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Here is How to Make Sense of Conflicting Startup Advice

Both Sides of the Table

People like Vinod Khosla, Keith Rabois, Brian Singerman, Marc Andreessen and others have all made head-scratching private comments to me that sounded so foreign to what I thought other people were doing in VC that they caused me to challenge and ultimately change some of my own views. Draw from Frameworks. Triangulate.

Startup 407
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Are MBAs Necessary for Start-ups or VC?

Both Sides of the Table

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. What about strategy?

Startup 337
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What is the Right Burn Rate at a Startup Company?

Both Sides of the Table

Let’s set up a framework. ” Stay lean and only raise a big round if you DO find product / market fit and which point you want to loosen the belt quickly and raise the capital to do so. .” The reason is that no VC wants to see the venture debt provider get burned if you become bankrupt.

Startup 383
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Is Strategic Money an Oxymoron?

Both Sides of the Table

This is part of my ongoing Raising Venture Capital (VC) series. So I thought I’d try to lay out a framework for how you should think about it as many you will inevitably be faced with this experience. But the venture guys don’t make the calls on what the product / business guys do.

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Understanding How The Innovator’s Dilemma Affects You

Both Sides of the Table

The framework of his book has profoundly altered how I think about the technology market and affects how I thought about building my businesses and how I think about investing in venture capital. They are radically lower in price. It is not a beach novel to be sure. So what did happen? They can’t.

Startup 376
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What’s the Real Deal with AngelList?

Both Sides of the Table

I hope I straddled people’s points of view well enough not to have offended anybody while adding a framework for how I think about the service. Still, as a VC I value proprietary dealflow & long term relationships. Mostly, I don’t believe that a VC not being on AngelList is “anti entrepreneur&# – it is not.

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Here’s What’s Driving Collaborative Consumption and Where the Market May Head Next

Both Sides of the Table

As I outlined in my talk, I believe the greatest Internet companies created over the past 15 years have been “deflationary” meaning they are driving down the prices or goods & services. Declining prices & margins in a small market is much less interesting. Prices down. Network Up. But what else?

Marketing 361