Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

This weekend was Yom Kippur, holiest of the Jewish holidays and the day of atonement. It’s also the day when most Jewish minds are least focused since one needs to fast for 24 hours. But our rabbi captivated me this year and reminded me of one of the most important lessons I learned myself 15 years ago.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Greycroft is an early-stage VC. Closing a VC fund in 2009/10 is a major achievement in and of itself. In the intro section of the show we talked a lot about why VC funds are becoming smaller again and where Greycroft fits. When the show has been processed it will be available here (estimated 8pm PDT).

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VC peer-to-peer advice ventures 240

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 18, 2012

I'd say it has to be payments, because knowing who your friends are gives them a natural advantage in peer to peer. 10) Goosed VC returns. Tens of billions of dollars of return should help VC returns a bit, but it will wind up widening the gap between the haves of the top quartile and the have nots of everyone else.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 25, 2009

This is part of my blog series “ Pitching a VC.&#. I’ve sat through a lot of VC pitches and having been CEO of an enterprise software firm for many years I’ve also sat through many customer meetings with sales teams. The following are some tips for the debate style VC meeting. Tips in a debate led VC Meeting.

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This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 22, 2020

A VC’s default is “no”, so without enough information to be convincing, it’s going to wind up being a pass. To a VC, $50,000 a pre-sale isn’t really that much. One of the most difficult conversations I have with founders is when they haven’t quite given me enough of a story for me to make a proper evaluation.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 11, 2021

Despite the huge and sustained growth in digital advertising (or maybe because of it), there are virtually no tools where a marketer or growth leader can understand their performance and spend across channels, nor where they can share best practices and insights with their peers so the platforms are at an information advantage. no surprise?—?that’s

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founder peer-to-peer sustainability VC 424

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

The truth is that each firm is different and there isn’t one standard but over the years I’ve talked with enough of my peers to get sense of how many firms work. You’d be surprised how many firms are “dictator VCs” – even those that don’t formally acknowledge it internally.

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

” From the hyperbolic Jason Calacanis weighing in that “The petty VC’s did everything to deride [Naval, the co-founder of AngelList]” as though the industry was collectively s g its pants that AngelList was going to put us out of business. This is the same way VC firms, by the way. So there you have it.

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This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 6, 2013

Online lending, specifically peer to peer, is one of those markets. Funds are even being raised to take advantage of these opportunities--but it isn''t exactly easy for an institutional player to go lending out $25 at a time on a peer to peer platform. This is essentially the bet that Box has made relative to Dropbox.

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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. On reflection of the role that I want to play as a VC it is clearly in the camp of passion. I’m a VC.

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peer-to-peer VC pitching entrepreneurs 373

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 3, 2016

In the VC insider baseball world a discussion has gone on about “VC platforms” over the past 5 or so years. While firms define platforms differently, let’s just say they are the services that a VC offers outside of investment capital and partner time on boards or providing intros.

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VC peer-to-peer mix-use leadership 198

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

I can’t help feel a bit of rear-view mirror analysis in all of “VC model is broken” bears in our industry. When I came out of college LA Law was one of the most popular shows on TV and made being a lawyer sexy, so most of my peers made that career choice. They are frustrated by the past decade of subpar returns for the sector.

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venture capital capital ventures VC 347

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. For years I saw myself as the new guy in VC but then you wake up one day and realize that 50% of your peers have been doing it for less time than you and time has moved on. Somehow the world seems to be spinning faster these days than just a few years ago.

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peer-to-peer pitching VC accelerator 317

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures , the pre-seed and seed stage VC fund I run in NYC, has invested in 64 companies in the last six and a half years. Twenty-five of them have at least one female co-founder. Fifteen had co-founders over 40. Five have LGBTQ+ founders. Three teams have African-American founders. I don’t require warm intros.

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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. That''s a benefit to the VC firm. Yesterday, Amrit Richmond announced her new employment at RRE as Director of Community & Platform.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2010

We like to use new product and gain benefits before our peers. If you didn’t read that yet it might be worth having a quick skim as a primer. Social proof is defined as “looking for others to guide our decisions&# and is also one of the most important techniques in acquiring customers in your company. We are evangelists.

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peer-to-peer advice innovation support 294

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 2, 2015

Their reaction to what I do day in and day out is very telling about how a lot of people, including VCs themselves, think of the job. I say that, but I''m not entirely sure all my peers understand that. The founders I backed aren''t VCs (well, except Dave ) so I don''t know if that is such a great signal.

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Hunter Walk

MARCH 3, 2025

Of course Screendoor has an eye towards new VCs with identities, backgrounds and networks which are ADDITIVE to the venture ecosystem to better serve founders, so while the structure of the playbook is duplicative, the people running the playbook aren’t – and that’s the key.

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peer-to-peer VC investing investment 88

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

Our last thoughts on the VC funding markets heading into 2016 was published here and I followed up with a little more context on the resetting of the venture industry , some thoughts on how startups are valued and how to think about burn rates at startups. VC survey data 2016 from Mark Suster.

