Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Huge thank you to Steve De Long for the write up. Yeah, that was when I changed for me…” “…there was so much positive feedback on demystifying this one element of venture capital. Deal evaluations the Foundry way, which continues into a great discussion about VC decision-making processes. “So Is that when it became big?

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 289

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

Also be careful about VCs. But once a VC has heard your idea he can’t “un-think&# it. They certainly struggle to find mentors as there is nothing more frustrating than trying to help a company who is afraid to tell you anything. Nobody likes writing re-hashed stories. Be careful about this advice.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

One of the interesting things about being a VC is that you often see companies in transition. If you’re an early investor like I am that often means writing the first $2-3 million check into a business that previously had either survived on fumes or on a $500,000 angel round. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Although Los Angeles has become a hub for the high tech startup world, Surprisingly, one of the things which hasn't happened in the Los Angeles area is any huge, successful venture acceleration programs. Our mentors as we've built up this effort in LA are TechStars, Tech Wildcatters in Dallas, and Accelerator Labs in Chicago.

Startup 222

Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 222

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

You join teams that got good write-ups on TechCrunch, have great VCs, have star CEO’s, whatever. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Writing a book will be fun. The truth is you really don’t know how your teammates or your bosses will perform in good times and bad.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

One of the great joys of doing the web series This Week in VC every week is that I get to spend time with great people debating the issues of our day including how our industry is evolving as well as insights into how companies got started, got their initial traction and dealt with adversities. Oh, yeah.

Startup 286

Startup Venture Capital Web Ideas 286

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Consider Usher a hard-working early-stage VC. And he has acted as a personal mentor for Justin ever since. It’s that sort of mentorship experience that drives many of us hands-on VCs. The media eats it up as they always need something to write about. It was a stunt like any other stunt they’ve done.

Entrepreneur 398

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Blogging 398

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

YOU Selling – My wise old friend & mentor, Ameet Shah, once told me after a meeting we had with clients (when I worked at Accenture), “there are two ways to run a meeting: asking or telling. Pitching a VC – As I said in a previous post – the best VC meetings are discussions and not sales pitches.

Sales 314

Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

The second is that they are usually very experienced operators that can mentor the founding team. This is important because when you have too many VCs on a board you only bring one kind of thinking to the board. Independents are critical to avoiding “VC group think.” Yes, this is a thing.

Startup 187

Startup Writing Venture Capital Oracle 187

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

He eventually founded and sold consumer health firm ViSalus to a public company and is now back making investments, in technology companies, as a venture capitalist here at Los Angeles-based HashtagOne (www.hashtagone.com). I'm a bit of an anti-VC, as you know. Tell us a bit of the story on how you started HashtagOne?

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

billion in venture capital to LA’s technology startups and 2014 will shatter that figure. Over the past 4 years LA’s tech fundings have growing at a 30% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) which is > 4 times the US average VC CAGR (7%). In the last full year where we have data LA attracted $1.5

Entrepreneur 378

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 378

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Get connected to the right mentors and your business may catapult to the next level. I figured if Matt was on the verge of bankruptcy and one mentor changed his trajectory, what if we had a formalized, community-wide program? Big thank you to Darius Vasefi , of EyeOnJewels for the write up. The answer? Something so simple.

Acquisition 305

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 305

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. Funding or rollout stage.

Resource 171

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 171

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2009

GRP has just recently closed on a new $200M fund, and Mark has been one of the more active venture capitalists in the Los Angeles area in recent months. What's your thoughts on the local venture market? We'll even write a half a million check. We've heard quite a bit about your mentoring efforts here, can you talk about that?

GRP Partners 158

GRP Partners Southern California Santa Barbara Rustic Canyon 158

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

As a fourteen-year veteran of the venture industry I have often heard the phrase, “value added investors”, which is usually touted by certain VC’s as their biggest differentiating quality. Amplify Mentor Panel in full swing. Amplify’s close mentoring is by design. Setting up for Eric Garcetti.

Web Design 103

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2010

Don’t look here for venture capital levels of funding, but certainly early-stage government grants, incubators, and entrepreneurship incentives are available from endowments and state funds. Collaborative efforts with companies, like Siemens Venture Capital, are available for certain technology and focus areas.

Help 94

Help Startup Mentor Incubator 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2015

I just write. I told her I need “20 minutes” to write a blog post. Keep on writing. I took 2 of those morning to write blog posts and then read. Why do I write all of this? As I’ve said before, “ You’d Have to be a Really Big Baby to Complain About Being a VC.” No editing.

Blogging 150

Blogging Writing Startup Email 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. Funding or rollout stage.

Startup 122

Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Angel Social Media Patents 107

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

We have three main components: education, mentoring, and practice. All our workshops are all led by experts, whether they might be seasoned angel investors or VCs. In mentoring, we match experienced angel investors with, what I like to call them, “angels-in-training” so they can share the lessons learned.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

A trophy investor is a great coach and mentor, sometimes providing the only shoulder an entrepreneur can cry on during difficult times. This mentoring can be particularly useful to the entrepreneur working through the personality issues that tend to dominate start up companies. Entrepreneurship is inherently full of mood swings.

Entrepreneur 83

Entrepreneur Mentor Invest Angel 83

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. Funding or rollout stage.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. Funding or rollout stage.

Organization 93

Organization Startup Incubator Ideas 93

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: On Sunday we presented to a panel of judges consisting of entrepreneurs and a VC investor. I met with a lawyer, talked to an investor and a few mentors, all who are serial entrepreneurs to advise me. But a wise mentor of mine said, “Go with your gut! Interesting offer considering he did nothing.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

We write and create our own content for the game. Start Engine offers a team of mentors who have proven themselves as successful entrepreneurs – not professional investors – ensuring that its startups are guided by the right people for the right reasons. Rapid Fire Trivia is a game owned and operated by Danger Room Gaming.

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

As a fourteen-year veteran of the venture industry I have often heard the phrase, “value added investors”, which is usually touted by certain VC’s as their biggest differentiating quality. Amplify Mentor Panel in full swing. Amplify’s close mentoring is by design. Setting up for Eric Garcetti.

Web Design 40

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Session #1, for CEOs with VC investors or over $1m raised. Just write me).

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Session #1, for CEOs with VC investors or over $1m raised. Just write me).

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Session #1, for CEOs with VC investors or over $1m raised. Just write me).

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Session #1, for CEOs with VC investors or over $1m raised. Just write me).

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

My primary role was “chief psychologist&# and as I’ve learned over the past few years the same has been true as a VC. I finally got around to writing it having read Fred Wilson’s post about what a CEO does. As a VC you see the insides of companies rather than the companies positive spin on TechCrunch.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Something happened in the past 7 years in the startup and venture capital world that I hadn’t experienced since the late 90’s — we all began praying to the God of Valuation. How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? What happened?

Venture Capital 467

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 467

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

We talk a lot about his schooling, his early jobs as a developer and then as a VC and we talk about his decision to spend winters in Los Angeles. Fred has of course been a public mentor to us all with his market-defining terminology that he popularized including “freemium” and “mobile first.”

Venture Capital 327

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 327

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I’m sitting at my computer now at 9.00pm writing this – which is an hour earlier than I normally write (there are about 8 women at my kitchen table having a book club (aka excuse to drink wine & gossip so I’m locked in another room writing. They could chat about it with their peers or mentors.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

But VC is like congress. In the original version of his post, Andy writes. “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.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374