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

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. Lines, Not Dots.

peer-to-peer

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

If you’ve been following the press about VC funds you’ll know this is no small feat. VC has operated as an “old boys club”, with access to capital often requiring entrance through an elite university engineering department in one of two cities. Startup Advice' you don’t ask, you don’t get! )

ventures

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

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. But … we had committed to setting up an EIR program where we would fund people to work on their ideas in our offices and also get the dual experience of working inside a VC.

pitching

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

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? VC is a patient capital asset class — you won’t know how good of an investor you are until several years down the road. I would break it down into 3 steps. This was very insightful.

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

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

We spoke about the disruption of VC through crowd funding. VC can’t don’t invest in these kinds of companies because they can’t get out (no liquidity event). .” He spoke about the early days of Napster & Kazaa where free music as open system thus hard to use. So they could monetize and people would pay.

education

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Elect 1-2 representatives and even invite a local VC to invest personally and sit on the investment committee or be an advisor. ” And if aspiring investment teams are looking to get together the SBIC has come back with a new VC focused program to help non-Silicon Valley communities fund companies beyond their initial angel money.

communities

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

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

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

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

On my trip I also gave my usual advice to entrepreneurs who don’t live in a major tech funding hub: Find VCs who are from your area originally. In the middle of the year I was introduced to Tim Schigel , the founder & chairman of ShareThis who had become the manager of a Cincinnati-based fund called Cintrifuse.

startup

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

I want to make sure that my sixth year as a VC doesn’t just become an automatic continuation of what I’ve done in my first 5 years. My wife and I went down 3 days early and had some chill out time. I had one of the biggest mental breakthroughs about what I want to do differently at GRP Partners in 2013.

creativity

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. I had a very enjoyable day in Cincinnati meeting many local entrepreneurs, angels and accelerators.

accelerator

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. Certain VC funds offer “Fellowships” for industry executives. Expert Networks.

consulting

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 Between Q1 and Q3 2021, healthcare startups landed $21.3 was high on their to-do list.

health

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

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.

ventures

TechCrunch

MAY 21, 2022

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 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. Cut to Mark Wahlberg speeding down the Big Dig, accelerating toward a dream.*

construction

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. She adds, laughing, “if there’s any sponsorship, it would be from Sheel and Taco Bell.” Are we surprised?

health

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.

VC

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Olaf Hannemann, partner, CV VC AG. What is your advice to startups in your portfolio right now? Philipp Stauffer, partner, FYRFLY Venture Partners. Claude Donzé , partner, Tomahawk.VC. Lucian Wagner, partner, Privilège Ventures. Maximilian Spelmeyer , partner, SIX Fintech Ventures. Andreas Iten , partner, F10.

startup

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

TechCrunch

JULY 6, 2022

What do early-stage founders need to know to capture VC interest, and dollars, in a challenging market? It’s a vital question, and it’s why we’ve invited three investors — who we think know their stuff — to share their insight and advice on the TechCrunch+ stage at TechCrunch Disrupt on October 18-20 in San Francisco.

ventures

TechCrunch

MARCH 24, 2023

General Catalyst’s Mark Crane has ample experience on both the founder and VC side from all over Europe, as well as a firm understanding of the funding landscape in the northeastern U.S., so he’ll give practical advice on how to stay alive and thrive. So how do you raise outside the Valley bubble?

incubation

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 31, 2020

” Speaking as someone who’s been on both sides of this equation, I most appreciated her advice about focusing on “simplicity and staying consistent” when it comes to messaging. For starters: he’s never had an opportunity to pitch at a VC firm where there was another Black person in the room.

construction

AsiaTechDaily

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Advice for New Investors: Commitment and Learning For aspiring investors, Jeshua advocates a decade-long commitment at the minimum, cautioning against a tourist mentality that often results in poor returns. For founders opting for VC funding, swift closure of funding rounds is advised to maintain focus on product development.

venture capital

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. What Did I Learn From the First VC Check I Ever Wrote?

VC

TechCrunch

MAY 7, 2022

For more thoughts, read a round-up of all the tech layoffs this past week , and then head to TechCrunch+ for some advice on how to navigate the market. Need advice on navigating a tough startup market? Meet Valia, an early-stage VC firm backed by Tiger that wants to back founders who are ‘breaking the mold’. Start here.

advice

TechCrunch

APRIL 25, 2023

Similarly, one VC may encourage newly minted CEOs to eat ramen and ride the bus, while another might suggest a salary in the low six-figures, depending on geography. Please share one piece of advice that can help a first-time founder stand out from the rest. Do not be afraid to say “I do not know” when asked a question by an investor.

pitching

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

As an early-stage VC I love this phase. If I could close with some advice for startups and boards …. There is nothing more pure than building a product, putting it out in the world and seeing paying customers using your product and in some cases loving it. Startups are like families.

innovation

StartupNation

DECEMBER 1, 2021

Michigan is now the state with the highest growth in VC investment. Software can be licensed to corporations to benefit employees and uses behavioral science to understand the reasoning behind financial decisions people make and to help democratize financial advice for the masses. Next year is looking even better. Apply now to Rivet.

startup

Founders Coop

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

As Managing Directors of Techstars Seattle, we raised a series of funds from mostly local LPs, including participation from some of our best-known local VC firms, as well as many of the mentors who worked with the founders during and after each program.

startup ecosystem