Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). They worry too much about missing out on a deal.

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Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2016

Gregg Johnson, CEO of Invoca For the first 5 years or so after I became a VC I didn’t talk much about what I thought a VC should be excellent at since frankly I wasn’t sure. It’s easy to think the role of a VC is to have strong opinions about markets, trends, tech dynamics and so forth. The role of VC is sparring partner.

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Venture Capital Capital CTO Coach Startup 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. I can’t help feel a bit of rear-view mirror analysis in all of “VC model is broken” bears in our industry. They are, in fact, great news for traditional venture capitalists. This article originally ran on PEHub.

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Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

VC firms see thousands of deals and have a refined sense of how the market is valuing deals because they get price signals across all of these deals. What was the post money on your last round (and how much capital have you raised)? So why does a VC ask you? In the first place they’re looking for “fit” with their firm.

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socalTECH

APRIL 1, 2019

The startup studio--which both incubates its own companies as well as works with startup founders to help accelerate their efforts--has backed such companies as Dollar Shave Club , DogVacay , FameBit , EventUp , August Home , Hello Society , Playhaven , and Superfly Labs.

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Dollar Shave Club Venture Capital Capital Funding 140

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

Sherman Oaks-based Joystick Ventures, a new venture capital fund looking to invest in the videogame industry, has raised $3M as part of an ongoing, $10M venture capital fundraising, according to a regulatory filing by the firm.

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

how on Earth could the venture capital market stand still? One of the most common questions I’m asked by people intrigued by but also scared by venture capital and technology markets is some variant of, “Aren’t technology markets way overvalued? How our VC Firms Like Ours Organizing to Meet the Challenges?

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socalTECH

MARCH 4, 2013

Is Amgen the next source of the healthcare industry's venture capital deals? It might be, on news that Kevin Sharer , the former CEO of Thousand Oaks-based Amgen , has joined venture capital investment firm Foundation Medical Partners. READ MORE>>.

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Venture Capital Thousand Oaks Capital News 191

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

On the phone … Me: So, you raised venture capital? Me: When an investor signs a note with a cap they must assume they are willing to pay the cap or why would they invest? Me: So, who was willing to invest in that? Doesn’t their investment determine the price of the next round? We raised a seed round.

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Venture Capital Capital Pricing Doc 417

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2020

But I have been in close contact with the NVCA, many of the major law firms and many of the major VC firms. Along with my partner Stuart Lander, who runs operations at Upfront and is a former lawyer, we have scoured through, debated and helped scores of companies make this determination. Am I ineligible since I’m VC-backed?

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Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Doc 279

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

Yesterday I wrote Part 1 of the series on the changes to the software industry over the past decade that has led to changes in the venture capital industry itself. These trends have put pressure on traditional VCs. Some have moved into later stage investments in an effort to “put logos on their websites.&#

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

In order to understand how to “get to yes” with a VC you first need to understand how VC partnerships make decisions and then you can understand how to increase your odds of closing a deal. VC Partnerships Start by understanding how many partners are at the firm you are approaching. It’s super easy to suss all this out.

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Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Several years ago I made an appearance in a burgeoning new podcast called “20 Minute VC,” which by now needs no introduction. There are large sums of money to be invested and if investors can get comfortable with “downside protections” they’ll still write checks. What is the Most Important Role a VC Plays? Picking great talent.

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Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

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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Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Berkonomics

JANUARY 6, 2022

Especially when outside investors, venture capitalists or angels have put in substantial money, and the sales price is not enough to give them a reasonable return for the time and money invested, these investors can be – in a word – greedy. The order of liquidation or payout. and there are those accumulated dividends.

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socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2019

Los Angeles-based HeyTutor , an online marketplace for finding tutors, has raised $1M in its Series A funding, the company announced on Tuesday, from Santa Barbara-based ScOp Venture Capital, the venture investment firm led by serial entrepreneur and investor Kevin O'Connor.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2018

Upfront Ventures has a deep-seated commitment to equality in funding & building diverse teams across all ethnicities, nationalities and genders. We do this not just because it’s the right thing to do but also we believe it will help drive large and differentiated returns. Ours is: upfront.com/inclusion.

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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. It’s best to think of your VC partnership as a customer.

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Venture Capital Summary Organization Entrepreneur 309

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. If you don’t believe in your bones that you’re amazing then it’s no wonder you don’t want to sell them on making the investment.”

