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My Thoughts on the Current Market: on 20-Minute VC

Both Sides of the Table

Several years ago I made an appearance in a burgeoning new podcast called “20 Minute VC,” which by now needs no introduction. Biggest Advice I Give to Portfolio Founders? In the private markets it’s much harder to know and you’ll have VCs who don’t want to take “mark downs” so may not immediately encourage you to accept a new reality.

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The Twenty Year Itch: My Last VC Investment Out of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures

This is going to be BIG.

I know it’s a bit of a cliche that VCs say they like to be helpful, but I really do think of this as a service job—not one that’s purely about asset allocation. It hasn’t always been as rewarding as it could be, however.

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The Problem with Startup Advice

This is going to be BIG.

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. Often times, the advice is terrible or impractical. I read this book, " Why We Make Mistake s " and it talks a lot about "recall bias". On average, it's probably nonsensical.

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What I Would Look for When Choosing a VC – Knowing What I Know Now?

Both Sides of the Table

Picking a VC is hard. So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. Most VCs are book smart. In fact, book smart can be a negative. I call them “ VCs Seagulls.” VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do.

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VC Corner: Marlon Nichols, Cross Culture VC

Startup Grind

He has worked with several startups, invested in companies like Mayvenn, Gimlet Media, Blavity, Airspace Technologies, Codeverse, and many others Pitch your startup for a chance to meet with Cross Culture VC Q&A: What is your / your fund's mission? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho remains my favorite business book. BUILD and EXECUTE!

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How VC Fundraising Favors White Men

This is going to be BIG.

This will be the post where I dangerously attempt to walk the minefield of a white male VC opining on the topic. Besides, how effective of a filter is it that someone can get coffee with a non-VC and convince them that you'd want to see the deal? That pitch has never excited any VC in the history of VC funding.

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The Vision Thing

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

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.” Operational leadership, fortunately, does not.