Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

I have been writing a series on how startup boards get selected, who sits on them and what to avoid. I started this series in part to help entrepreneurs but also to help newer investors because I’ve know with so many new companies you have so many new board members and many people are trying to figure out there respective roles.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2014

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. What is a founder to do? The most helpful type of advice in my mind are frameworks for how to solve a problem.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 14, 2022

Having recently survived his first bout with cancer, the legendary Apple founder delivered an emotionally vulnerable speech that has become one of the most watched of all time. For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. Watch | Transcript. Steve Jobs, Stanford, 2005.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2012

I recently read Brad Feld’s thought provoking piece encouraging founders to sit on the board of another startup company. I found it thought provoking because I’ve always believed startup founders need extreme focus on only their company to succeed. We have Ian Rogers , the CEO of Topspin Media on our board.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

I saw this Tweet recently by Scott Belsky, co-founder and CEO of Behance. It spoke to me because it so resonates with my nearly daily advice to entrepreneurs and VCs alike. I went as far as to call it the best Tweet of 2015 so far because it encapsulated my advice so succinctly. conviction > consensus.

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Lak Ananth is founding CEO and managing partner of the global venture capital firm Next47 and serves on the board of several companies that he has helped to grow beyond $1 billion valuations. So, where does this put you — the startup founder, entrepreneur or company executive? It’s a great time to be a founder.

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This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2012

I'm often the last one to leave an event, held back by the most persistant of entrepreneurs trying to squeeze as much advice as they can out of me. I have one failed attempt at a startup under my belt as a founder and I don't have any particularly usable skills that anyone would pay for like selling, designing, building, etc.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

When you set up a board it is often initially a combination of the founders and the early investors. It can start 2–1 founders to investors and then sometimes moves to 3–2 but sometime around the A, B or C round the idea of “independent” directors comes up. When an entrepreneur takes on investors who take equity (i.e.

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TechCrunch

AUGUST 6, 2021

Starting with the assumption that 90% of startups will fail and the most successful ones take an average of six years to IPO, founders must make careful decisions about whom they invite to join the core team. His initial advice? “Investors love founder-CEOs, and founders are often fantastic candidates for this role.

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TechCrunch

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Ryan Caldbeck, co-founder and former CEO of consumer-brands-focused crowdfunding site CircleUp , recently published an email he’d written to a former director on the board of the company. The saga begged questions about what happens behind the scenes at startups and about board composition specifically.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” The narrative of this discussion is something like this: I meet a 35-40-year-old founder with two kids and mortgage.

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David Teten VC

JUNE 9, 2021

You can work as a consultant, an interim executive, a board member, a deal executive partnering to buy a company, an executive in residence, or as an entrepreneur in residence. . As a next step, we recommend that you register at the major expert network websites, as well as LinkedIn and job boards, if you haven’t already.

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TechCrunch

AUGUST 2, 2022

. “ If you’re a bootstrapped company who is not yet on the treadmill , you have that kind of optionality or that ability to choose when to get on,” says Cavan Klinsky, co-founder of payments processor Healthie. Priyanka Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of food tech startup Live Green Co., That’s real money.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I’ve written a few posts about boards recently as part of a series on the subject. I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions.

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NZ Entrepreneur

JULY 17, 2022

Are entrepreneurs born or made? While it helps to have that entrepreneurial flair inbuilt, there’s no reason you can’t learn and develop the qualities of an entrepreneur. Founder of rental matchmaker technology platform Pickmee, Felix Scholz, believes this is the first place all entrepreneurs need to start. We think both.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 6, 2020

Like the downturns in 2008 and 2001, this has been a very trying time for entrepreneurs running startups. Many entrepreneurs are reliant on outside funding, whether angel investors, venture capitalists or strategic investors , to keep the venture going. I interviewed a number of prominent VC’s and entrepreneurs for my recent book.

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Paul G. Silva

OCTOBER 6, 2022

We provided each startup: Board of Advisors that acted like a board of directors, holding the entrepreneurs to account. The board assisted entrepreneurs in developing strategic focus and then setting meaningful and ambitious goals. Focus: I’ve yet to meet the entrepreneur who failed because they were lazy.

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

I had a great idea for a tool the market was crying out for, and a technical co-founder to build it. No one decides to be an entrepreneur because it’s easy?—?but As they say, to be forewarned is to be forearmed, so here are the 10 things no one ever tells you about being an entrepreneur: 1. I look back and chuckle. No pressure.

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StartupNation

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

For entrepreneurs building a business, the initial startup stage is an exhilarating time: you’re energized by your idea and engrossed in building the business. As an entrepreneur-turned-angel investor , I mistakenly assumed all entrepreneurs were gritty. It feels like it’ll always be fun.

