Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Today we’re announcing that my partner Kara Nortman is becoming Co-Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to welcome her to her new role. and of course a relentless pursuit of helping founders succeed. So mostly we just had to listen to customer feedback from founders, VCs and LPs.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. It goes something like this … VC: “How much money are you raising?” Founder: “$8–10 million” VC: “What’s your current burn rate?” This is a red flag for VCs.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. This is part of a series on how to improve your fund raising game. Remember that the goal of an email to a VC or an introduction from a trusted mutual connection is simply to get you the meeting. The first post & the full outline if you click the link.)

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Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

After years of trying to persuade Kara Nortman to become a partner at Upfront Ventures I can officially announce now that she’s joined us effective immediately. Investment experience (5 years a VC at Battery Ventures). I can’t speak for other VCs but it may interest you to at least know our thought process at Upfront.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

The idea is simple enough: several female VC partners at top funds will hold 1-hour meetings with 40 promising female entrepreneurs looking to get advice on their business and pitch in a friendly, non-judgmental, safe environment. LA Female Office Hours. So why is this initiative so important for men, women and other gender identities?

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Venture Capital Examples Screening Help 256

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

How important is this issue for your business? The subject of raising money is critical to many businesses and a passing option to others, depending upon the capital efficiency of the enterprise. It is for this group that we explore the implications implicit in raising money for growth. There is a lot to say about retaining control.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

And sometimes I feel happy to help somebody even when we’re just getting to know each other. ” In it he talked about how he gets daily emails asking for intros to Oprah (he does a lot of work with her) and his advice. It feels much better to be helpful than to be indebted. Be helpful. Lots of asking.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 29, 2014

One of the hardest things for most entrepreneurs to know is how hard to push in situations where people tell you “no.” I’ve talked before about the need to get rid of “ that negative chip on your shoulder ” as it won’t help you in business. ” But then again most entrepreneurs fail.

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

VCs strangely never seem to weigh in on other VC funds. I have no incentive to do so other than to help those reading the WSJ piece better understand how I believe most insiders think. As an entrepreneur I never really knew what to make of VC return data. Let me offer you an insider’s take. Can that really work?”

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2021

But what if you are an introvert, or new to this game, and don’t know where or how to start? Business groups like TiE-The Indus Entrepreneurs and EO-Entrepreneurs Organization are places to meet people you can help, as well as people who can help you. Remember it helps to give a little to get something back.

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TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 7, 2021

The financing will be used to help students finance their Entity Academy tuition, which typically costs $15,000. million followers across Instagram and Facebook, which becomes another major channel for engagement (not to mention future students). Entity’s sweet spot is a bifurcated one, Schwab said in an interview.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2013

I spent countless hours with VC firms, startups & LPs (the people who invest in VC firms). On my first real day back the first thought I have is that most entrepreneurs don’t manage their VC relationships as well as they could. But you need to understand that VCs are partnerships. We make decisions as groups.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

It is simply the most important way to proactively control your career development and how the market perceives you. Frankly, many of their views are shaped by unconscious biases, word-of-mouth feedback, stereotypes and how they perceive your communication style in the world of open, social communication fora. It is neither.

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Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I became a VC 12 years ago in 2007 when the pace of deals was much slower. As I was trying to figure out the role I wanted to play in the VC world I decided I wanted to focus on businesses that were building deeply technical products to solve problems for business users. We not only have our Series A funds that can write $500k?—?$15

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Berkonomics

JANUARY 10, 2019

Investors will invariably try to tell you that they know much more about the “how to” than you do, and that you should listen to them. How to respond to “change the course” suggestions. How to respond to “change the course” suggestions. Business plans rarely survive market contact. Are investors smarter than you?

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Berkonomics

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Especially if they have sold their companies and live comfortably upon the proceeds, these people are often the most willing to help and the most patient through the process. If you take smart money from a good angel or venture organization, the lead investor usually becomes your board member and has a vested interest in your success.

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Coach Organization Resource IBM 243

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2019

We have invested in 13 companies out of our Fund 1 so far and are more bullish than ever on the amazing entrepreneurs we are meeting and the companies we are helping them build. The biggest lesson learned this year has been how hot the LA tech ecosystem has become. Im looking forward to seeing how AI continues to unfold.

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Capital Technical Review Truecar Venture Capital 100

Berkonomics

JANUARY 10, 2019

Investors will invariably try to tell you that they know much more about the “how to” than you do, and that you should listen to them. How to respond to “change the course” suggestions. How to respond to “change the course” suggestions. Business plans rarely survive market contact. Are investors smarter than you?

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Venture Capital Course Email Ideas 120

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

So how should you decide what to do? How long is the window open? How much capital do I need to run my business effectively right now? A year ago I blogged about one of my most common mantras that applies to sales, biz dev & fund raising alike: “ Time is the Enemy of all Deals.&#. So here’s my framework.

