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Both Things Can Be True: Bias and Bad Fundraising Advice

This is going to be BIG.

The startup ecosystem is a terrific manufacturer of bad fundraising advice. Any VC will tell you that the ones they said yes to, they mostly got there right away—and that there are very few “maybe” deals that get tipped over the fence. Was she just an anomaly or is there something else going on here? First is network bias.

advice 407
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Here is How to Make Sense of Conflicting Startup Advice

Both Sides of the Table

Everybody has a blog these days and there is much advice to be had. Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. So far from not taking advice from other people – I want more advice, more data points, more opinions.

advice 407
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Advice to Rising VCs and Founders Navigating The Correction

Revolution

VC dollars are at risk, we conducted a historical analysis of top quartile fund managers over the past quarter century (as far back as we could access reliable Cambridge Associates data). For a VC, if a fund has valued its portfolio appropriately, there is not much to worry about. But what could that look like?

advice 147
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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.

VC 263
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Why being a VC sucks. Advice to anyone who wants to get into venture capital.

This is going to be BIG.

I usually direct people to this post --still hanging atop the search rankings for " How to be a VC analyst" years later. In VC, no one''s investment gets bought on the first day, or the second day, or the third day. Well, let me be the first to tell you. 5) It takes a long time to be successful. And most of all, I love people.

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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.

ventures 545
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How Much Should You Raise in Your VC Round? And What is a VC Looking at in Your Model?

Both Sides of the Table

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. It goes something like this … VC: “How much money are you raising?” Founder: “$8–10 million” VC: “What’s your current burn rate?” A VC is looking for reasonableness.

VC 247