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Tattoos and YCombinator Demo Day

This is going to be BIG.

Similarly, picking seed investors for your first startup in and around the craziness of an accelerator demo day can be just as scarring over the long term. In fact, you'd probably be better off both deciding on a tat on demo day. Trivia question: What active startup investor has the most tats? How active are they?

pitching 290
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How to Be a VC: Being Open

This is going to be BIG.

I always get asked how to get into VC and so I think a lot about what it takes to do the job well. 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.

VC 371
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The Amazing Disappearing VC

This is going to be BIG.

A number of VC firms have hired specialists in the area of recruiting. Given the proliferation of accelerators and incubators that pre-vet entrepreneurs, roll up their sleeves to help companies, and dress them up for demo days, the best and brightest are being showcased to look better than ever. I don't really like "stuff".

VC 272
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Some Reflections on VC Investment Decisions

Both Sides of the Table

Don’t even get me started on Demo Days. You could spent 20 days / year at Demo Days now. 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.

VC 374
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Going to Raise VC? Here’s a Primer on Process, People, Deck

Both Sides of the Table

If you want a very quick primer on all the stuff nobody ever tells you about raising venture capital check out this video where Mark Jeffrey & I break it down on This Week in VC. All of this is covered in more detail on the TWiVC video above (and much of it is covered in text on this blog on the “ Raising VC &# tab).

VC 340
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The Importance of Proprietary Deal Flow in Early-Stage VC

Both Sides of the Table

As a VC you want to feel like you have “proprietary sources” of deal flow. But I think there is a down side that I see in startups that raise artificially at prices above what a normal market might value. And I’m seeing this even at some really well run startups. It’s a Demo Day thing.

VC 347
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How early should you connect to a VC? Here's some data.

This is going to be BIG.

How long does it take from first meeting a VC to getting cash in the bank? Similarly, I got introduced to Chantel Waterbury from chloe + isabel by Bo Yaghmie from Cooley, who was my lawyer when I had a startup--so I had to trace back when I first got introduced to Bo by Fred Wilson. That''s an interesting question.

VC 415