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What Did I Learn From the First VC Check I Ever Wrote?

Both Sides of the Table

Defensible IP When I’m asked by newer, younger VC partners for advice on our sector, one of the things I always emphasize is looking for companies who have built defensible intellectual property (IP). If I use Invoca as an example: we handle tens of millions of phone calls for customers who want to drive sales calls into call centers.

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Some Career Advice for Aspiring Tech CEOs

Both Sides of the Table

You will learn about running board meetings, setting up the ultimate financial plan, leading a team from the top, dealing with the press, raising capital, etc. There is often money to be made in finding places with under-valued IP. We looked at the IP and realized it was highly differentiated / hard to replicate.

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The Long-Term Value of Loyalty

Both Sides of the Table

I learned how to get press coverage when we were no longer “hot.&# I learned how to manage costs effectively. But in our first year of sales (and those were really shitty years to be selling software) we sold $2.1 I learned how to establish sales targets and how to manage a sales pipeline. I never built Google.

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