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Everybody has a blog these days and there is much advice to be had. Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. So far from not taking advice from other people – I want more advice, more data points, more opinions.
I always get asked how to get into VC and so I think a lot about what it takes to do the job well. Practicing the word no as many times as a VC does means you have to fight not to have your mind close on you. For some, VC is about the picking rather than the fostering and growing. In venture capital, you say "no" a lot.
I was reading Chris Dixon’s blog tonight. I came across this blog post about getting a computer science degree as the best degree for getting into venture capital or working at a VC-backed start up. I just completed an exercise where I went out to hire a new associate for my VC firm, GRP Partners.
One of the questions I’m most often asked is, “what’s it like being a VC?&# I’ve been a VC for nearly 3 years now. Since I answer this all the time anyway I thought it might make an interesting blog post. But let’s face it, as a VC you spend time with whichever companies you want.
In the first post in this three part series I described why I believe the VC market froze between September 2008 – April 2009. I’m not a doomsday guy, but just believe that we won’t see a V shaped recovery, which could make VC funding more difficult for tech start-ups (don’t shoot the messenger!).
I wrote this conundrum and the need to take charge of how the market define your skills in my much-read blog post on “ personal branding.” But I also have advice for the 15% that really do want to be a startup CEO. I often tell people in this scenario to focus on a VC “fixer upper.”
This blog post is not about debating if "enough" diverse founders get funding--whatever that might mean. So if you're a super early stage with just a prototype, you might not think that a VC fund is the right fit for you--so you wind up at an angel group. VCs don't go later and angels don't go earlier. Venture investing is hard.
And it applies to business relationships & networking as much as it does to remuneration in the workplace. But less as a complaint and more as advice to younger networkers, the more you invest in relationships the more you will get when you need. It’s why I wrote the blog post on 50 Coffee Meetings. Be helpful.
As a VC you want to feel like you have “proprietary sources” of deal flow. I eventually stumbled on to the best source of high-quality deal flow imaginable – blogging. ” I love businesses that don’t lend themselves well to VC Panels at conferences or Demo Days. Advice to VCs Startup Advice'
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. The following was available: “I kept hearing about startups that raised VC funding, but which hadn’t filed Form Ds (nor issued a press release).
The frantic pace of technology cycles, the amount of tech news, the blogs, the conferences, the demo days, the announcements, the fundings, the IPOs. It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. You want to build your network with other VCs so you go to demo days, SxSW and so forth.
Ok, back to the VC content marketing. As a result I’ve seen hundreds of VC decks, all certain they will be among the top performers. People who can invest with the firms money at arms length, bounties for sourcing a startup, small investments in other VCs that are upstream from your firm. This post is about ‘seeing.’
Instead of just e-mailing people and dealing with them directly, as we do in person, we're a blog post away from a flamewar. I think Fred was trying to offer some friendly advice to young investors that you're going to "take lumps" and that it's worth learning from those who are more experienced.
I haven’t written a blog post in a week. And for the last few evenings I decided to get through email rather than blog. I’ve written about the topic before when I wrote the post “ I emailed a VC but never heard back.&# As in, what do you do now that you’ve written them. I live in email hell.
I’m going to save that for a future blog post. Let me start by saying two things: Events like this are invaluable to startups because the significant value comes from building the network across portfolio companies and the discussion one can have with your peer group. Greycroft – Why Accountants Don’t Run Startups.
I wanted to also post the series here to have it as a resource on my blog for future entrepreneurs who stop by. One of the questions I’m most often asked as a VC is what I’m looking for in an investment. I once had a debate with a prominent VC on a panel. How to build relationships with a VC. Yeah, right.
Being a good angel or VC has a lot to do with pattern matching. 2) Network with as many other angel investors as possible. A mutual fund manager won't give you their portfolio strategy but most seed funds love having a network of angels to syndicate deals with. Here are just a few suggestions: 1) Advise first, invest later.
On my blog I’ve been hesitant to take the topic head on. But last week I noticed a blog post by a woman, Tara Tiger Brown, that asked the question, “ Why Aren’t More Women Commenting on VCBlog Posts? In it she observes that only 3% of the comments on this blog are from women. Please watch this.
As female entrepreneurs, we are independent-minded and innovative, and this advice is critical for securing our future and the future of our families. She provided me with so much advice on business strategy, business channels and HR. and more articles from the EO blog.
I became aware of Sam several years ago as I started noticing his name repeated in the comments section of my blog. He pinged me that he was thinking about joining a startup based in LA with the CEO in NYC and would I be willing to meet him and give him advice on this process. So I had a sense that I knew who he was.
I can't put up my track record on my blog, which I'd happily do--whether I have any exits (even though it is theoretically public what I've worked on and who might have sold to a company that rhymes with hype) and how the other companies are doing. Want to know why there aren't more female partners at VC funds? scratches bald head].
It represents the great majority of entrepreneurship and eschews the fairytale rags-to-VC-riches stories we so often read about in the press. So Tracy began keeping a blog about … (what else?) If you haven’t read my blog posts on why Tracy chose the right strategy it’s worth a read. That may soon change.
