Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

I’ve become fond of saying “if I had a dollar for every person who told me just how much they loooooved Kara Nortman, I’d have a 10x fund.” I called an (ex) LP to tell him about her and my goals for her. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up. So What Does All This Mean?

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

Yesterday I saw two biopic films: “ Amy ” about the life of Jazz sensation Amy Winehouse who died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 and “ Montage of Heck ” about the life of Kurt Cobain , the grunge-rock generational voice who died of an overdose of heroin and valium at the age of … 27.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Nobody cared about our valuations any more. If they didn’t care about him they certainly didn’t care about me or Jason Lemkin or Jason Calacanis or any of us. I wrote a post in 2015 that memorialized at the time how I felt about all of this, titled, “ Why I F **g Hate Unicorns and the Culture They Breed.” billion fund.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

We have significant VC commitments (listed below) – every entering company will get $50,000 in funding, mentorship from top VCs and successful entrepreneurs plus free office space. Of these 19 have received funding (10 have received significant amounts of VC funding) and 5 have been acquired (2 for more than $30 million).

Venture Capital 287

Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

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. It’s the same story. We covered the Gaga breakout story but also.

Mentor 150

Mentor Venture Capital Marketing Product 150

Xconomy

AUGUST 11, 2017

If you’re looking for a counterpoint to the recent flurry of news stories about sexual harassment and gender bias in the tech sector, the Kauffman Fellows program isn’t a bad place to start. A group of Kauffman Fellows is pictured above.) The network. Read more » Reprints | Share: UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS.

Mentor 76

Mentor Venture Capital Screening Education 76

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2019

With the advent and popularity of crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter and IndieGoGo , as a winning alternative for funding your new venture, I find that many aspiring entrepreneurs are confused about the need to ever seek a professional angel investor. Consider the need for multiple rounds of funding.

Funding 119

Funding Startup Platform Examples 119

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 11, 2018

We’ve known each other for nearly a decade and he’s been a friend, a co-investor in startups and a mentor to many startups with whom I’ve worked. So of course when Cham wanted to build his own startup I was first in line asking to fund him. eat your heart out. Next up for Cham?

Startup 206

Startup Mentor Course Screening 206

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Startup 102

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 102

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

This is the fifth company I've run as a CEO, and I've always thought that technology is about making complex problems simpler. How is the company funded? We've used that funding to product our app, which is based on React Native, which allows us to simultaneously develop and release on both iOS and Android.

Mentor 157

Mentor Southern California Startup Networking 157

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

The lesson of finding help, connections, and even funding where other people may never look is one that makes all the difference in the entrepreneur lifestyle. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2016

That’s not as high as the failure rate with professional investors, but it should convince entrepreneurs that crowdfunding has been no panacea for funding. Have you ever wondered what professional startup investors think about all this? This means less capability to ensure that invested funds are spent wisely or as planned.

Equity 54

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Demand 54

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

Then we do our very best to make sure that they build a broad set of relationships that will be continuing sources of interpreted information, that they have a full complement of Mentors to assist them as they make tough decisions Well, here’s an important follow-on story. What’s special about these operations?

Incubator 80

Incubator Mentor Capital Startup 80

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Los Angeles-based cloud-based talent management software solutions firm with over 13 million users, Cornerstone OnDemand has launched Cornerstone Innovation Fund , to invest in disruptive LA-based cloud startups building cutting-edge solutions for organizations. Applications to the fund are now open and available online here. .

Cornerstone OnDemand 88

Cornerstone OnDemand Incubator Santa Monica Funding 88

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2020

This means you set goals, milestones, and metrics, and are able to provide financial projections to support funding requirements. Shares views and learns from a personal mentor. Even successful entrepreneurs, included Bill Gates and Warren Buffett , learn from each other as mentors. Demonstrate social intelligence and concern.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Customer 168

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” If you have the urge to be an entrepreneur, I encourage you to think seriously about each of these, before you zero-in on one or two, and get totally discouraged if those don’t work for you.

Funding 107

Funding Startup Equity Examples 107

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” If you have the urge to be an entrepreneur, I encourage you to think seriously about each of these, before you zero-in on one or two, and get totally discouraged if those don’t work for you.

Startup 106

Startup Capital Equity Funding 106

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Just not the kind you would initially read about on TechCrunch. And that’s what I love about her narrative. It represents the great majority of entrepreneurship and eschews the fairytale rags-to-VC-riches stories we so often read about in the press. Here’s what I learned about Tracy: 1. That may soon change.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2023

Don’t immediately talk about your business problems or needs, but get acquainted first with common connections or even non-work topics or hobbies. Remember that productive relationships have to show value in both directions, so don’t expect that you can pump someone for funding or connections without offering something worthwhile in return.

