Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

I had an enjoyable conversation this morning with a young team straight out of college this morning and they were calling to ask advice on how to approach fund raising (angels vs. VCs, how to select a VC, etc.) If I were looking at which VCs to choose I would reference strongly for which ones are supportive in good times and bad.

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VC advice board leadership 364

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 30, 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. Not all money is created equal: A VC’s advice for founders. More posts by this contributor. The child with a hammer.

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founder board advice investing 79

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Associates often shadow partners at board meetings so that they can help follow up with the company on important initiatives between board meetings. I think it’s great for some people because it really does give you some solid benefits: board exposure / experience. Startup Advice' Alumni activities. And so forth.

investing 365

investing investment VC board 365

Andreessen Horowitz

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Meanwhile, FI senior leaders and board members are intrigued by new products like Microsoft 365 Copilot and how generative AI can automate their internal workflows (and improve their bottom lines). Taken as a whole, FIs are at an especially receptive time for greater software adoption.

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frameworks incumbents leadership advice 113

TechCrunch

APRIL 25, 2023

I asked five early-stage investors to share frank advice for first-timers, and I’m going to save you some time: many (if not most) of you are probably not ready to pitch an investor. But, of course, part of my job as a board director and investor is making it feasible, as it is essential for maximizing the business’ success.

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pitching incubation board opportunity 98

Andreessen Horowitz

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

And one of my biggest advice to those folks is, look, presumably, we all have the technical and functional skill set for this job. And then I also think with references, founders are typically showing up with their 5 to 7 reference questions. Let’s go ahead and figure out who’s gonna be able to do the job with you.

energy 88

energy entrepreneurs leadership advice 88

TechCrunch

MARCH 7, 2023

Plus, they were gracious enough to share some of the advice they’re giving to their portfolio companies. We also work hard to perform due diligence on every investment opportunity we pursue by spending significant time with the company, with a deep market study, and as many references as possible on the teams we back.

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advice ventures sustainability investing 110

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

My favorite two quotes of the weekend were: “Never trade your cat for somebody else’s dog” (referring to selling your company for stock to another privately held company – quote was from Alan. He said that ineffectual leaders seek consensus or want direction or approval from the board. I’m going to save that for a future blog post.

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peer-to-peer advice VC board 279

TechCrunch

AUGUST 10, 2022

Our best-practice advice to CEOs is to cut deep enough that they are confident there will not be a second round in the next few months. The document was not meant to live in isolation — instead, it was a foundation upon which to build in collaboration with investors, board members and senior leadership teams.

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leadership frameworks culture advice 83

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

These can be called: Operating Partners, Venture Partners, Board Partners or similar. They might sponsor an occasional deal, they might be looking to jump in and run a company or they might take the board seat if the firm invests. We also take input from our board partners and from our non-partner investment staff.

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VC board investing investment 314

TechCrunch

JANUARY 29, 2021

As a 20-year CIO and advisor to multiple startups, I sat on many customer advisory boards (CABs) and saw how they were formed. Here are some considerations to make certain your customer advisory board is a success. These loyal partners will ultimately offer testimonials, references and referrals. Why CABs matter.

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board startup advice development 90

Onevest

MAY 21, 2015

While legal advice is of paramount importance to ensure that any contract of investment is above board, you still need to know what is being asked of you so that you can decide whether such stipulations are acceptable or not. Board Seat In some cases an investor may request a presence on a company's board of directors, if it has one.

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investing investment startup board 116

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

And they will offer you some of the best business advice you will ever receive if you’re open to it. One day if you’re lucky you’ll be big enough to work with recruiters to hire senior members of your team or your board. And it’s not just lawyers. EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS. It’s a great read.

startup 363

startup real estate VC venture capital 363

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

One of the first boards that I ever got involved with where I wasn’t the CEO was with a company in which I hadn’t invested but was brought on board to look deeper into operational issues. Information flowed up within the organization and the CEO always packaged things nicely for the board and investors.

startup 308

startup board advice VC 308

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2009

When people refer to a strategic investor they are usually talking about an investor that comes from the industry you serve as opposed to an independent venture capital investor. It’s true that many VCs over promise how helpful they’ll be with introductions / strategic advice / recruiting, etc. What’s the difference?

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advice venture capital frameworks VC 279

Feedough

APRIL 14, 2021

Acqui-hiring refers to buying a company or organisation mainly for its employees’ skills and proficiency rather than for its products or services. Acquisition is when one company buys another, and hiring refers to taking on employees. They must take into account the effects the purchase has on the board of directors.

strategy 98

strategy board startup ecosystem innovation 98

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

Like any firm we of course invest in the San Francisco Bay Area where 33% of my personal boards are. I made some reference calls. We both wanted to put energy into GRP’s platform of services that provide more value to our investments than merely capital. So we talked about his joining. They were effusive.

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VC communities investing investment 360

TechCrunch

MARCH 12, 2021

Last week, Natasha Mascarenhas interviewed experts who had some strategic advice for finding the right time to bring a product manager on board. As Roblox began to trade Wednesday, the company’s shares shot above its reference price of $45 per share. Image Credits: Steve Jennings / Getty Images.

startup 106

startup collaboration sustainability SaaS 106

TechCrunch

JANUARY 31, 2023

million seed round with a roster of heavy hitting investors on board — including (Serena Williams’) Serena Ventures, ( Chelsea Clinton’s) Metrodora Ventures, and (Laurene Powell Jobs’) Emerson Collective. And then just like the general advice — it takes a while. Until you find your ones.