In 2008 I started VCblogging. I had blogged when I was an entrepreneur. Ironic to be self-centered while you’re trying to offer advice to others. My friends said, “I don’t need another network. That’s what happens when you join a network and have kids. Right now it’s my favorite network.
Even when I’m not the one being sued I find myself being dragged into deposition after deposition and my blog (along with all my emails) are being served as evidence. I would like to just offer some very simple advice: 1. Nobody talks about this publicly because the fights are too personal so people don’t blog about them.
I was meeting with a first-time CEO of a very promising young startup recently and offering my advice on what his priorities should be. I gave him the same advice I give nearly all over-worked, control-freak, do-everything-yourself startup founders: “Your number one priority isn’t any of these things. Me: “Bullshit.
So it was my great pleasure to host Chamillionaire on This Week in VC this week talking marketing, entrepreneurship, old media and, of course, music. I had written a blog post on exactly this – how to not suck at group presentations – and what he said reminded me a lot of this post.
People assume that I’m biased because I’m a VC and think you should always get the highest valuation possible. But if you do this early (pre VC) then the price points are pretty low. Q: “If you have a term sheet on the table how should you leverage with other VCs?&# A: It’s not best. This is wrong.
As a VC you want to feel like you have “proprietary sources” of deal flow. I eventually stumbled on to the best source of high-quality deal flow imaginable – blogging. There is one source I never liked and no early-stage VC should – investment bankers. Advice to VCs Startup Advice'
Yesterday I wrote a blog post ( here ) in which I urged people to not have too many founders. Or maybe it’s not a good friend but you’re a business guy and hooked up with a technical guy you know through the network and you think you’ll work well together or vice-versa. . Tags: Start-up Advice.
This is part of my ongoing series on Startup Advice. If you’ve read my blog for a while you’ll know that I’m a fan of starting businesses in a non-traditional way. You might be great at networking and leading but bad at planning and managing. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Startup Advice.
Jonathan Strauss took this issue head on in a blog post that I believe every startup founder should read on “ Replacing Oneself as CEO.” I know because I marked the occasion with a blog post on how to have a great VC meeting. The decisions were endless, the choices not obvious and the VC involved a pain in the ass.
” I have been weighing in slowly on the topic over the past few weeks on Twitter but have avoided writing a blog post about it until now. I first discovered him or her as a commenter on Fred Wilson’s blog. There are many things I am – but different than what I say on this blog is not one of them!
And as a result their competitors were able to raise a considerable VC round from well-known firms. Actually, this is usually the same advice I give people about recruiters, accountants, lawyers and similar trade professionals. That’s why keeping a personal blog is so great. Their competitors took it seriously.
As a VC I’m acutely that a “yes&# decision to support an entrepreneur can do just that, yet I only write 2-4 of them per year and maybe another 3-4 as an angel. Your advice made a difference.&#. I started blogging because Brad Feld blogged. It turned into this blog. He asked for nothing.
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. There are a lot of things I think entrepreneurs should care about when raising from a VC: How big or small their fund is? Beezer did.
After a few days of controversial blog posts I thought I’d try something more light hearted today. One of the first times we spoke he told me that in his first few years in VC he ended up taking a bunch of meetings with companies in which he knew he would never invest. From his blog posting on “ Why Am I passing ?&#.
He told me in some combinations of device / OS / network they are crashing 4 times per 100. All applications crash and this is especially true in the nascent mobile world where dealing with device types, OS’s & networks adds one hell of a configuration management problem. No metrics = high level, more generalized advice.
To interconnect these computers we needed IP-based telecommunications equipment build by the likes of Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks. And when you think about the three C’s you begin to realize that the first two of these activities are ones where the economic powerhouse networks are driven in cities outside of Silicon Valley.
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. Howard is successful enough that he doesn't need to work.
Sometime around 2003/04 my technology team turned me on to “Spolsky on Software&# a periodic newsletter served up blog style from Joel Spolsky of FogCreek Software, a maker of bug-tracking software. Blogs weren’t popularized yet so it was an oddity for me to read the founder of a software company spewing out advice.
She previously founded Dress for Success, a network that empowers women to thrive both professionally and personally, and Crisis Textline, a non-profit that provides crisis intervention support via text. Favorite business book, blog, podcast? What is one piece of advice you’d give every founder? I love teaching.
Evaluate investors thoroughly, not just based on the size of their check, but whether they can provide strategic advice and introductions that support your vision. Seek investor advice to strengthen your business model. Successful investor relations depend on cultivating a network that supports you during good times and bad.
One of the great joys of doing the web series This Week in VC every week is that I get to spend time with great people debating the issues of our day including how our industry is evolving as well as insights into how companies got started, got their initial traction and dealt with adversities. Oh, yeah. We then spoke about startups.
Justyn Howard, founder of Sprout Social has a blog post that he’s written about his experiences of migrating from scrappy tools to more efficient ones (i.e. Our first big institutional round of VC was $16.5 Tags: Startup Advice. Using Balsamiq instead of SnagIt, Website Optimizer over just Google Analytics and FTP).
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