This is going to be BIG.

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How to Launch Your Startup Without a Launch

This is going to be BIG.

Gone are the days of the startup launch party. Remember those nights of trying to explain to a Techcrunch reporter why your app was going to change the world over thumping music and bad venue WiFi? RIP. Most startups know not to blow a bunch of money on a big party before they have their first users, but legitimate questions remain about what you do in its placeand how you open yourself up to the world that gets attention.

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The Five "Ups" of Getting Early Stage VC Deal Flow

This is going to be BIG.

How do you get 150+ VCs to show up for something? Promise them some good deal flow, of course. nextNYC, the startup events platform I run, produces the largest formal VC/Founder intro event at NY Tech Week. Last year, over 150 VCs participated and were looking forward to having even more. ( Investors can sign up for a two hour slot here to get six intro meetings to founders.

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Why Interviewing Others is Awesome for Building Your Brand

This is going to be BIG.

You might feel like an imposter interviewing someone really successful, but its actually a great way to level up your own brand. In 2015, a then 18-year-old Harry Stebbings launched The Twenty Minute VC from his bedroom in London. No background in venture capital. No industry connections. No podcasting experience. Just a cheap mic, an internet connection, and two things: Curiosity and initiative.

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The Moments that Define Investor and Founder Relationships

This is going to be BIG.

In almost every single investment I’ve ever made, I can think of a singular moment in my relationship with a founder that, no matter what came before or what might come after, defined our relationship. Often times, it came in a very vulnerable and down moment for the founder—perhaps they just lost out on a big opportunity, had someone from the team leave, or they’re running low on capital before sales have come around.

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Let's Talk About Anxiety, Fear of Failure, and Why I Didn't Go to The Dentist for 27 Years

This is going to be BIG.

This week, I got my wisdom teeth outall four of them. You might be wondering what took me so long. Im 45 and most people have them out between the ages of 17 and 25. One helpful bit of context is that until very recently, I hadnt been to the dentist since 1998. Heres what happened I never had a cavity growing up. I did a lot of things pretty perfectly growing upstraight As, never got into trouble, never started drinking, etc., and I got a lot of love an affection from my parents because of it.

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Partnership Judo: Don't work against people when vying for a partnership position

This is going to be BIG.

Is your firm feeling like Two VCs enter, one must leave given the limited number of partnership slots? It doesnt have to be that way. Venture Capital Is a Team Sport: Navigating the Partner Track with a Collaborative Mindset I was talking to one of my VC coaching clients a recently promoted young principal at a firm that's likely to raise a much bigger fund next time around.

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VCs Don't Owe You a Response or a Follow Up

This is going to be BIG.

Recently, Lightspeeds Mercedes Bent offered founders some reasons why a VC might ghost a founder. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation that basically boiled down to VCs are busy and theres no upside to hurting your feelings or getting into a debate. The post was met with a bunch of founders responses, mostly from men, that equated a lack of response with disrespect.

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