Networking 104

Networking Mentor Conference Summary 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

Even if you work every day in the world of new-venture funding, as I do, the options are confusing, and their meanings seem to change on a regular basis. Crowdfunding is rapidly becoming the major source of funding for seed-stage startups. Business accelerator funding. Startup incubator seed funding.

Funding 104

Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Huddlewoo a live video platform set to launch early 2013 to give people the ability to access extraordinary people for one-on-one conversations and mentoring. I am constantly reading articles, stories and books about and written by fascinating people. Any funding yet? We caught up with the CEO William Zell. That’s cool!

Mentor 94

Mentor Platform Social Network Chief Technology Officer 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

They don’t realize that according to statistics from Startup.co , almost 60 percent are funded with personal savings and credit, and another 25 percent get their money from friends and family. That leaves only about fifteen percent that actually get their funding from investors, through crowdfunding, banks, angels, and venture capitalists.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

socalTECH

MARCH 7, 2013

One of the groups trying to help local startups in their efforts to find funding and get to the next leve, the Founder Institute , said this morning that its early deadline for its Spring 2013, San Diego session is this Sunday. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 170

San Diego Mentor Startup Funding 170

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” If you have the urge to be an entrepreneur, I encourage you to think seriously about each of these, before you zero-in on one or two, and get totally discouraged if those don’t work for you.

Startup 113

Startup Entrepreneur Funding Equity 113

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

We talked about what startup CEOs should do in these situations and how to think about these renegotiations. B2C Companies We talked about how some companies saw an immediate decline in purchasing (for example if you’re in travel or hospitality). We Talked About VC Reserve Strategies This is an “inside baseball” topic for VCs.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Those programs--epitomized by YCombinator in the Bay Area, and TechStars in Boulder, Colorado--attract newly minted entrepreneurs with a mixture of cash and mentoring, and a program which rapidly takes ideas and turns them into viable, executing businesses. Those mentors are not just Bruce and I, although we are full time on this.

Startup 221

Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 221

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Ironically, as a startup investor and mentor, I have seen too many failures caused by just the opposite – too much money spent too soon, taking time to get product perfection, and assuming customers will wait. Startups funded by rich uncles rarely think about productivity. Rethink or reframe the challenge.

Resource 112

Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day. You will make mistakes.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. So a better question than asking about the quality of an idea, is asking about the quality of your plan to implement the idea. All the evidence says that over 99% fail to make that leap.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

The lesson of finding help, connections, and even funding where other people may never look is one that makes all the difference in the entrepreneur lifestyle. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2016

I’ve spoken before about our desire at Upfront Ventures to fund really big ideas that solve hard problems, are science led and if successful will both have a positive effect on people’s lives as well as make great financial returns. We’re not Pollyannaish about this. In short, we’re after venture returns.

Company 207

Company Companies CTO Coach Funding 207

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

We recently sat down with Matt Stodder , Co-Director of Startup Boost/Los Angeles, and Blake Caldwell , Global Director of Startup Boost, to learn more about the program, what it offers up to startups. other companies, which are already off and running are ready for aceclerators and seed funding. Explain what Startup Boost is?

Startup 172

Startup Seed Funding Mentor Ideas 172

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

With the cost of entry to be an entrepreneur so low today, the common excuse of “lack of funding” doesn’t get much sympathy from me. People can build great ecommerce sites with free tools, smartphone apps in their spare time and use crowdfunding to bypass the dreaded angel funding and venture capital penalties.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Knowledge Base 153

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2023

That’s not as high as the failure rate with professional investors, but it should convince entrepreneurs that crowdfunding is still no panacea for funding. Have you ever wondered what professional startup investors think about all this? This means less capability to ensure that invested funds are spent wisely or as planned.

Equity 80

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Statistics 80

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Many people believe that new ideas are the critical element of innovation, but in my experience as a mentor and investor, long-term business success is more about implementation than ideas. Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2021

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Sample 137

Sample Writing Mentor Content 137

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

I’ve always wondered if there was some way that I could quickly deduce a new entrepreneur’s “sweet spot,” and optimize my mentoring to those strengths and weaknesses, maybe similar to the Myers-Briggs type indicator for business professionals. Ultimately, most get the best help from business advisors and mentors.

Entrepreneur 134

Entrepreneur Framework Mentor Web 134