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peer-to-peer VC advice ventures 277

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 20, 2020

If you search for “vc open for business” on Twitter , you will see almost universal scorn for the idea that VCs are open for business right now. We have mostly seen VC firms live up to the commitments they made pre-pandemic and in the cases where terms changed, it has not been not gratuitous.

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 29, 2012

Being a good angel or VC has a lot to do with pattern matching. You need to see more patterns of success and failure than just the ones you experienced yourself as an entrepreneur. In fact, taking your own startup experience and assuming that all of your lessons learned apply to every startup is probably a really bad idea.

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peer-to-peer angel investing advice entrepreneurs 333

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 11, 2010

The other day, I unlocked the "I'm no racist" badge in the VC game. I'll bet not too many other VCs in my peer group could name five… Go me! All I had to do was to name 5 black tech startup entrepreneurs in New York City when asked by a reporter to do so. Kidding aside, I did feel a totally misplaced sense of pride.

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peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurship education 271

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

Let me start by saying two things: Events like this are invaluable to startups because the significant value comes from building the network across portfolio companies and the discussion one can have with your peer group. And awesome to get to spend time with Ian Sigalow “comparing notes” (VC speak ).

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2014

Contrast that with a VC conversation I had. In case you don’t know – as VCs we have have 2 sets of customers: LPs (limited partners) who invest money in our funds and entrepreneurs (who we in turn give money to and help support them in building businesses we hope will be valuable). If they want to invest that’s great.

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peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurs support 341

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2009

One of the questions I’m most often asked as a VC is what I’m looking for in an investment. You see that peer who always pushes things further than you normally would. I once had a debate with a prominent VC on a panel. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Dan asked Fred about “generational change” at USV and in the VC industry more broadly. And thankfully I had the support of my peers. It’s 25 minutes and it’s both a pleasure to watch and is super insightful. But there was another element that was very subtle and nicely handled that I’d like to expand upon.

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VC peer-to-peer board disruption 176

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

” Your peer group is envious of your finally doing what they’ve always wanted to do but found it too hard to give up the golden paycheck and predictable future. ” Your peer group is envious of your finally doing what they’ve always wanted to do but found it too hard to give up the golden paycheck and predictable future.

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startup peer-to-peer VC culture 417

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

MakeSpace , the leading provider of next-generation storage for consumers, today announced an additional $17.5 million in funding on TechCrunch led by Harmony Partners and Upfront Ventures to double its footprint of 3 cities (New York, Chicago & Washington DC) to 6 in 2016. And where they see stability we saw a sitting duck. Little old us.

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strategy peer-to-peer incumbents real estate 282

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 17, 2011

I went to undergrad at UCSD, which is not a place known for its Greek institutions and my father grew up in South America and had know idea what a fraternity was. So I went to college with no expectation that I would ever join a fraternity let alone aspire to become president one day. Easy peasy. Gregory was into theater. You need a thesis.

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peer-to-peer leadership support construction 365

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

It spoke to me because it so resonates with my nearly daily advice to entrepreneurs and VCs alike. Every VC firm works differently but when asked about our process I always reply the same way, We’re a “high conviction” shop. .” . — Scott Belsky (@scottbelsky) April 29, 2015. The same is true at startups.

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advice peer-to-peer startup frameworks 332

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

The idea is simple enough: several female VC partners at top funds will hold 1-hour meetings with 40 promising female entrepreneurs looking to get advice on their business and pitch in a friendly, non-judgmental, safe environment. 8% of VC partnerships, for example). My partner Kara wrote a great post on the topic that you should read.

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founder peer-to-peer VC mentorship 256

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

Every year I try to answer the question of “what has changed in the Venture Capital industry” and this year my colleague Chang Xu and I took a deep dive through the data and called many of our peers for confirmation. If you want the whole deck you can find it on SlideShare but I’ve written up a short summary with commentary below.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

The premise was that some leaders are too enamored with the approbation of their peers than making the tough decisions in the business that are bound to upset some people. You’re a VC. You make too many reference calls or want to see three more candidates before you decide. Recruiting is an emotional decision.

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peer-to-peer advice entrepreneurs leadership 299

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

He became a VC at London-based Benchmark Europe (now Balderton) and then CEO of Endemol, a large multibillion media company best known for creating & owning global franchises for Big Brother, Deal or No Deal and other unscripted television. The industry finally has one of their own at the helm of the largest YouTube network.

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peer-to-peer media networking board 320

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs. Let’s be clear: AngelList doesn’t scare a single VC I know. But it’s not cutting VCs out. It is additive.

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VC peer-to-peer investing investment 292

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

Since Arrested Development is back I thought I’d resurrect Gob Bluth’s answer when he was told he needed a “business model” – he quickly figured out that he was missing one so he asked Starla, the Bluth company secretary, if she would be his business model. My take on his argument is this: 1. ” True.

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strategy startup peer-to-peer advice 401

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

After my first Tweet with the Notorious mothafucka quote , I thought about my role as a VC and I Tweeted the following. We all intuitively know how important human connections are in business but for many people it’s like exercise or eating well – one of those things you keep meaning to get around to. Whom to Meet?

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