Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

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. VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. You want a VC who will spar with you but then STFU and let you get on with things.

VC

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 3, 2016

Why do VC's get such a bad rap? That's literally your baby--and 98% of the time, a VC will tell you that your baby is ugly. Forget the fact that a VC's job is more akin to that of a NASCAR passenger, perhaps occasionally pointing out a track hazard or cheering the driver on, but certainly not the main component of success.

VC

David Teten VC

JULY 27, 2021

We have collected a wide range of freebies, contests, accelerators, online communities, and VCs designed for student tech founders. I have been researching this both to support Versatile VC ’s portfolio companies and also as part of research for my new book, To University and Beyond: Launch Your Career in High Gear. Right here.

founder

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I told my friend that I felt that in 2014 too many new VCs feel the pressure to chase deals, to be a part of syndicates with other brand names and to pounce on top of every startup whose numbers are trending up quickly. I know I can’t be in every deal and I know that the easy part of being a VC is writing the first check in a deal.

VC

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. For years I saw myself as the new guy in VC but then you wake up one day and realize that 50% of your peers have been doing it for less time than you and time has moved on. VC Industry' It’s exhausting. Perhaps unsustainable. And so forth.

peer-to-peer

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

If you haven’t yet heard about Female Founder Office Hours it is an initiative you should be aware of whether you’re male, female or any other gender identify. For the LA event, for example, they will not only have a selection of great LA VCs but also 10+ senior VC women from the SF Bay Area will be coming down for it.

founder

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2012

In driving down the costs of building businesses it’s driving down the age of startup founders and thus they’re starting companies where young people want to live – in urban environments. Spark Capital, Flybridge, Founder Collective, NextView Ventures … all in Boston or Cambridge not west of the city.

technology

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

I knew him well before he became a VC. I knew his as he considered becoming a VC and we talked a lot about how it was going for me in my early years. My guess is that many VCs are. Just ask the founder of JetBlue (Azul Brazilian Airlines), Dave Neeleman. The Dave I know, I’ve known for 6 years. I’m one of them.

VC

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

I reinforced this view by referring to a very interesting article I had read by Andy Grove (co-founder & former CEO of Intel) on car batteries, china manufacturing and the problem of US outsourcing. We spoke about the disruption of VC through crowd funding. We had a brief chat on his views of “Freemium.”

education

Jason Malki

MARCH 9, 2023

I had the pleasure of interviewing Karen Sheffield, the Founder & Managing Partner of Pachamama Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in US early-stage climate tech companies. Then, I stumbled upon PE/VC after chatting with a good college buddy of mine. What is your advice for someone trying to break into tech investing?

VC

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 13, 2023

Being a VC means not only honing your skills as a judge of character, assessor of business models, and calculator of risk, but it’s also a lot of difficult interpersonal communications, narrative creation, and long-term goal setting and positioning. To navigate this tightrope, I sought out the advice of a coach—Jerry Colonna.

education

Hunter Walk

AUGUST 23, 2023

Our participation in Anchor ( later acquired by Spotify ) generated both a return and a friendship between us and the founders. Specifically I’ve had the chance to spend meaningful time over the years with Michael Mignano as he went from startup CEO to Executive/Angel Investor and now VC Partner at Lightspeed. Was I right?

VC

TechCrunch

AUGUST 27, 2021

Partners in well-known VC firms spoke, they were accessible, and they shared smart, insightful nuggets. Soul Machines’ co-founder and CBO Greg Cross explains how embracing AI could be just the competitive advantage your brand needs. . — Karin Maake, senior director of communications at FlashParking. Michael McCarthy, CEO of Repositax.

disruption

Entrepreneur's Handbook

AUGUST 16, 2023

What advice would you give your past self? Most founders I speak to agree that the startup journey is generally discouraging, overrun with unsolvable challenges and many many mistakes. I posed a question to twenty-one other founders, across many different industries from media to finance, from SaaS to urban farming.

founder

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

A Strong Pool of Tech Founders – Stating the obvious. Elect 1-2 representatives and even invite a local VC to invest personally and sit on the investment committee or be an advisor. Think Fred Wilson, Tony Hsieh or Brad Feld. You can read Brad’s views of how to do it in his book. Here are mine: 1.

communities

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

This meant: Less capital to start a company thus the rise of “micro VCs” Younger, more technical founders (not as big of a leap to take a risk on a 24-year-old when it’s $250k and not $5 million. So the startup work moves to where the startup founders live and not vice versa. Welcome to the future.

startup

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2018

If you’re an entrepreneur who would like to see this clause in more startups please ask your VC to include it in future term sheets and link to it from their home page. “We I have seen in your 5 years with us countless hours dedicated to mentorship and advice to younger founders of color and showing them a roadmap for success.

VC

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2012

I was here to see one of our LPs (limited partners are the people who invest money in VC funds) called Fort Washington. The founder whom I intro’d wrote in the email to the investor, “let me know if you’d like to set up a phone call or we could meet in person.”. I wrote back to the founder (in private), “no fucking way.

accelerator

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2013

If you are a super young, well-connected, Stanford CS or EE, worked at Facebook early, have a bit o’ dosh and have VCs chasing you … you are exempt. My VC told me that if we monetize too early we will scare away our nascent marketplace and not grow as fast. If that’s you, you can ignore my advice. The market.

