This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

Personally, I think it was kind of a bad idea--not necessarily because of the valuation, but because it seems like $120mm is way too much money for a software company at this stage, especially one that might even be cashflow positive right now. The company is doing about a million a month in recurring revs. Here’s the problem.

venture capital 409

venture capital capital ventures entrepreneurship 409

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. Startup Grind was a truly awesome conference and Derek the consumate host. Pay it off with pre-tax money. Some money out of every investment.

education 403

education disruption entrepreneurship venture capital 403

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. The major battle for press is a battle for “mindshare” and it’s exactly the reason I blog. I hand out money.

mix-use 389

mix-use advice VC technology 389

StartupNation

JANUARY 6, 2022

Blogging can be a profitable side business. Startup costs are low and the nature of the business is flexible. You can monetize your blog through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, display ads, and selling digital and physical products. Some bloggers become so successful that they turn blogging into a full-time business.

media 98

media strategy education collaboration 98

StartupNation

JANUARY 6, 2022

Blogging can be a profitable side business. Startup costs are low and the nature of the business is flexible. You can monetize your blog through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, display ads, and selling digital and physical products. Some bloggers become so successful that they turn blogging into a full-time business.

media 98

media strategy education collaboration 98

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

I often advise startup companies not to try and pin all of your brand equity into an announcement. Simply – we believe it’s hypocritical to sit with tech startups every day and talk about the need to innovate while ourselves making no major changes. who is talking about putting in up to $30 million in our startup.

ventures 324

ventures VC strategy advice 324

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2011

On my blog I’ve been hesitant to take the topic head on. 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? In it she observes that only 3% of the comments on this blog are from women. Back to women.

entrepreneurs 341

entrepreneurs entrepreneurship VC pitching 341

StartupNation

JANUARY 7, 2022

Blogging can be a profitable side business. Startup costs are low and the nature of the business is flexible. You can monetize your blog through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, display ads, and selling digital and physical products. Some bloggers become so successful that they turn blogging into a full-time business.

media 89

media strategy education collaboration 89

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

I recommend you read Fred Wilson’s recent blog post about the need for a well articulated business strategy before pushing a particular business model. I found myself in violent agreement with Fred’s blog post(s). On the other hand, sometimes, “mo money, mo problems.” LEAN STARTUP MOVEMENT.

strategy 401

strategy startup peer-to-peer advice 401

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 25, 2012

What it generally means is that you've put your own money into something--that you're risking something along side the people who are supporting you. I had an entrepreneur tell me that he put $75,000 of his own money into something because he thought it was important to have skin in the game. For the record, I have two levels of weath.

entrepreneurs 305

entrepreneurs investing investment support 305

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2014

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. There are bootcamps, startup classes, video interviews – the sources are now endless. Improving startup productivity ?

advice 407

advice frameworks startup mix-use 407

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 10, 2012

They're raising money to try and make the connections to clients they don't have yet. I'm all for helping people out, but they don't understand is that they're competing with the startup that is already at the center of their industry for that next investor dollar. We'll totally eff it up. But, 9 times out of 10, that's what happens.

pitching 378

pitching startup networking founder 378

Dream It

JULY 31, 2019

Being self-sustainable has given us a new perspective on startup funding, especially compared to what I experienced on my first accelerator run. Here are some truths about what accelerators can be for startups: A small filter. Our ability to recruit talent may be affected if we are based outside significant startup hubs.

startup 334

startup accelerator pitching venture capital 334

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

This is somewhat changing in the world of crowd funding where people actually raise money so that they can build products but at a minimum your product design ought to be complete and ready to execute. I have no money? There is a lot you can do without spending money. In a startup this is a mistake.

pitching 319

pitching media advice venture capital 319

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

Brunson’s short and to-the-point blog post, “ It’s Called Networking, Not Using.” People who have raised money from them. It’s why I wrote the blog post on 50 Coffee Meetings. It becomes easier to ask when you need help or money. Startup Advice' So why not get out and meet them?

advice 407

advice VC networking entrepreneurs 407

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

I only say that because after years as a VC I can always tell when my peer group invested in something because “it seemed like it would make money” versus when they invested out of passion. So of course I want (need) to make money for my investors (LPs). Whenever somebody has a car startup I send it straight his way.

peer-to-peer 373

peer-to-peer VC pitching entrepreneurs 373

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 22, 2014

It’s a fantastic startup that has had a amazing impact on society. It’s a brutally competitive world out there because there are extreme amounts of money at stake. Case in point, “ Why Your Uber Driver Hates Uber ” is a blog post dressed up as journalism. It’s found money. Is Uber evil?

mix-use 418

mix-use innovation pitching board 418

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 26, 2012

I'm way early in my career, so I won't say I've perfected anything yet, but after 8 years on the investing side and 3 in startups, I've come up at least one thing: Be open. For a VC, I think the process of raising money humbles you. People thought I was crazier for having the chat widget on my blog. You know how hard it is.

VC 397

VC pitching venture capital creativity 397

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2015

If you are a 20-something tech entrepreneur you could be forgiven for thinking that seed-stage investors, Angellist Syndicates and widely available angel money always existed. I was out to raise my first seed money in my second startup of $500,000. Each VC raises money – say $90 million. But not many others.

