Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Most of them are completely mundane such as choosing which: bank, office space, 1-year lease vs. 2-year lease, logo, URL, pricing structure or which VC. The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. I used to sit on the board of a company (for which I DID NOT invest) with a very smart and very likable CEO.

entrepreneurs 414

entrepreneurs board advice consulting 414

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

There was what seemed like an endless stream of bombshell announcements for four months: Alphabet’s Waymo unit filed a lawsuit against Uber claiming that a former Waymo employee, Anthony Levandowski, stole secrets related to autonomous vehicle technology. VC David Sacks tweeted “?? Two reasons: One, they had no other real choice.

coworking spaces 545

coworking spaces hospitality culture coworking 545

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

When you set up a board it is often initially a combination of the founders and the early investors. This post sets out how I believe founders (and investors) should think about independent board members having worked with many of them for the past 20 years. The board is where large equity investors get their representation.

board 187

board peer-to-peer VC funders 187

David Teten VC

JUNE 9, 2021

See How to negotiate a partner role at a VC or private equity firm.) You can work as a consultant, an interim executive, a board member, a deal executive partnering to buy a company, an executive in residence, or as an entrepreneur in residence. . At Versatile VC , we’ve used all these models. Board of Directors.

consulting 128

consulting venture capital board capital 128

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

I believe that over capitalizing companies too early often favors the VC. Here’s what those VCs (and us entrepreneurs, myself included) didn’t understand: 9 women can’t make a baby in a month. And having too much money certainly raises board expectations that you will do big things quickly.

entrepreneurs 374

entrepreneurs incubation board VC 374

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

DECEMBER 15, 2020

In the most recent Pitchbook 2021 predictions , they project that Silicon Valley will make up less than 20% of all VC deals in 2021. If there is one megachange in VC from the pandemic (there may be many), I think it is the comfort with making investments over video without the founder or the VC traveling to meet each other.

VC 279

VC entrepreneurship board investing 279

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses. The reality is that as a result of two major trends the costs of starting a technology startup went down massively.

investing 328

investing investment VC venture capital 328

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Scarcity + high demand = Happy VC all too willing to fund playful things and entrepreneurs ready to play. I''m talking about companies like littleBits , which makes tiny circuit-boards with specific functions engineered to snap together with magnets--"juiced Lego". Venture Capital & Technology'

education 289

education venture capital VC board 289

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2010

He stood up, grabbed the mic and gave a heartfelt overview of his experiences in experimenting with new technologies to build relationships with his audience, get feedback on his product quality and to market his music all the way to the top of iTunes. People want what they can’t have and VCs are no different. He was riveting.

entrepreneurs 356

entrepreneurs media VC creativity 356

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

So the industry formed around a day of the week when all partners could avoid having company board meetings or traveling. But I guess you could say the same about VC. Stock market declines would bring back dog days of VC. VC Ice Age Part 2 – Why the Market Started Moving Again? Why is that? Yesterday was a Monday.

VC 305

VC disruption entrepreneurs venture capital 305

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. This month we closed our 4th fund of $200 million.

ventures 343

ventures venture capital advice VC 343

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

Because my role as a VC requires me to take and endless stream of meetings I long ago decided I need to learn as much as I can from the meetings I attend so I often just ask tons of questions and assimilate knowledge. After that you could tell that Greg was really “all in” on the LA technology community. Watch this space.

VC 360

VC communities investing investment 360

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Dan asked Fred about “generational change” at USV and in the VC industry more broadly. The founding partner of Upfront, Yves Sisteron, has been a mentor for me since 1999 and was on the board of my first company. He’s leading the charge in our investments in agriculture technologies, for example.

VC 176

VC peer-to-peer board disruption 176

David Teten VC

MARCH 1, 2022

The easiest way to work with and for VC funds is to become a part-time scout, getting paid for sourcing investments. How to win consulting, board, operating, and investment roles with private equity and venture capital funds (video). How to find a job as a VC scout. VC recruiters list and compensation data.

VC 128

VC venture capital accelerator ventures 128

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

I’m often asked about the differences between being at a VC and being an entrepreneur and whether I prefer one or the other. But we do have great working spaces for our portfolio companies to entertain clients or hold board meetings or executive retreats. So Silicon Valley massively shifted to San Francisco.

culture 339

culture VC communities venture capital 339

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 5, 2021

There has been this narrative about investing in VC funds that you have to get into the top quartile (25%) or possibly the top decile (10%) in order to generate good returns. I have heard that for as long as I have been in VC and probably have written it here a few times. As you can see, investing in VC funds can be very profitable.

VC 279

VC board investing investment 279

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

Today I’m handing her the largest A-round check I’ve ever written as a VC as we lead her $10 million A-Round at uBeam. The reality is that as VCs we have limited allocations of where we can spend our time so we want to attach ourselves to projects in which we, too, can be passionate. That was three months ago this week.

