Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2013

His imagination of what is wrong with VC has captured perfectly in satirical format what ails our industry. It is Nikolas Tesla pitching a VC firm. The back-and-forth between Andy & me if anything I hope just raised the issue a bit more about entrepreneur & VC relationships. He knew me then.

VC 315

VC pitching venture capital innovation 315

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 20, 2013

While any exit in NYC is great, what makes this particularly special to those of us on this side of the river is that it was the first tech startup in Brooklyn to sell that was a) native, b) bought for what it did, and perhaps, more importantly, c) had a model whose idea was native to the ideals we promote in this community, namely creativity.

real estate 289

real estate creativity venture capital startup ecosystem 289

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

But for now … Every year we run a big VC, LP & Tech Summit in Los Angeles (this year downtown) to showcase the best of our community and invite others from around the country. Have a quick view below for what is in store at our Upfront Summit – a little bit of LA startup energy and creativity. I will tell more.

energy 290

energy startup creativity VC 290

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JUNE 25, 2019

The lawmakers in Albany have passed legislation known as the Climate and Community Protection Act (CCPA) and it is sitting on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature. But legislators and activists and the business community should not stop there. There is plenty of debate on whether CCPA is good policy or bad policy.

communities 30

communities creativity innovation investing 30

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

Seattle should be the envy of any non Silicon Valley tech community in the country. I need to take some VC meetings. And that is precisely my thoughts for Seattle and what I plan to deliver on Thursday night: Which few key community leaders are going to step up and get those neurons properly firing and connected?

communities 317

communities VC innovation entrepreneurs 317

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 15, 2013

I’m thrilled to announce Brooklyn Bridge Ventures’ investment in Tinybop , a new Brooklyn-based studio building the most creative and thoughtfully-designed educational apps for kids. Most VC funds wouldn''t touch a pre-product app company. When he pitched, he was the proverbial "guy with an idea."

creativity 299

creativity education pitching collaboration 299

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 24, 2010

There was one other VC in the room, Charlie O'Donnell, who makes it a practice to be everywhere something is interesting happening. These are the crowds, when brought together in a critical mass, push the envelope of awesomeness, creativity, and style, carrying the reputation of the whole community on their shoulders.

creativity 240

creativity communities venture capital innovation 240

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

I have never been more optimistic about the impact that the tech startup community is having on cities in America or about the role that cities outside of San Francisco / Silicon Valley can play in our future. It really only needs a few community leaders to kick things off and land a community on a map. Co-Working Space.

startup 390

startup communities venture capital angel capital 390

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 24, 2013

Get a group of people to throw money at a creative project with no financial return? The next set of investors, "people with balls" according to another VC I know--Shana Fisher, Kal Vepuri. The next big thing will seem completely unreasonable at first. Sign up to have strangers live in your house? Sounds pretty small.

creativity 326

creativity sustainability venture capital VC 326

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 10, 2014

The small startups and individual creatives were early to SXSW and created a great, authentic experience over many years--a "neighborhood" if you will--with a certain attractive vibe. SXSW has become a fun way for lots of brands to interact with startups and creatives--different but not the same.

creativity 314

creativity transportation venture capital VC 314

StartupNation

AUGUST 8, 2021

You still have plenty of creative financing options to fund your business. Creative financing options for new businesses. If a bank doesn’t believe in your idea, the startup community might — and there’s a good chance they’ll give you a lot of money if they do. Angel investing and venture capital (VC).

creativity 105

creativity finance financing startup 105

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 18, 2020

So many of our favorite community anchors have shuttered in the wake of the pandemic. But these spaces also have communities of people connected to them, rooting for them, and eager to help them. But these spaces also have communities of people connected to them, rooting for them, and eager to help them.

culture 300

culture creativity communities sustainability 300

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 5, 2022

Or, it’s just what “generative AI” does with a series of uploaded images of the two of us if given some creative prompting. It’s also interesting to think about what AI will do to the creative workforce. Now, with generative AI, creators will only be limited by their creativity and not by their directly applicable manual skillset.

creativity 243

creativity media enablement technology 243

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

He found creative ways to politely stay on my radar screen. 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. The choice of how much VC work and how much start-your-company work you want to do is up to you.

pitching 372

pitching advice VC entrepreneurs 372

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

The VC partner, somebody I greatly respect said, “Yeah, we like Gil and what they’re doing. And this Silicon Valley bias isn’t limited to any single meeting – it has been a recurring theme in my time as a VC. That’s convenience when your VC is hoping to write the next $20 million check.

VC 313

VC venture capital media culture 313

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. You may have to cut scope but nothing gets you more focused and the creative juices flowing than a deadline staring you in the face. There are a million opinions about what is good.

entrepreneurs 356

entrepreneurs media VC creativity 356

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2011

He and I once took different sides of an debate about whether “VC signaling&# in early-stage deals is a serious problem or not. So it was fun to turn the cameras on him for 45 minutes for a special “NY edition of This Week in VC&# and hearing his views. I’ve also found him to not be dogmatic either.

entrepreneurship 281

entrepreneurship VC angel investing venture capital 281

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 14, 2024

It’s an approach to the community that I’ve tried to emulate—to make myself available to founders wherever I can, but it’s not easy to scale. It’s easy for a VC to just stick within your own networks and filter bubbles—and hard to scale being “open” without opening the floodgates.

