TechCrunch

JULY 19, 2022

Everyone loves an underdog, which is why investors and tech journalists are so fond of discussing startups that launched during the Great Recession of 2008, like Airbnb, Uber, WhatsApp, Mailchimp, Square and Venmo. Record VC fundraising isn’t necessarily good news for first-time fund managers. based venture capital firms raised $74.1

pitching 94

pitching venture capital VC financing 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

I am thrilled to announce that we have added Hamet Watt as a Partner at Upfront Ventures. 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. I stayed close.

ventures 340

ventures investing investment board 340

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

We have previously raised funds in 1996 ($200 million), 2000 ($400 million) and 2008/9 ($200 million). If you’ve been following the press about VC funds you’ll know this is no small feat. Perhaps the biggest piece of new news is that after 17 years of operations we’ve changed our name from GRP Partners to Upfront Ventures.

ventures 343

ventures venture capital advice VC 343

Founders Coop

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

It’s a different kind of milestone for me as an investor: 10 years ago I led the company’s Seed round and joined the board, where I served until the Series C. I know this is a familiar experience for many of my peers in Venture Capital. Matt, Josh and Shivaas helped me learn early in my VC career what good really looked like.

peer-to-peer 132

peer-to-peer VC venture capital startup ecosystem 132

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2010

This episode of This Week in Venture Capital featured Michael Montgomery, president of Montgomery & Co. You have to be selected to present and it is typically reserved for companies that have already raised early-stage capital and are well into revenue growth. Should you use investment banks to raise venture capital?

VC 242

VC venture capital ventures capital 242

David Teten VC

APRIL 30, 2021

These “VCs for investment management companies” are also known as GP Stake investors or fund platforms. According to DocSend , “About half the VC firms in our survey had an anchor LP for their fund, and the average percentage that an anchor LP took in a first-time fund was 25%. Fundraising hacks for VC and private equity funds.

VC 98

VC venture capital capital investing 98

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

If you read this blog often you'll know that I'm a huge fan of First Round Capital. They have totally changed the way you run a VC firm, investing heavily in systems & events for their founders that are pushing the boundaries of the way our industry works. I have sat on a board with Howard and have known him a few years.

capital 284

capital board VC pitching 284

TechCrunch

MARCH 7, 2023

However, it appears that even though VCs are proceeding more cautiously than before and taking their time with due diligence, they are still investing. CB Insights recently found that two of the largest global VC firms, Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, actually backed more fintech companies in 2022 than any other category.

advice 110

advice ventures sustainability investing 110

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

But VC is like congress. “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. As you can see from the chart their data suggests there are about $25 billion of VC distributions per year in the US.

VC 374

VC peer-to-peer entrepreneurs board 374

TechCrunch

MARCH 11, 2023

Additionally, a group of VCs released the following statement, which reads: “SVB-UK is a trusted and valued partner of the entire innovation ecosystem powering founders and the venture capital industry. It plays a pivotal role in supporting and financing Britain’s startups.

startup 97

startup board entrepreneurs VC 97

David Teten VC

APRIL 30, 2021

These “VCs for investment management companies” are also known as GP Stake investors or fund platforms. According to DocSend , “About half the VC firms in our survey had an anchor LP for their fund, and the average percentage that an anchor LP took in a first-time fund was 25%. Fundraising hacks for VC and private equity funds.

VC 52

VC venture capital capital investing 52

TechCrunch

JULY 26, 2021

Today, the investor is announcing the launch of Voltron Capital , a Pan-African venture capital firm he co-founded with Abe Choi , a U.S.-based Soyombo is one of the few founder-cum-investors on the continent, despite his company not being the traditional VC-backed startup the world has become accustomed to.

startup 109

startup angel investing real estate capital 109

Gust

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I would point readers to Martin Kleppmann’s useful blog post with graphs illustrating the effects of a valuation cap on entrepreneurs, seed investors and later-round (typically VC) investors. Valuation caps can come into play in settings other than seed-stage convertible note financing rounds.

incubation 98

incubation financing finance mix-use 98

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Raising Venture Capital. Recently I’ve been debating with a number of young startup companies that are raising money in the next few months, “what is the right about of capital to raise at a startup?&#. It’s a tricky question with no clear answer. There are trade offs.

startup 319

startup advice venture capital VC 319

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

It’s always fun chatting with Jason because he’s knowledgeable about the market, quick on topics and pushes me to talk more about VC / entrepreneur issues. Next Wednesday we’ll have Dana Settle of Greycroft Partners, a New York / LA early-stage venture capital fund. I’d link to it but it’s behind a paywall.

VC 285

VC financing finance advice 285

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series “ Start Up Advice &# but I’d really like to call this post, “VC Advice.&#. On a panel that I sat on with Ron in LA in 2008 he stated that there were no circumstances in which the founder should take money off of the table. VC’s who don’t get this are naive.

founder 329

founder VC advice pitching 329

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

What is the True Sentiment of VCs? I recently survey more than 150 VC friends from all stages and geographies what they thought about the market by asking “Which of the following statements best describes your mood heading into 2016?” This is how VCs feel. That’s the beauty of markets and of capitalism.

startup 285

startup VC entrepreneurs real estate 285

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

And of course I’ve sat on the other side of the table: As a VC. This is not just the perspective of a VC although I can’t say I have zero VC bias. This is not just the perspective of a VC although I can’t say I have zero VC bias. Neither can any VC. Executive Summary. Why buy me?

strategy 366

strategy development VC advice 366

Angel Capital Association

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

From an investor’s perspective, 2022 witnessed a sudden market reversal from an extreme equity seller’s market to an equity buyer’s market, causing dislocations throughout angel, VC, and startup ecosystems. 2 A (temporary) venture capital reset? Greater governance role for limited partner Boards of Advisors.

startup 52

startup VC SaaS capital 52

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs. Let’s be clear: AngelList doesn’t scare a single VC I know. But it’s not cutting VCs out. It is additive.

VC 292

VC peer-to-peer investing investment 292

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

We raised a seed round of capital in 1999 and our first venture capital round was the first week of March 2000 (e.g. We found a way to make our venture capital last when it shouldn’t have, at around the same time one of my all time favorite New Yorker cartoons was published on this topic.

entrepreneurs 308

entrepreneurs advice real estate venture capital 308

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

Venture Capitalists typically have partners’ meetings on Mondays. 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. Why is that?

VC 305

VC disruption entrepreneurs venture capital 305