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Help Startup Competition Framework 303

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

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Guide Venture Capital Funding Class 136

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

But VC is like congress. They see how hard she does her job. “This essay is dedicated to the great VC’s on my board who I am lucky to work with: Sameer Gandhi from Accel, Jeremy Liew from Lightspeed, and Kirsten Green from Forerunner. .” Their data looks at tech VCs. Because they know him or her.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 3, 2016

In the VC insider baseball world a discussion has gone on about “VC platforms” over the past 5 or so years. While firms define platforms differently, let’s just say they are the services that a VC offers outside of investment capital and partner time on boards or providing intros.

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Venture Capital Platform Startup Resource 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 Helping companies get to next financing round successfully: I was just beginning this phase in Sept 2010 and said so. years ago. As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago. 5 years ago. ” Still.

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Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

The speaks to the continued confidence in the venture capital markets and as I had predicted some time ago the VC markets right now are a great place to invest – especially relative to other places to put one’s money. If you want to understand how the VC industry is changing there is a great primer in the link.

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Venture Capital Funding Technical Review Startup 396

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Now that he’s become a VC he’s promising me he’ll provide way more public information and discourse so please welcome him by following him on Twitter and better yet welcoming him with a Tweet of your own linking to his Twitter handle or this post. Vision for how to change the industry. Startup DNA.

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Invest Venture Capital Startup News 340

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

He can’t help himself: He’s Dave. I told him I wanted to call it, “My Pal Dave” to explain the disconnect for me between how the public perceives Dave and the real Dave I know. I told him I wanted to call it, “My Pal Dave” to explain the disconnect for me between how the public perceives Dave and the real Dave I know.

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Startup Venture Capital Email Writing 309

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

It’s nearly impossible to get a services company financed by VCs. It’s nearly impossible to get a services company financed by VCs. They have created two internal technology “products&# and wanted to figure out how they could turn their services business into a product business that could be financed.

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Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

Because my role as a VC requires me to take and endless stream of meetings I long ago decided I need to learn as much as I can from the meetings I attend so I often just ask tons of questions and assimilate knowledge. He always had an angle for how he could acquire better, faster, cheaper than others. You won’t regret it.

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Venture Capital GRP Partners Startup Invest 360

Tech.Co

JUNE 28, 2021

Startup tech businesses used to land on the scene with big ideas about how their tech could change the world. Facebook, for example, decided in 2008 that its mission was to “help you connect and share with the people in your life.” Are new tech businesses becoming less ambitious in their lofty goals?

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Startup Ideas Venture Capital Course 104

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

These tensions seep out in some angels or seed funds publicly or semi-privately deriding later-stage VCs for their “bad” behavior. I have seen bad behavior from later-stage VCs, believe me. Prorata rights are one of the most important rights of a private market technology investors and yet are seldom fully understood.

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Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2015

” Today I want to talk about how a VC thinks about equity pricing on your round and particularly if you’re coming off of a convertible note. I can boil it down to how this tension plays out. In the old days VCs funded off of a “pre-money” valuation. How much am I willing to invest in your company?

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Venture Capital Pricing Startup Invest 150

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Raising money as a first-time VC fund is hard.In Many of my friends who are VCs (and some friends who tried to raise a fund unsuccessfully) warned me that raising for a first-time fund would be very difficult. As I look back on the last 18 months, I realize just how hard it was. What was the biggest lesson you learned this year?

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Capital Venture Capital News Patents 113

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

A company like Moe will help legitimize the industry,” Bernstein tells TechCrunch. “I I feel this responsibility to my industry to put the best business practices I’ve learned along the way into a platform so I can help other influencers.”. “I With new followers — today her account, @weworewhat , has 2.2

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Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2009

Handling PR with VCs. This is part of my series on How to Raise VC but could equally be filed under Startup Advice more generally. Just notice how many VC emails you get after your TechCrunch article or after you were on stage at TC50. He started the call by telling me he had exciting news.

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Venture Capital Press News Startup 291

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

As the startup figures out how to make something lots of people want and how to reach those people, there’s a period of rapid growth. “Why do founders want to take the VCs’ money? ” This is a frequent theme of mine when asked to speak to audience about the VC industry. For example. Growth, again.

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Startup Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review 390

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. Ever notice how some companies tend to be in the press all the time and your big new product launch struggled for inches?

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Marketing Press Blogging Startup 389

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

How founders get screwed on convertible notes. How party rounds can burn you if it takes time to find your groove. But shouldn’t an investor who has given you $50,000 of his or her hard earned money be entitled to know how you’re doing? We all know that funding markets have changed for startups.

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