communities 356

communities consulting creativity advice 356

TechCrunch

APRIL 14, 2023

Creative platform EVEN , which allows artists to sell music directly to fans, said it has closed a $2.2 The company’s CEO and founder, Mag Rodriguez, says he started building the platform last February as a way to help Black and brown artists retain equity in their creative work. Creative platform EVEN raises $2.2M

creativity 98

creativity VC accelerator startup accelerator 98

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2015

In part because as a VC I reached the longevity where you see some things fail and have to ask yourself, “would I readily work with that person again? She said that Korea really wants to build a “creative economy” and that understanding why the US is so innovative was important to her. Why or why not?”

creativity 378

creativity culture entrepreneurs energy 378

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

It inspires me to think creatively about sectors and the behavior of both consumers and businesses. It wasn't about trying to source deals so much as it was just about to get to know smart people in the community. It's all about networking building, too.

creativity 247

creativity pitching VC opportunity 247

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

But should you actually write one if you’re a startup, an industry figure (lawyer, banker) or VC? I had been reading Brad Feld’s blog & Fred Wilson’s blog for a couple of years and found them very helpful to my thinking so I honestly just thought I was giving back to the community. Blog to your community.

startup 373

startup advice communities VC 373

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 find a job as a VC scout. VC recruiters list and compensation data. How to negotiate a partner role at a VC or private equity firm. Syllabus for how to launch, manage, and invest a VC fund.

VC 128

VC venture capital accelerator ventures 128

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

Over the past 4 years LA’s tech fundings have growing at a 30% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) which is > 4 times the US average VC CAGR (7%). We don’t seem to get credit as a community for SpaceX or recognition as one of the fastest growing communities for commerce: Honest Company & JustFab.

entrepreneurs 376

entrepreneurs creativity technology capital 376

TechCrunch

AUGUST 12, 2021

Creatives face late payments, and often opaque industry practices, even as top talent agencies have collectively achieved a valuation of $20 billion. It’s now looking to address the wider problems referred to above, with a new round of funding involving some key players in the creative industries. Contact has now raised a $1.9

creativity 100

creativity founder media construction 100

Revolution

MAY 11, 2023

Our findings confirmed a significant shift away from the traditional tech hubs of the Bay Area, New York City, and Boston, with the proportion of seed- and early-stage VC dollars funneling into the Bay Area falling below 30% for the first time in more than a decade.

real estate 296

real estate energy innovation VC 296

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

I always tell people that if you’re not creative in how you tell stories the simplest way to do so is by telling “a day in the life&# of your potential user. I spotted my fellow VC Leo Spiegel (from Mission Ventures) who had spoken previously to the same group and asked about his experiences. The bring your product to life.

advice 362

advice VC entrepreneurs education 362

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2010

Think about the creative tension. The same is true of Twitter, and as a VC I would personally never fund a company that looked to simply plug a functional gap in Twitter. But in the long run this will all be forgotten, I’m just sayin’ But what should Twitter now do at Chirp and how should they treat the community?

development 287

development venture capital communities VC 287

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

It's similar to the way LinkedIn started with Reid Hoffman and the network of Silicon Valley VC's that initially populated the service or the network of developers who were following Joel Spolsky and began the Stack Overflow community.

venture capital 256

venture capital networking creativity sustainability 256

TechCrunch

APRIL 14, 2023

Creative platform EVEN , which allows artists to sell music directly to fans, said it has closed a $2.2 The company’s CEO and founder, Mag Rodriguez, says he started building the platform last February as a way to help Black and brown artists retain equity in their creative work. Creative platform EVEN raises $2.2M

creativity 74

creativity VC accelerator startup accelerator 74

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2010

We held a 90-minute demo session where 150 of LA’s VC’s and senior technology executives watched the LPLA V2 group present in small groups of 12-15 each. It was a great chance for the class to interact with the community in LA. Almost every VC I’ve spoken with in LA is tracking DataPop.

startup 276

startup VC media networking 276

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Creative capital is the secret sauce, not venture capital. Brett Lovelady, founder of design firm Astro Studios, defines these design and development assets as “creative capital,” which “can ultimately last longer and potentially become more valuable” than venture capital. Thanks very much for reading!

creativity 76

creativity strategy capital venture capital 76

American Entrepreneurship

MAY 21, 2025

Creator Ventures, founded in 2022 by cousins Sasha Kaletsky and Caspar Lee , is uniquely positioned to invest in the next wave of AI-enabled consumer applications, marketplaces, creative tools, and SaaS platforms reshaping the digital landscape.

ventures 81

ventures startup SaaS venture capital 81

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 17, 2011

I started off by running some lower-level roles like community service. I talked specifically about it in the context of raising VC / establishing credibility over on the Sales School blog where there’s a video & a transcript. I pledged what was then the best fraternity on our campus, Phi Delta Theta. That’s a fact.

peer-to-peer 365

peer-to-peer leadership support construction 365

Hunter Walk

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

That is, if you are someone who wishes to earn a minimum viable living being creative, what is the likelihood you’ll be able to do so? I absolutely concur that if you want to maximize around other objectives, or examine particular types of creative industries, you might disagree with me. A singer who wants to sing.

creativity 145

creativity ventures culture communities 145

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

And more recently he has turned that into a fund called CrossCulture VC such that many in Silicon Valley and beyond now know Troy as well. They were playing small clubs to the gay community (her early ardent fans or “first 50”) and they were getting a warm reception so they wanted to double down on this community.

venture capital 228

venture capital communities VC entrepreneurs 228

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

Creativity is at the heart of everything they do. That story actually begins about eleven or twelve years ago, with a little bit of VC mentoring. After getting to know Ben from the tech community, he pitched me his concept for a CPG food company. Just face + cup. By the end of her snack, chocolate covers her entire face.

venture capital 378

venture capital ventures capital consumer retail 378