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TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

He serves on the boards of OCEANIX, Atom Computing, Conscious Cultures and MycoWorks. As an entrepreneur, you have limited time to project that maturity to prospective funds. This is one of the lessons I wish I understood when raising a Series B, so I hope you find this advice helpful when you navigate your larger raises.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

Almost 10 years ago, I had my first experience with a professional Forum when I joined Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Given the request for input and feedback, you might expect a presenter to receive various advice from the other Forum members. However, most Forum organizations train members to specifically avoid giving advice.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 26, 2018

Ramos, an EO member and entrepreneur. . I received a message from a friend about a global entrepreneurs’ organization coming to the city of São Paulo. She invited me to meet the group, and let me know it was looking for entrepreneurs just like me. It’s the ultimate toolbox for entrepreneurs. Written by Felipe S.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

By Brian Scudamore, an EO Vancouver member and founder of O2E Brands. By talking to other entrepreneurs and accessing their knowledge, I found I could overcome learning curves faster – and more successfully – while creating a valuable network of mentors. in 1989, and building it from the ground up. PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE.

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Innovation 2 Enterprise

NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Entrepreneurs are the rising tide that lifts all our boats. Startup founders just don’t stop. They are engaged because they have to be — entrepreneurship does not come with days off — but also the special thing about entrepreneurs is that they want to be engaged. Entrepreneurs are the rising tide that lifts all our boats.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Nowhere is the politics more difficult than with co-founders, which is why for years I’ve spoken publicly about “ the co-founder mythology.” ” Of course we all go into businesses expecting to be aligned with our co-founders but over time life changes. There were cultural challenges across the board.

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TechCrunch

MARCH 21, 2023

Importantly, the founders’ time could also be focused on more productive endeavors, greatly improving their mental and emotional well-being. Still, we’re not sure many founders would give up on their companies right now for a long list of reasons. After all, the money could be invested in something more impactful.

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

APRIL 24, 2021

Advice for non-technical founders for finding a serious CTO for your startup Finding a co-founder is hard work. Finding a technical co-founder is even harder. Yet, the benefits of having a technical co-founder make it all worthwhile. A good co-founder will serve as a powerful force multiplier.

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Revolution

MAY 4, 2022

Convening with CEO and co-founder Ryan Simonetti By Steve Murray and Patrick Conroy , Partners at Revolution Growth Convene’s London location at 22 Bishopsgate In 2018, Revolution Growth led an investment in Convene , an emerging leader in flexible work, meetings and events, and premium venues.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 16, 2012

It has always surprised me that founders were so quick to fight over how many board members there were and so quick to agree to have as many board observers as people wanted. I have always been vehemently against board observers and wrote some of the reasons in this previous post. The Case for a Silent Observer.

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HPA

AUGUST 15, 2019

Ann Deters is CEO & Founder of Vantage Technology, which has provided cataract services to hospitals and surgery centers throughout the United States for the past 28 years. What advice do you have for someone who’s looking to raise money from investors or start a company? Any final thoughts for our entrepreneurs?

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A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 21, 2021

A well-known entrepreneur turned VC, who will go unnamed because I am not sure he would want me to share this conversation publicly, once told me “if you remove a founder, you must sell the company within a couple of years or it will start to decline in value.” Most are not. It has to come from the top.

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StartupNation

NOVEMBER 30, 2020

What separates the entrepreneurs who make it from those who don’t? These successful business founders and Advisors in The Oracles share the most common mistakes they see from aspiring entrepreneurs and explain how to overcome those mistakes. They believe everyone’s advice. Everyone has opinions.

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TechCrunch

JULY 7, 2021

Sophie Alcorn is the founder of Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley and 2019 Global Law Experts Awards’ “Law Firm of the Year in California for Entrepreneur Immigration Services.” Here’s another edition of “Dear Sophie,” the advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at technology companies.

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David Teten VC

JUNE 14, 2021

Hey, founders between gigs: What now? Unfortunately, most founders are not in that position: 9 out of 10 startups fail. Even if you achieve a high valuation, you might end up like FanDuel ’s founders: their investors got the benefit of a $465m exit; the founders got zero. . One research paper found, . “[F]ormer

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Gust

JULY 15, 2012

Every startup faces a myriad of challenges that are well beyond the scope of any founder, so you need a few guiding lights to illuminate the road ahead. I recommend that every early-stage startup find three Advisory Board members. Sharing of their experience with next generation of entrepreneurs. Let’s talk specifics.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2020

We have been advising a lot of entrepreneurs so I thought I’d “open source” some of the advice I have been sharing. So my only goal is to give you insights into the conversations we’ve been having in case you don’t have the same access or advice. I am not claiming to be the world expert on this. It is not “free money.”

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

I was in it for the love of working with entrepreneurs on business problems and marveling at technology they had built. Within 5 years I was on the board of real businesses with meaningful revenue, strong balance sheets, no debt and on the path to a few interesting exits. How’s that advice holding up? Let’s deploy faster!

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