VC 418

VC ventures leadership board 418

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 11, 2014

I''m super proud of Rob, Ben and the whole Backupify team--and this is particularly special for me because Backupify was the first investment I ever made as a VC, and the first board I ever sat on. I joined the board and I was assuming everything would always be up and to the right, because that''s the way success happens, right?

board 267

board venture capital creativity entrepreneurship 267

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 19, 2021

I also think startup boards need to evolve. There should be many more independent directors and many fewer investor directors on startup boards. Investors should be more open to observer seats and founders should have more say in which investors sit on their boards. I think independent control is the most sustainable solution.

board 276

board finance financing sustainability 276

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

But as I rose in my career (and post MBA) I moved into a role in which I was to advise board-level executives on topics where I was expected to rapidly become an expert. What would the right technology strategy for Telecom Italia be in 5 years. We are their sparring partners, their sounding boards. It is unknowable.

peer-to-peer 337

peer-to-peer entrepreneurs consulting VC 337

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 5, 2014

If you need to introduce yourself to a VC firm, you''re probably not getting the job. VC firms are going back to being mostly partner driven shops, where dealflow and decisions stay up top. VC firms are going back to being mostly partner driven shops, where dealflow and decisions stay up top. That''s a benefit to the VC firm.

venture capital 295

venture capital capital ventures peer-to-peer 295

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

For most of my career as a VC, the IPO has been the holy grail. I don’t take as much offense to this situation as others in the VC business have. I have viewed it as a mutually beneficial relationship between the top banks, VC firms, and the founders and CEOs who lead our portfolio companies. We will see.

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VC capital board founder 279

TechCrunch

JANUARY 27, 2023

Chroma , a startup working to build a new type of audiovisual entertainment specifically for mobile devices, is now adding a Twitter co-founder to its board. The Chroma team had a range of ideas but ultimately landed on audiovisual technologies and their intersection with music and sound. million in seed funding (5.1 Chroma did.

board 110

board founder startup incubation 110

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Tech teams are comprised of three distinct managements skills: people, process & technology. Hire admin / office management after you raise a reasonable size VC round. Be careful about board construction. Limit the number of VCs. Limit the number of VCs. Know the difference. Some people are good at all.

startup 388

startup consulting construction board 388

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 23, 2012

Try and figure out exactly what a startup had to show at the moment a VC chose to invest in them. Half the time, founders were pitching a completely different idea than what took off--so the VC who looks brilliant for funding the latest viral app really funded a B2B product that never took off. They don't stress test.

advice 417

advice startup VC strategy 417

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

And this month we announced that Maker Studios, where I am an investor and board member, crossed 3 billion views. It is a “talent first” company but one under-pinned with a serious multi-million dollar investment in technology that has helped fuel our growth and will continue to provide tools & support for our talent.

peer-to-peer 320

peer-to-peer media networking board 320

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

It really wouldn’t take much to turn a great technology ecosystem into a truly electric one. I need to take some VC meetings. But it did take Brad as a public spokesman, consummate networker and successful VC to help create legitimacy to let David’s ideas flourish. Him: “I know, I know. Me: “Bullshit.

communities 317

communities VC innovation entrepreneurs 317

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 29, 2011

Yet, I wondered whether or not she had accidently met with the wrong VC. Chantel has been amazing to work with, as has my fellow board member Ann Miura-Ko from Floodgate. She had a powerpoint deck, 15 years of jewelry industry experience, and I couldn't have been more excited by the chloe + isabel story. She saw the sneakers, right?

venture capital 324

venture capital entrepreneurship enablement media 324

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

He or she has worked at some very successful big technology or media companies and went to a great school. I often tell people in this scenario to focus on a VC “fixer upper.” Being the CEO of a fixer-upper gives you board exposure and VC relationships that will benefit you later.

advice 334

advice peer-to-peer VC board 334

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

You’d be surprised how many firms are “dictator VCs” – even those that don’t formally acknowledge it internally. When you’re newer in VC many partners choose to play it safe, doing smaller investments and not trying to bet on something that a “far out” risk.

venture capital 336

venture capital peer-to-peer capital ventures 336

AsiaTechDaily

DECEMBER 27, 2022

Register TradeDog Group, the parent company of TD VC that is based in Dubai in the UAE, has announced the launch of their $100M Web3 “special situation” fund that will be allocated in projects with good products and businesses with struggling token markets. Bookmark ( 0 ) Please login to bookmark. Username or Email Address. Remember Me.

VC 97

VC strategy venture capital board 97

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

On Losing in VC. By Monday morning after their board meeting in NorCal I didn’t get a return phone call. VCs have a seat at the table in deciding future investors. China is indelibly an important part of the future of the global technology system. I know I won’t win every deal I want to in VC.

consulting 333

consulting advice collaboration VC 333

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 4, 2022

Mar Hershenson , co-founder and managing partner at Pear VC. Mar Hershenson co-founded and serves as managing partner at Pear VC, a seed-stage investment firm in Palo Alto backing companies like Guardant Health, DoorDash, Gusto, Aurora Solar and Branch. He also serves on the board of Friends of Hudson River Park.

disruption 91

disruption VC ventures startup 91

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2022

2021 saw phenomenal returns for our industry and it topped off more than a decade of unprecedented VC growth. When we get involved in Seed investments we usually represent 60–80% in one of the first institutional rounds of capital, we almost always take board seats and then we serve these founders over the course of a decade or longer.

ventures 408

ventures startup peer-to-peer venture capital 408

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2014

I got three calls from another big name, big check VC. He wanted to know what I thought of his technology deal. I got an email recently from a VC who had invested in a company a small amount in a seed round. And why would it make sense to bring me on board?” He opted for two big VC funds up North who split $1.5

advice 333

advice VC pitching investing 333

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

What I’ve been trying to do is to actually describe the level at which “top performance” is happening for all of the various facets of the job—things like reputation, screening, board participation, etc. Is the Midas List the be-all and end-all of the “best VC” list? So I asked them. No, of course not.

pitching 243

pitching peer-to-peer board VC 243

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 29, 2012

Being a good angel or VC has a lot to do with pattern matching. You're going to want syndication partners on the deals you find and sounding boards on the thesis behind each of your potential investments. Technology slows the world down long enough to let us pay attention to move of it.

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peer-to-peer angel investing advice entrepreneurs 320