article thumbnail

This Week in VC – Scott Painter, CEO of Zag & TrueCar

Both Sides of the Table

He eventually applied his lessons learned in these experiences when he founded Zag, a company that helps consumers buy cars over the Internet at pre-negotiated prices with nearly 4,000 dealers across the country [disclosure: my firm GRP Partners is an investor in Zag]. Investing much of new cash to build presence in Android platform.

Zag 248
article thumbnail

What Angel Investing & Florida Condos Have in Common

Both Sides of the Table

It’s really hard to zig when the whole world seems to be zagging. They have marked-up paper gains propped up by an over excited venture capital market that has validated their investments. One of my favorite quotes I learned in high school was: “Nonconformity is the Highest Form of Social Attainment&#.

Invest 299
article thumbnail

Want to Start a Technology Company in LA?

Both Sides of the Table

Funding is different – In Silicon Valley you have mega venture capital funds and many of them. It’s not uncommon for incredibly smart and talented Phd’s or CS majors from Stanford to raise $10 million on an early-stage “platform&# that if it succeeds it will be huge. LA investors are more pragmatic.

Company 290