Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

I came across this blog post about getting a computer science degree as the best degree for getting into venture capital or working at a VC-backed start up. I just completed an exercise where I went out to hire a new associate for my VC firm, GRP Partners. I had to laugh a bit reading it. MBA fine, but not required.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2013

Obviously, a key factor is always the state of the economy and the mood of the venture capital community. According to the Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index® for the First Quarter 2013, the Q1 increase marks three consecutive quarters of positive sentiment among Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

Venture Capital 95

Venture Capital Capital Startup Funding 95

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

After all, I am no stranger to the publicly expressing the frustrations of dealing with the downside of this industry as I wrote about in 2006 when I was an entrepreneur. 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.”

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Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

MBA’s are an easy target for entrepreneurs’ scorn. I too have taken shots at MBA’s, describing why they are not typically well suited for startup life in Why Entrepreneurs Hate (Most) MBAs. Ventures In Which An MBA Education Is A Plus. Situationally, MBA’s Can Be Effective Entrepreneurs. “When M.B.A.’s

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Allegis Startup Competition 113

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

VC's love to talk about their successes. Yet most VC's bury their failures under six feet of denial. In the startup world, the former happens when a VC makes a bad investment, and the latter occurs when they miss a great opportunity. In retrospect, our decision was both perfectly rational and completely lame. > -jeff.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

When you raise money from investors you produce information that you are told they want and care about: A fund-raising deck that articulates your company strategy, plans, team, market, competitors and so forth. 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

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 12, 2015

After studying at UC Santa Barbara''s entrepreneurial program , he returned to Spain, excited to start a venture and make a positive impact on his homeland. Fredi''s email is worth reading, as it reinforces how lucky American entrepreneurs truly are. A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. Fredi''s Plea.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Santa Barbara Venture Capital 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Obviously, a key factor is always the state of the economy and the mood of the venture capital community. According to the Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index® for the First Quarter 2014, the Q1 increase marks seven consecutive quarters of positive sentiment among Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

Funding 108

Funding Entrepreneur Venture Capital Startup 108

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

In the VC & Private Equity world there’s a small number, too, with one of the most respected being PEHub. I always wanted to have Dan on This Week in VC with Dan Primack ( to see video click link ) because he’s blunt, honest, opinionated and well informed. Question: Some people are saying traditional VC is dead.

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Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2010

Last week at an angel investor forum I was privileged to meet Stephanie Spong, who is a Principal with EPIC Ventures, an increasingly rare early stage VC firm. Stephanie: I am a venture capitalist currently based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, with EPIC Ventures. Stephanie also speaks Spanish and Japanese.

Venture Capital 65

Venture Capital Capital Entrepreneur Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2015

One of the simplest questions I get from aspiring entrepreneurs, and ironically one of the hardest, is “How do I start?” They just aren’t prepared for the life they want, and are really asking me how to learn to be an entrepreneur. Help entrepreneurs with constant learning. Learning doesn’t have to be all work.

Entrepreneur 112

Entrepreneur Startup Education Tool 112

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Applied research is still primarily scientific study, seeking to solve practical problems, but doesn’t yet focus on a commercial product. Specialized VCs start to jump in at this stage. Product development at this stage is the process of scaling up for manufacturing and marketing rollout. Commercial product prototypes.

Resource 102

Resource Ideas Funding Research 102

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 12, 2012

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Blank, author of Four Steps To The Epiphany , Stanford Professor and noted entrepreneur. The subject discussed in the video below is Steve’s belief that Venture Capitalists should begin their careers as operational entrepreneurs. The Alchemy Of A Great Venture Capitalist.

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Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur SaaS 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don''t attract investors failing within the first three years. My first advice for new entrepreneurs is to pick a domain that doesn’t have the sky-high up-front development costs, like online web sites and smart phone apps.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Funding Startup Technical Review 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2016

In 2016, our Santa Monica office more than doubled market share of early-stage companies. we're proud to be part of one of the world's most vibrant innovation ecosystems with some of the fastest growing companies and most creative entrepreneurs. Though we bank companies large and small around the globe, here in L.A. He earned a B.A.

Santa Monica 124

Santa Monica Southern California Venture Capital SoCalTech 124

socalTECH

APRIL 12, 2013

There''s been a lot of activity over the past two years in the Southern California accelerator/incubator market, with numerous groups (Amplify, EvoNexus, K5, LaunchpadLA, MediaCamp, Science, StartEngine, and many, many others) looking to help entrepreneurs start and fund their companies. But, how successful have they been? Science Inc.

Southern California 222

Southern California Incubator Report Startup 222

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

"Authentic" is dead - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , May 3, 2010 It's time to retire the following phrases. Draw Your Ideas - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , May 16, 2010 I saw Jack Dorsey give this talk at The 99% Conference last month. Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

Value Prop Twitter Style : “Ringrevenue’s call performance marketing platform enables ad networks, agencies, advertisers & publishers to generate more inbound sales calls.”. In today’s market, so much focus is placed on transacting business online. 10) Rob, why does the world need RingRevenue? . “In

Marketing 209

Marketing Advertising Paid Search Startup 209

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Want to be an entrepreneur? In addition, Entrepreneur Magazine recently included UCSB in its Top 50 Schools For VC Backed Entrepreneurs at number 37. A decent showing, but well below a number of larger schools, as the ranking is based on the number of graduates who secured VC funding. Techpreneurs.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Xconomy

MARCH 23, 2018

In our 24/7 connected world, there’s no shortage of data you can access, study, and agonize over. The market’s latest move—from boom to correction—has commentators and analysts in a tizzy; many investors are feeling anxious, too. The Dow Jones Industrial Average. Startup exits. Funding rounds. Let’s start with what to ignore.