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health VC advice pitching 64

StartupNation

OCTOBER 19, 2021

If your company offers legal advice, there’s no need to employ a full-time copywriter. In addition to having the right people on board, you also need to cultivate a positive environment. We’re not referring to surfing, but market waves. . The ancillary tasks you can’t automate? Outsource them. . In conclusion.

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startup consulting advice strategy 117

TechCrunch

AUGUST 17, 2021

Ryder was then a Maven “customer” for her following three pregnancies, using the platform for after-hours advice, virtual access to specialists or, more recently, guidance on how to prepare for a breech birth. Maven’s raise wasn’t only a milestone from a fundraising perspective, but also a board perspective.

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health financing finance board 100

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2014

This was customer interaction at its finest and as a result they invited him to meet with our entire sales staff and offer advice on the sales process from a customer’s perspective. Who else is going to tell a VC if he got a bad reference from an entrepreneur or fellow VC? Contrast that with a VC conversation I had.

peer-to-peer 341

peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurs support 341

Gust

DECEMBER 8, 2013

My advice to founders out there is to not volunteer too much, but be open and honest in the face of direct questions like the following: What is your burn rate and runway today? Who do you have as outside board members? What traction can be measured today?

board 174

board investing investment advice 174

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 3, 2020

“For example, one of our customers is a large national pharmacy group, where customer service agents are qualified pharmacists who provide prescription medical advice. represents something much bigger because at its core is an automation company with massive potential,” he added. will do the same for customer service.”

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support consulting accelerator pitching 109

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

But if you’re a concentrated investor who takes board seats then you know the hard bit starts the day after. And why my advice to newer VCs would be not to feel bad if you’re missing out on what is perceived as a few hot deals. You can’t reference check your way into a “yes.”

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VC investing investment entrepreneurs 374

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . By Monday morning after their board meeting in NorCal I didn’t get a return phone call. We assumed they would take our advice and upgrade. Tags: Start-up Advice Startup Advice. I HATE LOSING.

consulting 328

consulting advice collaboration VC 328

Gust

DECEMBER 8, 2011

I’m reluctant to give legalistic disclaimers, but in this instance, I do need to emphasize that the material in this article is legal information , not legal advice. Determine who will serve on the Board of Directors and in executive officer positions (usually founders). Appoint Newco’s initial Board of Directors.

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board consulting real estate entrepreneurs 139

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you don’t follow the image reference above or the tag line, “ You don’t need double talk; you need Bob Loblaw “ (try saying it out loud) , and if you care! When we invest they are often the company counsel so we see them at board meetings. the link is here. Our lives are intertwined.

startup 318

startup advice entrepreneurs VC 318

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . By Monday morning after their board meeting in NorCal I didn’t get a return phone call. We assumed they would take our advice and upgrade. Tags: Startup Advice. I HATE LOSING. I hate it. Losing sucks.

consulting 333

consulting advice collaboration VC 333

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

You can push for guarantees that the client or partner will appoint a minimum number of staff to rolling out your product, you can ask them to spend hard dollars on co-marketing, you can ask for commitments to case studies or reference calls or PR releases.

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innovation creativity development advice 329

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Startup Advice. As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. Large companies can be strange sometimes. Strategic equity – Bad idea.

startup 298

startup advice entrepreneurs venture capital 298

Dream It

APRIL 3, 2020

Duncan Davidson , General Partner of Bullpen Capital , is a highly experienced VC and a serial entrepreneur, having founded, been on the executive team, or a Board member of multiple billion-dollar companies. Newer businesses can elect to use the first two calendar months of 2020 as their reference period. You can borrow 2.5x

startup 286

startup board VC ventures 286

Ecosystem Builder Hub

AUGUST 21, 2020

Prior to that she was a Reference Librarian at St. This program has connected people to resources, to others in their industry, and given invaluable advice to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. I’m a board member and Program Director of the BALSA Foundation which provides grants and resources to first-time entrepreneurs in the St.

sustainability 52

sustainability entrepreneurial ecosystem communities entrepreneurs 52

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

Bijan Sabet – investor & board member in some small companies you might have heard of like Twitter, Tumblr, Boxee & OMGPOP – took issue with the whole notion that you even need a Powerpoint deck anymore. In Bijan’s post he references Bryce Roberts who recommends getting up and white-boarding.

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The Zapier Blog

APRIL 24, 2023

The term, which was originally coined by academic scholar Carol Dweck, refers to a way of perceiving challenges and setbacks. I've definitely uttered, "I'm more of a visual learner" once or twice in my life (mainly to stop my friends from trying to explain complex board game rules to me).

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strategy mix-use development creativity 105

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

They like a solid product, well defined pricing, good references to sell against, a clear quota and well defined competitors. Customer also buy social proof because others are acting as strong references. Please call our references. Management always sets sales budgets that roll up to a number beyond the actual board budget.

support 316

support startup consulting board 316

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

I think it caught her off guard,” Krassner said, who is still a board member at the company. Right now, the site has a number of references to “motherhood” and women. Currently, a lot of information or advice around pregnancy lives in books or in-person classes. The new Expectful.

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peer-to-peer health networking financing 85