Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2016

I’ve spoken before about our desire at Upfront Ventures to fund really big ideas that solve hard problems, are science led and if successful will both have a positive effect on people’s lives as well as make great financial returns. We’re not Pollyannaish about this. We believe that it is incrementally harder to differentiate on simple Internet products or mobile apps and while great companies are built doing this, our goal as a fund is to try and fund things that can be 100x returns if they wor

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 16, 2016

It's very easy to think that there is a clear cut difference between the really great ideas and the really bad ones. You believe that no matter when you get pitched, you'll usually do a good job of telling the difference between the two. Sure, most of the really low chance of success stuff--things in unworkably small markets, unprepared founders, or ideas that lack a clear user value proposition--falls away pretty quickly.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 17, 2016

Entrepreneurs are always looking for the special ingredient that will make their team work better. More often than not, a stronger bond comes from taking the team to a new setting with different challenges–outside the office. We asked members of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s (EO) Boston and Nashville chapters to share what methods they’ve used to strengthen their teams outside of the office.

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Startup Lawyer

MAY 18, 2016

I previously wrote that accelerator documents should be easy. At the time, I thought accelerator documents should be easy primarily because of the potential adverse selection problem for the accelerator. In other words, the more difficult the terms or onboarding process (including the investment documents), the more likely the best startups would choose a different … Continue reading → The post Accelerator Investments Should Be Convertible Equity appeared first on Startup Lawyer.

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Lack of digitalization decreases business competitiveness. To thrive, embracing modern solutions becomes essential. The approach to digitalization often aligns with a company's business model. This shift not only boosts productivity but also automates processes and improves security. The tech market offers a wealth of technologies tailored for management, planning, and forecasting, replacing outdated pen-and-paper methods.

technology

Berkonomics

MAY 19, 2016

Sometimes you need to hire a specialist already trained in a single narrow task. But for most of us, we’d do far better hiring someone who has proven from past experience to be a “jack of all trades” able to fill many positions, do many tasks, learn and perform in many situations. You’d be going against the grain of advice by many who state that trained, experienced new hires will benefit the organization, raise the level of enterprise expertise, and fit in and contribute immediately.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 19, 2016

This article was originally posted on Inc.com. In remarks at Inc.’s annual GrowCo conference on Wednesday, the entrepreneur, investor, and Internet advocate divulged the most valuable lessons he’s learned since he launched the hugely popular website in 2005. After many years away, Alexis Ohanian , the serial entrepreneur, investor, and open-Internet advocate, recently returned to the helm of Reddit , the huge user-curated news site, along with his co-founder and college roommate, Ste

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Startup Lawyer

MAY 16, 2016

Tech Wildcatters, the original Dallas accelerator, is hosting their first pitch day of 2016 on May 26th at the House of Blues in Dallas. Here’s the streamlined agenda: 12:45pm — Accredited Investor Preview 1:30pm — Doors Open to General Public 2:15pm — Program/Pitches 3:30pm — Happy Hour It’s free to attend, but be sure to register … Continue reading → The post Tech Wildcatters Pitch Day May 2016 appeared first on Startup Lawyer.

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Tomasz Tunguz

MAY 15, 2016

At Google, we tested everything. User interfaces, advertising targeting models, even hiring practices. One product team tested 41 different shades of blue to ensure maximum click through rate; but the company is now testing black links. That’s one enormous advantage of A/B testing - all the sacred cows must prove their beatitude to maintain their divinity.

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 16, 2016

There aren't many people who get the chance to analyze venture capital fund return data. You'd have to work for a very limited number of fund performance tracking firms, like Thomson Reuters, Cambridge, etc., or be an institution big enough to see a ton of different funds over time. So when someone gets access to a dataset, no matter how incomplete, it's no surprise they'll rush into making lots of declarative statements about how the asset class performs without even a reasonable gut check.

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Outdated or absent analytics won’t cut it in today’s data-driven applications – not for your end users, your development team, or your business. That’s what drove the five companies in this e-book to change their approach to analytics. Download this e-book to learn about the unique problems each company faced and how they achieved huge returns beyond expectation by embedding analytics into applications.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 20, 2016

By Ben Hanback, an EO Nashville member and president of The Hanback Group. How many times at the end of the day or week do you come up for air and think, “What in the world have I accomplished?”. Time flies and the race to get ahead is faster than ever, so here are five quick and easy ways to stay ahead of the competition: Write at least one hand-written note a week to thank a customer or client.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 16, 2016

According to a recent millennial leadership survey from The Hartford, 80% of millennials see themselves as leaders today. Yet only 12% of Gen Y held management roles in 2013; and less than a third of The Hartford’s sample reported that they’re currently business leaders. Maybe we’re entitled and delusional. Or maybe, explained millennial expert and author of Becoming the Boss, Lindsey Pollak , we have a progressive understanding of what it means to be a leader.

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