This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 26, 2012

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.

VC 397

VC pitching venture capital creativity 397

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Greycroft is an early-stage VC. Closing a VC fund in 2009/10 is a major achievement in and of itself. In the intro section of the show we talked a lot about why VC funds are becoming smaller again and where Greycroft fits. Tags: Start-up Advice. Total Raised: $17.7mm. Read more: TechCrunch. File sharing?

VC 241

VC peer-to-peer advice ventures 241

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

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. I always start my answer to this question with, “you’d have to be a pretty big baby to complain about being a VC.&# I get paid to network – I love meeting people.

VC 312

VC consulting entrepreneurs creativity 312

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

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!).

VC 269

VC startup advice innovation 269

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. You want to build your network with other VCs so you go to demo days, SxSW and so forth.

peer-to-peer 317

peer-to-peer pitching VC accelerator 317

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 8, 2011

How about as a VC? Fred has basically always been a VC, Mike was a reporter, and Jim worked in product marketing and management consulting. Surely--but then I realize how difficult it is to be an early stage VC in NYC. At least then you'd imagine that your advice isn't *that* bad because at least you've got some experience.

VC 275

VC peer-to-peer board advice 275

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

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. He used the 500Startups platform to uber network in the Bay Area where he was living. So I had a sense that I knew who he was. Nice kid, but I see lots of nice kids.

pitching 372

pitching advice VC entrepreneurs 372

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 11, 2010

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. Are all VC’s just a-hole’s? Not all VC’s feel this way in my experience. Social networks exacerbate the problem. But not always.

advice 266

advice VC entrepreneurs creativity 266

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

Of course these are great places to network with other investors, meet great entrepreneurs and keep your connections strong with senior execs at larger companies like Yahoo!, 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. And there’s conferences. Web Summit.

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VC investment investing entrepreneurs 374

Entrepreneurs' Organization

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

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. My first female mentor was the incredible Janine Allis , founder of Boost Juice.

founder 262

founder advice entrepreneurship entrepreneurs 262

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2012

16k+ Twitter followers, 5500+ e-mail subs a week, 6th most read VC blog, appearences on Bloomberg and CNBC and I can't use any of it to market any kind of financial product--but if I wanted to sell you a watch or build a video game, I'd be set. Want to know why there aren't more female partners at VC funds? scratches bald head].

ventures 314

ventures incubation VC venture capital 314

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

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.

communities 319

communities VC innovation entrepreneurs 319

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

In my previous post, The VC Ice Age is Thawing (for now) I wrote about the reasons why the VC market came to a screeching halt in September 2008 and remained largely shut until at least April 2009. There are now signs the VC market has gathered pace meaning it’s a great time to be fund raising.

VC 255

VC venture capital networking innovation 255

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2010

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. Raising Capital – The VC equivalent for musicians is getting signed by a major label. People want what they can’t have and VCs are no different.

entrepreneurs 356

entrepreneurs media VC creativity 356

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

But I guess you could say the same about VC. Stock market declines would bring back dog days of VC. If you want a comprehensive summary of the industry in this era it’s worth a read: VC Ice Age Part 1 – What Happens When a Market Comes to a Standstill? VC Ice Age Part 2 – Why the Market Started Moving Again?

VC 305

VC disruption entrepreneurs venture capital 305

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2011

Will you get the TechCrunch bump, the tier-1 VC anointment, followed by great PR firm support and then the NY Times or WSJ story that follows? They got us to fill out the details of where we worked in the past and the network effect compels us to keep it updated. Not every problem has to be a huge VC-fundable business.

transportation 309

transportation VC networking energy 309

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2011

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 VC Blog Posts? She has a quote from literally every major VC from whom you’d want to hear. ” [it's short, you should read it]. Please watch this. Every single one.

entrepreneurs 341

entrepreneurs entrepreneurship VC pitching 341

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2012

I see it first hand in Los Angeles where given the growth of YouTube networks the worlds of art & technology are colliding. I’ve been meeting with LPs (those who invest in VC funds) over the past year and discussing trends I see in the market and where I think we need to be as a firm to be near to and meet the needs of our customers.

technology 314

technology incubation VC ventures 314

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

I remember a discussion with an older VC who told me that in the early 90′s they wondered whether the VC industry had a future. This was obviously prior to the Internet and everything that led to: (mobile smartphones, social networks, new payment technologies, etc.). The future certainly looks brighter to me.

VC 299

VC media entrepreneurs energy 299

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.