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socalTECH

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Los Angeles-based 3Rodeo , a brand venture capital investment firm led by former Hulu executive Noah Heller, says it is targeting investments in startups in Los Angeles. Size of the new fund was not announced.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

I remember when seed funds first started (they were being incorrectly called “super angels” and then Micro VCs before Seed Funds stuck) and every LP (who invest in VCs) told me they weren’t convinced about Seed Funds (too small, too hard to pick winners, would they be able to follow on?). Non VC Growth Rounds.

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TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 16, 2019

With a focus on female venture capitalists and founders, All Raise hosts an annual conference, several in-person and virtual fundraising workshops and networking sessions and, recently, the group began creating curated peer groups for investors. Male VCs have always had cross-firm relationships that facilitate deal-making.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2013

And I am often approached by entrepreneurs in cities which don’t have a vibrant VC community. Just ask the people of Portland, Seattle, Boulder, Iowa, Princeton, Dallas or countless other cities that don’t have enough venture capital. And it is significantly easier to help when you are local. Ask SuperCell.

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Venture Capital Marketing Santa Barbara Startup 365

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Picking a VC is hard. So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. Most VCs are book smart. VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. You want a VC who will spar with you but then STFU and let you get on with things.

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Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Union Square Ventures (USV) has been one of the most successful venture capital firms of the past 10–15 years and continues to be a leader in our industry. Lindel is no stranger to thorny venture capital issues — he was arguably amongst the most successful LPs of his generation. Maybe that’s USV, too.

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socalTECH

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Irvine-based videogame accessory and hardware maker Razer is planning on launching a new, corporate venture capital fund, starting next year, according to a report. Razer, which is led by Min-Liang Tan, reportedly plans to invest in companies, which it plans to incubate and help with its international business.

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InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 15, 2012

One the most frequent questions asked of me by entrepreneurs is, "How can I become a Venture Capitalist?" The inquiry is common because being a VC is (to an entrepreneur, at least) a sexy job. I define a "VC" as, "a professional investor who deploys third-party funds into relatively early-stage companies." Microscopic Industry.

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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

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. 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. 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.

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Venture Capital Slides Email Startup 261

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. For anything that would be considered a normal investment for the partnership most firms try to make sure every partner has seen the deal and has a chance to weigh in.

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StartUp Beat

APRIL 16, 2024

Pitbull Ventures, the early-stage venture capital firm founded by prominent investor Brad Zions, today announced the close of its $5M Fund I. Founder […] The post Pitbull Ventures Closes $5M Fund To Help The Next Generation of Vertical SAAS Companies appeared first on StartUp Beat.

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socalTECH

JULY 24, 2020

Hollywood-based Casa Verde Capital , the venture capital firm run by Snoop Dogg, has led a $9.5M investment in Proper a New York startup which says it is developing "evidence-backed" supplements and personalized coaching to help people sleep. per bottle or via subscription, which it claims help people sleep better.

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socalTECH

MAY 13, 2019

Los Angeles area venture capitalists have launched a new internship effort, in a bid to help diversify their ranks, according to PledgeLA , a coalition of local venture capital and technology companies. Deadline to apply for the internship is coming up rapidly, and is May 19th. READ MORE>>.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 15, 2010

I was on This Week in Venture Capital (TWiVC) again this week with Jason Calacanis. I won’t belabor this – I have an investment in this space ( ad.ly ) so I’m biased. I think this classifies as a “crack filler&# and I’m not sure I would have done the investment for that reason.

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Venture Capital Capital Google Platform 271

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 5, 2023

Helping the founder create a company and build a much-needed product in an industry I knew very well, I served as chairman for the newly formed company, and along with my several rounds of early investment, led rounds of other angel investors in what I knew as a successful opportunity to fill a need in an industry I understood.

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Venture Capital Product Marketing Resource 296

socalTECH

JULY 18, 2013

in venture capital investments in Q2 2013 across Southern California, spread across 80 deals. Those numbers reflected a drop from Q2 of last year, when there was $868.98M in investments across 97 deals. However, venture dollars invested were above Q1, when Southern California saw $569.1M READ MORE>>.

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socalTECH

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

Colton, California-based ECOTEC, a manufacturer of methane emissions equipment, has received a strategic investment from Intrepid Investment Management LLC. Size of the investment was not announced.

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