VC 348

VC peer-to-peer frameworks board 348

Entrepreneurs' Organization

OCTOBER 27, 2023

We reconnected in 2016 and began angel investing in startups in New York City.  When we decided to invest in a startup, it was because we saw a unique combination of a strong idea with a solid team. For the HBS founders we interviewed, there was no “lightbulb moment” for their startup idea. You start spending money.

entrepreneurs 251

entrepreneurs startup advice angel investing 251

Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

If you let them control and manipulate you rather than controlling them, emotions can ruin your startup. Are your friends really suited to the roles you need in a startup ? Do feel comfortable asking for more money? He is a professional writer who focuses on blogging, digital marketing and self-education.

mix-use 268

mix-use finance financing creativity 268

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

APRIL 14, 2020

The YLAI Network hosted three experts on financial planning for a Facebook chat in March 2020 for Global Money Week for network members. Mais, Desde Cero Finanzas ‘ Julio César Pineda and North Central College ‘s Dr. Ryan Decker, helped you work through your most pressing money management questions. How can I save money?

advice 246

advice communities entrepreneurship networking 246

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Take the story of luggage startup Away’s CEO Steph Korey. Don’t get me wrong--the mental and emotional well-being of startup employees is a serious issue. I think all the time and all the money in the world does not yield the best solution, and so putting that pressure on the team to move quickly is really important.”

coworking spaces 545

coworking spaces hospitality culture coworking 545

Hunter Walk

FEBRUARY 22, 2025

.’ In addition to hustle and one’s existing network, I’m always interested in whether or not a ‘needle magnet’ is being built alongside the other efforts to find startups. Some force that pulls exceptional startups to you, directly or via intermediaries, in a privileged and sustainable fashion.

startup 97

startup VC strategy leadership 97

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

We all know that funding markets have changed for startups. I have blogged about some of the downside consequences of the changes and the private information I have says the consequences are much worse than is reported in the press since few people publicly talk about. Does he blog about venture capital and try to advise entrepreneurs?

venture capital 352

venture capital VC board finance 352

Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Smaller businesses may be attracted to blogs, social media posts, and email marketing. Using the example above, tell candidates that they can earn extra money by exhibiting teamwork or inventing a new process. and more articles from the EO blog. Do you have the right bait? What about employees?

culture 260

culture incubation entrepreneurs media 260

Dream It

APRIL 21, 2020

Using the “20% ratio”, if you’re raising $2M this round, then your company’s post-money valuation should be roughly $10M. Keep in mind though, the “20% ratio” is generally only relevant for earlier stage startups and rounds. The same is true of “Seed” rounds if your company is actually just raising friends-and-family money.

ventures 351

ventures pitching frameworks founder 351

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

At our mid-year offsite our partnership at Upfront Ventures was discussing what the future of venture capital and the startup ecosystem looked like. Median valuations for early-stage valuations tripled from around $20m pre-money valuations to $60m with plenty of deals being prices above $100m. It’s just math. Except the music stopped.

VC 416

VC strategy investing investment 416

StartupNation

MAY 23, 2025

In 2023, Jackson Greathouse Fall asked ChatGPT-4 to turn $100 into “as much money as possible” ASAP, “without doing anything illegal.” So, does that mean you don’t have the slightest chance to bootstrap a business with little money and keep it afloat (ideally, thriving)? But you won’t actually need much. In fact, AI boosts ROI by $3.7

media 78

media B2B marketing mentorship collaboration 78

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 2, 2016

I am not writing about this out of the blue – this seems to be the topic of the day in my social stream based on blogs written, retweets rendered and attaboys handed out. In the old days this may have made sense since founders took huge economic risks and often refinanced houses or built companies with almost no money.

peer-to-peer 271

peer-to-peer education capital innovation 271

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2014

This blog started from a series of conversations I found myself having over and over again with founders and eventually decided I should just start writing them.It Yet somehow many people think that startups intended to operate at massive, Internet scale can be casual affairs. The drive to succeed at all costs. We revere musicians.

founder 394

founder leadership disruption venture capital 394

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

I hand out money for a living and I, even more than most people, try to make contacting me easy. I set up an event at NYIT that is essentially just free, open feedback on ideas, prototypes, startups, etc. I remember this one time when I was working at my startup near the Shake Shack. Think about it. Take this #notapitch event.

creativity 365

creativity VC pitching communities 365

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

The father of “Growth Hacking” appears to be Sean Ellis who wrote this widely read post, “ Find a Growth Hacker for your Startup. For starters it brings a mindset to startups that not all of them have innately. If your startup isn’t committed to growth hacking you’ll never find extra-ordinary growth.

peer-to-peer 384

peer-to-peer strategy culture advice 384

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 8, 2024

Women still only get about 2% of venture capital investment money, and we want to see that change,” said Cindy Boyd, EO Houston. “By Our global goal is to ignite women leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and future-preneurs to spark startups, drive economic expansion, and advance communities worldwide,” Milena shared.

education 256

education support entrepreneurs mentorship 256

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

Because the hundreds of millions that it takes to greenlight a theatrical film could never be absorbed by a startup and because they way we experience media & characters has evolved dramatically over the past 20 years to a point where the starting point for media is often digital, gaming or even graphic novel oriented.

media 373

media education VC finance 373

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

On the other side, animal loves in need of extra money or stay-at-home parents, the elderly, whoever – can make extra money while just carrying out their normal life routines. We got along and shared stories about the startup market. The photo in this blog (like many of mine) came from 500px. My Experience.

collaboration 344

collaboration VC accelerator consulting 344

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

Most are sitting on large portfolios of private companies that are raising money now or will need to do so in the future and they know that they’re up against some headwinds. ” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.” When I started blogging it was because I was inspired by Brad Feld.

startup 285

startup VC entrepreneurs investing 285