Marketing 56

Marketing Study Entrepreneur Startup 56

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

According to a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur. Are you ready to start?

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Equity 105

socalTECH

JULY 9, 2019

in Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences from West Virginia University, and told us a bit about the fund, its investments, and his advice to entrepreneurs looking for investment from the company. Chris Bostick: We're a mid-Wilshire venture firm, with a $260M fund. What are you looking for in a company and entrepreneur?

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Invest SaaS Entrepreneur 113

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2014

When second place isn’t good enough because we live in winner-take-most markets. He wants to compete to be the lead drummer in the competitive ensemble and study under Terence, an obsessive instructor who is hell bent on winning competitions for the school. Leadership Tech Market Analysis' I absolutely loved the film.

Competition 394

Competition Startup Writing Marketing 394

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 5, 2022

A few minutes away from downtown Atlanta, Collab Studio ATL describes itself as “a tech-based one-stop shop for content creators, HBCU students and young entrepreneurs to achieve their business goals.” A post shared by Collab Studios (@collabstudiosatl). Image Credits: Robiiiworld (Brandy Merriweather via BStarPR).

Platform 210

Platform Social Media Netflix Content 210

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

This offline event was successful in helping Kaviani find his own cofounder, Culin Tate, and a new venture. Together they envisioned a Match.com type of site for entrepreneurs to find each other and make things happen. s first accelerator called The Fort and raised VC funding. Soon after CoFoundersLab was accepted into D.C.’s

Entrepreneur 87

Entrepreneur Santa Monica Startup CTO Hire 87

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2016

One of the simplest questions I get from aspiring entrepreneurs, and ironically one of the hardest, is “How do I start?” They just aren’t prepared for the life they want, and are really asking me how to learn to be an entrepreneur. Help entrepreneurs with constant learning. Learning doesn’t have to be all work.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Startup Education Tool 58

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

There have been many studies done on the topic including looking at twins raised in separate families. There have been studies of adopted children to their natural parents versus the parents that raised them. I have also seen studies on “birth order.&#. I’m an ex entrepreneur. I’m biased, too.

Startup 289

Startup Statistics Entrepreneur Study 289

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

Applied research is still primarily scientific study, seeking to solve practical problems, but doesn’t yet focus on a commercial product. Specialized VCs start to jump in at this stage. Product development at this stage is the process of scaling up for manufacturing and marketing rollout. Commercial product prototypes.

Help 165

Help Research Startup Funding 165

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

I recently sat down with Troy Carter to talk about what he does and why he believes it is applicable to venture capital. And more recently he has turned that into a fund called CrossCulture VC such that many in Silicon Valley and beyond now know Troy as well.

Mentor 150

Mentor Venture Capital Marketing Product 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

As an entrepreneur, I understand your passion when pitching your solution to investors and customers, but passion alone won’t make one more technology pitch stand out above all the rest. Story telling allows these people to see the real you, outside the context of a marketing pitch for a specific business or solution.

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Startup Competition Customer Custom 145

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Yeah, that was when I changed for me…” “…there was so much positive feedback on demystifying this one element of venture capital. We have a theme we call Protocol, which are technology protocols and markets built around technology protocols like SMTP for email and RSS. This time frame – 2005/2006 – web 2.0

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

While many of my friends bragged about their 5 condos in Florida I kept talking about how the real estate market was in a bubble – their gains an illusion. above inflation yet in many markets in the US & Europe prices were rising at 10-25% per year. “Yeah, but there is a shortage of supply.

Invest 299

Invest Angel Technical Review Venture Capital 299

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

The company recently raised a round of funding from Santa Barbara-based ScOps Venture Capital. In terms of where we offer to our customers, we have 250 different areas, from early childhood to studying for an MCAT or the bar. However, because of our marketing and how efficient we are, we're able to make it work.

Startup 113

Startup Venture Capital Beverly Hills Acquisition 113

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

In our industry we applaud the efforts for entrepreneurs to have tried and we know that today’s failure can bring the experience for tomorrow’s success. The questions that a VC mulls before writing a check are precisely the questions you should be asking yourself. Market Size. MakeSpace provides physical storage.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2014

The venture capital firm that bears his name. Because they couldn’t have “normal” professions they become traders, peddlers, market makers and financiers. Study the origins of the retail sector and you’ll see Jews who emerged from market stalls like Marks & Spencer or Neiman Marcus.

Education 417

Education Venture Capital UCSD Class 417

socalTECH

JULY 22, 2019

There are lots of resources available to entrepreneurs in the industry, but they are not necessarily that easy to access, whether that's deep insight into how to work with the government or with NASA, or how to work with the big primes, we felt that we could help create that resource. For example, nuclear power plants and oil rigs.

Southern California 124

Southern California Startup Entrepreneur Los Angeles 124

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

I speak a lot on college campuses and entrepreneur events and amongst the most common things I’m asked to talk about are: What do VCs fund? Do VCs really take risks on ground-breaking ideas any longer or do they just fund businesses once there is proof of traction? How does one come up with the right idea to start a company?

Design 150

Design Ideas Startup Writing 150