Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

There is all sorts of advice on the Internet about how to raise capital. I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. I’ve tried to make this advice as well-rounded and biased free as I can. So they go out of their way to offer advice and introductions.

strategy 366

strategy development VC advice 366

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I know that most people who are close to them tend to deny their existence, as we saw in the great housing bubble of 2002-2007 and the dot com bubble of 1997-2000. In any given year there are about 50 venture-backed companies or so that are bought for $100 million or more. That asset class need not represent the broader market.

real estate 309

real estate entrepreneurs financing finance 309

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

When venture capitalists scale back investing activities it can be very swift and leave many companies that are in the process of fund raising hung out to dry. Just ask anybody who was trying to close funding the fateful week of September 11, 2001 or even March 2000. The best MBA class I took was an investment strategy class.

VC 263

VC board investing investment 263

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

Great seed investors like Bryce Roberts / OATV (and other great ones like Floodgate , Founder Collective , Information Arbitrage or Rincon Ventures ) still get all the dealflow the need. But privately here is what I say every week, “I was at the dot com cocktail party in 99-2000. They bring specific expertise (e.g.

angel investing 267

angel investing VC mix-use entrepreneurs 267

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Raising Venture Capital. But there are also problems / risks: - the funding environment might change dramatically – there may never be a next round (see: March 2000, September 11, 2001 and September 2008). - It’s a tricky question with no clear answer. There are trade offs.

startup 319

startup advice venture capital VC 319

TechCrunch

APRIL 3, 2022

So when Goldman Sachs announced this week it was buying NextCapital – a fintech company that provides automated advice to corporate retirement plan participants – my ears perked up. At the height of the dot.com boom in the first quarter of 2000, the bank had invested in a record 53 startups.

startup 110

startup financing finance incumbents 110

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 15, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. This is a story of one of the risks of venture capital. But some companies have entrepreneurs that seem talented on paper, are in a space that seems interesting to investors and are able to raise venture capital early in the company’s existence. True story.)

startup founder 299

startup founder founder startup VC 299

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

I recently read a blog post by Beezer Clarkson, Managing Director of Sapphire Ventures about why entrepreneurs should care about from whom their VC funds raise their capital. I spent a bunch of time thinking about this position — especially since Beezer is an investor in Upfront Ventures. Beezer did.

entrepreneurs 237

entrepreneurs VC mentorship strategy 237

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

Next Wednesday we’ll have Dana Settle of Greycroft Partners, a New York / LA early-stage venture capital fund. I asked some of the participating VCs, and they told me their attorneys had figured out a way to keep their stealth-mode companies stealthy.Yes, this strategy is not for every company. YOu should check it out.

VC 285

VC financing finance advice 285