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Congrats to Backupify! A Great Exit Story for the First Company I Ever Backed

This is going to be BIG.

I''m super proud of Rob, Ben and the whole Backupify team--and this is particularly special for me because Backupify was the first investment I ever made as a VC, and the first board I ever sat on. Rob messed around with some local video thing in 2008, which everyone but Rob thought was a pretty terrible idea.

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Upfront Ventures Adds Hamet Watt as New Investment Partner

Both Sides of the Table

He first came to see me in 2008 when we was raising money for his 1st startup – NextMedium. At every entrepreneur event I through between 2008-2012 I invite Hamet because he was a great mentor for entrepreneurs. While I or other full time partners may sit on the boards of 8-10 companies each Hamet will sit on the board of 4-5.

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GRP Announces $200 Million Fund. Rebrands as Upfront Ventures

Both Sides of the Table

We have previously raised funds in 1996 ($200 million), 2000 ($400 million) and 2008/9 ($200 million). At any moment in time one of Upfront’s associates are likely to be working on: a pricing strategy, a market-expansion strategy, an M&A review, or helping build a company’s first board deck template.

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Stock Market Drops. Then It Rallies. What Happens Next for Funding?

Both Sides of the Table

So the industry formed around a day of the week when all partners could avoid having company board meetings or traveling. By 2008 I had gotten more serious about championing companies through our investment process. It was September 2008. Venture Capitalists typically have partners’ meetings on Mondays. Why is that?

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Want to Know How First Round Capital was Started?

Both Sides of the Table

I have sat on a board with Howard and have known him a few years. In 2008 they raised a much larger fund $132.5 What is ideal board structure? For a company that raises a seed round of capital a three person board that includes the CEO, Investor, and an Independent member is fine. How to run a board meeting?

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In Cloud We Trust: First Round invests in Backupify

This is going to be BIG.

This is the first deal I've closed for FRC and I've also joined the board of the company. Back in late 2008, I noticed that one of my Flickr contacts seemed to be short a few photos--like, a few thousand of them. Josh Kopelman will be working closely on this investment as well. The origin of this company is pretty interesting.

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How Venture Funding For Early-Stage Startups Will Change During the COVID-19 Crisis

Dream It

LPs failed to make capital calls in the late 90s during the dot-com bubble burst, after September 11, and during the financial crisis in 2008. In 2008-2009, the financial markets seized up, and there were quarters of complete uncertainty, but ultimately VCs started investing again and things normalized. This is not without precedent.

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