Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

It has historically been the case that VCs would rather fund the promise of 100x in a company with almost no revenue than the reality of a company growing at 50% but doing $20+ million in sales. Case in point, Procore just went public and is trading at an $11 billion valuation. This “overnight success” was first financed in 2004.

venture capital 363

venture capital capital ventures VC 363

Entrepreneurs' Organization

MAY 5, 2021

When the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in the US in January of 2020, the situation demanded a rapid response. Use the full range of emotions you are experiencing and express them. The more you get used to something, the more you can deal with it. Contributed to EO by B. Jeffrey Madoff. Yet they persevered.

creativity 292

creativity entrepreneurs entrepreneurship education 292

Dream It

AUGUST 10, 2020

Using these words in your pitch will only get you a tired eye roll from investors. The self-proclaimed superlatives founders use to describe their startup often fail to elicit the intended response from investors. Instead of using superlatives, a strong competitor slide or use case demo is much more effective.

pitching 341

pitching disruption startup advice 341

Entrepreneurs' Organization

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

So, how do you make certain that’s the case moving forward? Will you require employees use video conferencing applications? You want to do whatever you can to prevent the same financial crisis from happening to your company in the case of future pandemic, natural disaster or other emergency economic situation.

creativity 306

creativity collaboration health strategy 306

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 29, 2021

During the event, three keynote speakers discussed case studies and shared resources, experiences and ideas in leading sustainable organizations: Gonzalo Munoz , Co-founder and CEO, TriCiclos. Jennifer Case , President and CEO, New Leaf Biofuel. Speaker highlight: Jennifer Case. My company makes it from used French fry oil.

sustainability 292

sustainability strategy consulting communities 292

Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Planet: Using resources efficiently to reduce environmental footprint. Build a library of resources to support the business case for sustainability, through knowledge partnerships and collaborations with organizations such as the UN Global Compact). People: Develop a culture that supports diversity, inclusion and wellbeing for all 2.

frameworks 273

frameworks sustainability leadership collaboration 273

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

His math was correct and I can hardly blame him for taking a guess at what uBeam does but every assumption that he used was wildly inaccurate. Here I make the case that entrepreneurs must stay focused on the prize, not the doubters. uBeam’s tech does work and I have safely seen it demo’d in the real life many times.

startup 417

startup innovation entrepreneurs transportation 417

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

There are some protocols, like the privacy-focused ones, that offer similar and in some cases better use cases. We are still early days in the use cases but it is not hard to imagine why one would want to own and use stable programmable digital money. Very few use Dapps. Very few spend in crypto.

innovation 241

innovation development technology capital 241

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 7, 2024

And that Center of Excellence itself requires a two-pronged approach for what it means to be excellent at using AI: observing the application of generative AI in other companies and understanding its use within your own ranks. Companies that have already integrated AI into their operations can serve as valuable case studies.

consulting 220

consulting culture innovation collaboration 220

Tomasz Tunguz

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

They use pricing as an offensive tool to reinforce their product’s value and underscore the company’s core marketing message. It’s very common in commodity or nearly-commodity industries, where customers know the prices of the components used to provide the service. Many infrastructure as a service companies do this.

SaaS 113

SaaS strategy enablement startup 113

Entrepreneurs' Organization

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Have a plan for the worst-case scenario. Have a plan for the worst-case scenario. I have used Zoom for more than half of that period. Ensure your staff stay informed. It’s an enormous relief for people to not have uncertainty as to what is next. David Fastuca, founder at Ambisie and Locomote.

consulting 294

consulting creativity entrepreneurs collaboration 294

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

DECEMBER 3, 2020

I believe cryptocurrencies that are not highly volatile are important for use cases like e-commerce. I am more confident that USDC is fully reserved and it is the digital dollar that I hold and use. Goldman Sachs estimates that over a billion people will be using the Digital Yuan within a decade. I explained why here.

education 232

education networking innovation support 232

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 17, 2024

This can be the case at the very same time you’re experiencing bias, microaggressions, and discrimination. Once you arrive at that conclusion, you’re probably not going to draw any useful conclusions about the bar for fundability or how to give yourself a better shot. I wrote about how “ both things can be true ” here.

startup 410

startup micromobility consulting hospitality 410

American Entrepreneurship

JANUARY 8, 2025

This non-invasive technology uses active and passive AI algorithms to extract valuable neurocognitive data, offering a detailed understanding of mental states and performance. With support from Samsung Ventures and an expanding portfolio of use cases, Pison is poised to revolutionize how we approach mental acuity, wellness, and safety.

technology 98

technology ventures investing investment 98

Dream It

APRIL 24, 2019

Meet the tech companies transforming real estate using VR and AR technology: View this post on Instagram UberPuppy A post shared by VirtualAPT (@virtualaptcorp) on Nov 19, 2018 at 1:58pm PST VirtualAPT develops autonomous robots that scan rooms and capture 360-degree video content that customers can then use to market their spaces.

real estate 288

real estate construction startup enablement 288

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 31, 2022

Gotham Gives is a public charity that the Gotham Gal and I started one year ago to complement the family foundation that we have been using to make philanthropic gifts for over two decades. A public charity allows us to raise capital from others in addition to our family’s philanthropic gifts.

culture 219

culture education venture capital board 219

Dream It

APRIL 21, 2020

Luckily, there is a formula you can use to answer it. Red Flag #4: Use of funds highlights features, not benefits. Red Flag #5: Using the wrong term to describe your round. Founders can use the “20% ratio” as a good rule of thumb for pricing equity. Red Flag #4: Use of funds highlights features, not benefits.