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education advice VC startup ecosystem 195

Jason Malki

MARCH 9, 2023

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? Number two: develop an investment thesis of your own that is best suited to your skills, experience, and/or network. I would break it down into 3 steps. This was very insightful.

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VC ventures angel investing venture capital 98

StartupNation

MAY 24, 2021

While we’ve been strongly supported by our VC backers during the pandemic, the same can’t be said for every startup. This, naturally, leads to the question of how you find the right VC firms to partner with. Use the following five strategies to find the perfect VC partner for your business: Do your research. Go in warm.

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VC pitching networking venture capital 82

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 26, 2021

In the latest TechCrunch Live episode, Lunchclub co-founder Vlad Novakovski and Lightspeed’s Nicole Quinn broke down its Series A deck, Lightspeed’s investment thesis and how having a strong investor network makes the difference between a successful raise and a dud. Consumer feedback is everything to us,” said Quinn. “It

advice 80

advice VC health venture capital 80

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2021

I’ve sat at both sides of the table as a founder and a VC, and I understand how difficult it is to get them on the same page. I’ve participated in a number of accelerators, including Disney and Techstars, and these programs gave me a noticeable advantage when I stepped into VC.

accelerator 86

accelerator VC mentorship pitching 86

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

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.

startup 392

startup communities venture capital angel capital 392

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. 1) Your school.

founder 147

founder mentorship peer-to-peer pitching 147

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

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).

VC 286

VC financing finance capital 286

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. Thank you to my co-author for this essay, Paulina Symala, a Consultant at Oliver Wyman and a past intern of Versatile VC. Expert Networks. The expert network industry has grown an average 4.5%

consulting 129

consulting venture capital board capital 129

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

What is a principal at a VC firm and how does it work at Upfront Ventures? ” Associates have different functions at different VCs. VC firm admin. VC firm policy or fund analysis. Helping be the VC “presence” at key events. inside insight into VC decision-making. Industry reviews.

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investment investing VC board 366

Hunter Walk

AUGUST 23, 2023

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. I can vouch for his genuine optimism Hunter Walk: You got to work with a number of different VCs on your cap table for Anchor. Was I right?

VC 97

VC founder ventures culture 97

TechCrunch

APRIL 6, 2023

Soon enough, we’ll be coming straight atcha with a host of speakers, workshops, roundtables, and networking opportunities that are sure to accelerate your dream. Cut to Mark Wahlberg speeding down the Big Dig, accelerating toward a dream.*

construction 97

construction accelerator advice education 97

StartupNation

JUNE 1, 2021

Oftentimes, I read articles offering tips for entrepreneurs that revolve around generic advice on getting started. Underrepresented folks in entrepreneurship and venture capital, including women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals, are often led to believe we must be overqualified to start a business, join a VC firm or become an investor.

entrepreneurs 111

entrepreneurs pitching construction accelerator 111

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2011

Blogs weren’t popularized yet so it was an oddity for me to read the founder of a software company spewing out advice. I asked him if he’d be willing to allow me to interview him for This Week in VC and we filmed it in the offices of Stack Overflow – his new company. But I loved reading them and so did my team.

peer-to-peer 285

peer-to-peer communities development innovation 285

AsiaTechDaily

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

As the team is not from a VC background, the typical investment strategy for seed or early-stage fund on diversifying into a portfolio of companies and then follow-on investments into potential winners is simply not in our DNA who came from corporate finance and business advisory background. Build trust. front seat now to drive the valuation.

ventures 97

ventures startup VC strategy 97

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 5, 2015

I reiterated the notion of risk taking when giving career advice the other day and how when I joined Union Square Ventures, it wasn''t the USV it was now. You can''t rise up as fast taking a job at a VC firm in NYC the same way you could 10 years ago--and you can''t get that USV job as easily as you could.

startup ecosystem 342

startup ecosystem VC networking venture capital 342

FundersClub

JUNE 12, 2017

They seek a VC model where dogma is less of a drag on the enterprise, and investment discovery can come from a wide network of smaller investors—mini LPs, in a way. Berhens Wu is the CEO and co-founder of Shippo , which offers an API to connect eCommerce businesses and marketplaces to a network of different shipping providers.

VC 93

VC venture capital founder networking 93

AsiaTechDaily

MARCH 28, 2023

“Founders should also evaluate which VC is able to add-value to their growth, rather than just focusing on the amount of money the investor has to offer,” Lou told AsiaTechDaily. I also had the opportunity to learn firsthand how VC firms put together an investment fund and understood the type of LPs coming together to form a fund.

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ventures investment investing SaaS 98