all the detail. If you plan to read the post you can skip the summary if you want. close email) so I can stay focused. Just 12 bullet points & you’re done.

Writing 356

Writing Startup Ideas Summary 356

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2018

Do your homework on opportunity, competitors, financial projections, funding required, and hook investors the first time you can with an executive summary and ten-slide pitch. The old cold call or broadcast email to anyone who has “investor” in their bio just doesn’t work. Request warm investor meetings from peers and advisors.

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Startup Equity Funding Slides 56