VC

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 24, 2021

This week, Bill Taranto, president of Merck’s Global Health Innovation Fund, wrote a TechCrunch+ article that explored six digital health trends his corporate VC fund is tracking as we enter 2022. billion in VC, “dwarfing the previous record of $14.6 Here’s who we spoke to: Jonathan Martinez, founder, JMStrategy.

health

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

As an early-stage VC I love this phase. As the idea went from innovating on software & systems to launching a company to rolling it out in the field brought on Rahul Gandhi as his co-founder to physically launch the company. As a startup in this phase you often raise capital, get press, hire staff and everything feels possible.

innovation

AsiaTechDaily

MARCH 28, 2023

Register Startup founders are often too focused on the amount of money they can get from an investor that they mostly fail to see the value that other investors have to offer to grow their businesses further. Sharon Lou, venture partner at Indelible Ventures , considers this as one of the top mistakes that founders commit when raising funds.

ventures

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 22, 2020

While they can withdraw those funds from the business the next day, local founders must still secure decent backing to even begin the work. Katrin Siebenbuerger Hacki, founder, Medows. Olaf Hannemann, partner, CV VC AG. What are companies you are excited about (your portfolio or not), which founders?

startup

Founders Coop

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Not coincidentally, they also serve as training grounds for some of the world’s most successful startup founders. Although we haven’t been on the inside at Techstars for several years, we grew up with the program and have watched with growing dismay as it drifted away from its original focus on founders.

startup ecosystem

TechCrunch

APRIL 6, 2023

.* At this one-day founder summit, you’ll get actionable advice and takeaways from top experts, meet other entrepreneurs taking similar journeys, share your own experiences and build the confidence to take the next steps toward growing your business. But it’s not just us — our event partners are equally committed to your success.

construction

AsiaTechDaily

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Register Startup founders need to be authentic and prepared when they get the chance to meet prospective investors, according to Rex Fong, founding partner at investment and advisory group Capitale Ventures. Rather than tapping traditional VC funding, emerging venture stage companies went public at early stage (e.g. Remember Me.

ventures

TechCrunch

JULY 6, 2022

As venture capital continues its slowdown after an aggressive 2020 and record-breaking 2021 , it’s clear that early-stage founders looking for their first dollars will require a new approach. What do early-stage founders need to know to capture VC interest, and dollars, in a challenging market?

ventures

TechCrunch

MARCH 24, 2023

Budget-minded entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders take heed — this is no time to procrastinate. Don’t wait…the early bird gets the…SAVINGS: Buy a $249 founder pass and save $200 before prices increase on April 1 — that’s no joke. so he’ll give practical advice on how to stay alive and thrive.

incubation

David Teten VC

JUNE 9, 2021

See How to negotiate a partner role at a VC or private equity firm.) At Versatile VC , we’ve used all these models. We are soon launching Founders’ Next Move , a selective, free community for founders researching their next move, which will be a key tool for working with outside talent. Expert Networks.

consulting

StartupNation

JUNE 1, 2021

Oftentimes, I read articles offering tips for entrepreneurs that revolve around generic advice on getting started. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman once said, “Starting a company is like jumping off a cliff and assembling the plane on the way down.”. Roosevelt’s advice resonates here: “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.”.

entrepreneurs

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I became a VC 12 years ago in 2007 when the pace of deals was much slower. As I was trying to figure out the role I wanted to play in the VC world I decided I wanted to focus on businesses that were building deeply technical products to solve problems for business users. And my friend and Invoca co-founder Colin Kelley has done both.

VC

TechCrunch

MAY 21, 2022

Kanso is the founder of Conception X , which I had coincidentally heard about for the first time earlier this month. Through a combination of entrepreneurship training, access to pro-bono legal advice, funding opportunities and expert connections, we help them figure out how to turn their research into a viable deep tech startup.”

innovation

TechCrunch

APRIL 15, 2023

Zuckerberg, a co-organizer, part-time DJ and investor at Long Journey VC, says that they’re thinking of making it an annual event. In the rest of this newsletter we’re talking about Amazon’s new bed, and bad advice from investors. Telling founders not to take a salary is wonderfully counterproductive on so many levels.

health

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 31, 2020

The VCs who founders love the most. Managing Editor Danny Crichton spearheaded the development of The TechCrunch List earlier this year to help seed-stage founders connect with VCs who write first checks. ” The VCs who founders love the most. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch.

construction

TechCrunch

MARCH 6, 2021

However, as a company progresses and the team grows, there comes a time when a founder needs to carve out dedicated roles. Next up is TechCrunch Early Stage, our yearly event that is all about tactical advice to help new and first-time founders navigate the Wild West world that is venture capital and startups. Okta-Auth0 deal.

pitching

TechCrunch

AUGUST 20, 2021

If you’re a founder who finds yourself in a meeting with a VC, try to remember two things: You’re the smartest person in the room. A VC shares 5 things no one told you about pitching VCs. Investors are looking for a reason to say “yes.” Thanks very much for reading Extra Crunch this week!

startup

Entrepreneur's Handbook

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

You’ll receive practical startup advice straight to your inbox every week. Thankfully, seasoned investor DC Palter offers some advice: Find the deal lead?—? He’s also a co-founder of Code Untapped and was a co-founder at Neybar. Welcome to another edition of our newsletter! Are you actually ready to pitch? Let’s do this.

venture capital