ventures 351

ventures pitching frameworks founder 351

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 22, 2014

I was at an alumni dinner at UCSD (I am on the alumni board) and a group of people were talking about how their kids use UberX to get rides home from parties at night. Case in point, “ Why Your Uber Driver Hates Uber ” is a blog post dressed up as journalism. But this is a high-class problem they solve for me. I know that.

mix-use 418

mix-use innovation pitching board 418

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JANUARY 5, 2021

The Secretary Of Treasury, in his last month in office, is giving us a textbook case of how not to regulate important technology innovation. But the Treasury Secretary and his advisors are concerned about bad actors using this new open global financial system to do bad things. Let’s start with why this is important.

innovation 349

innovation venture capital technology capital 349

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

JULY 16, 2021

Using social media to promote your organization has become one of the most important strategies and skills an entrepreneur can have. We’ve assembled some of the best tips and tricks from our YLAI Network alumni and experts to show how they are effectively using Facebook, YouTube, and more to establish a unique online presence.

media 246

media mentorship communities strategy 246

Entrepreneurs' Organization

APRIL 23, 2020

In other cases, the taxes incurred on importing PPE-related equipment were overwhelming for facilities that urgently needed more supplies than they ever had before. an international network providing both exceptional service and delivery of large quantities of life-saving supplies, using an all-volunteer model. What’s next?

hospitality 286

hospitality creativity collaboration leadership 286

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

APRIL 21, 2021

It is also the case that you can pair visionary leadership with operational leadership and I have seen that model work very well for long periods of time. Leaders who can provide both operational and visionary leadership are a rare but special breed. When you find one, get on their bus and stay on it for as long as you can.

leadership 279

leadership VC advice sustainability 279

Andreessen Horowitz

MARCH 21, 2024

Last year, while consumers spent hours chatting with new AI companions or making images and videos with diffusion models, most enterprise engagement with genAI seemed limited to a handful of obvious use cases and shipping “GPT-wrapper” products as new SKUs. Aren’t we stuck with the same 3 use cases? Isn’t this all hype?

opportunity 145

opportunity innovation support development 145

Entrepreneurs' Organization

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Who better to learn from than entrepreneurs whose companies achieved at least triple-digit growth (in some cases, quadruple-digit and even quintuple-digit growth!) Business is complex; in many cases, testing new ideas and adjusting or pivoting later truly does make a difference.” over the past three years? Learn how to delegate.

peer-to-peer 252

peer-to-peer education support entrepreneurs 252

American Entrepreneurship

APRIL 10, 2025

Founded on a mission to bring quantum computing to the forefront of real-world problem solving, IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) is using this years World Quantum Day to highlight a remarkable 12 months of progress in both technology and business.

collaboration 86

collaboration leadership networking education 86

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

An alternate outcome that I also unfortunately observe in some cases are companies who had extreme early success with an initial product adoption but failed in key areas that limited the growth and therefore the ultimate financial outcomes. We used our refined playbooks for LA and figured this time we knew how to launch a market.

innovation 286

innovation startup board leadership 286

American Entrepreneurship

APRIL 3, 2025

Small businesses cannot afford to have a tech team on staff, so this article offers valuable insights about the step-by-step cost- effective ways to use No-Code AI tools in various areas of a company. Marketing Campaigns: Use AI to segment audiences and personalize email marketing efforts.

culture 87

culture data collection enablement innovation 87

Dream It

MAY 19, 2021

At Dreamit, we coach founders to use a snapshot slide at the beginning of the deck which covers this element and highlights why you’re an exciting investment. In most cases, you want to signal that you are open to a smaller raise. “Investors should not have to ask this question. The amount you're raising is your ask.

pitching 393

pitching board health VC 393

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Nearly six years ago, I was thrilled to invest in Andrew Farah and the team at Density when they had a vision for building anonymous tracking of how people use office buildings, rentals and other public spaces.

real estate 249

real estate investing investment venture capital 249

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 3, 2021

Tallying the amount of time going into each thing was super useful, especially for Aja, because she wanted to start with a top-down view of what percent of her time she wanted to spend on her own entrepreneurial projects versus consulting for others. It felt efficient, but I was actually creating a lot of commuting time in between.

pitching 300

pitching board media consulting 300

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 16, 2021

Use these resources to understand how your company will look when you pitch a VC or angel. In addition to recouping costs, you’ll rule out clients who aren’t serious about using your product. It’s often the case that customers only want a couple of core functions. and see how your company compares. Narrow your focus.

SaaS 294

SaaS leadership accelerator entrepreneurs 294

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

The New York Times revealed that Uber had been using a feature that showed people it suspected to be government officials a fake version of the app that would deny them a ride when in areas where Uber was illegal. “Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own s. They blame everything in their life on somebody else.

coworking spaces 545

coworking spaces hospitality culture coworking 545

Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Apple and Rackspace use the employee Net Promoter System (eNPS), a metric that is picking up traction, as Fred Reichheld, the intellectual father of the NPS, mentions in his book The Ultimate Question 2.0. Just make sure that you use this part of the system in a way that allows employees to remain anonymous, or they may not use it.

leadership 241

leadership culture education data collection 241

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 13, 2022

In this case, a VC would have every right, having seen lots of products get built and succeed or fail, to want to observe and discuss that process. For example, if you’re a sales oriented founder that gets backed pre-launch, then an investor isn’t going to assume that founder has any product design skills.

founder 411

founder VC board strategy 411