Expert insights. Personalized for you.
October 2, 2019 – Techstars , the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, and HBCUvc , a nonprofit fellowship program providing Black and Latinx students with training and mentorship in venture capital, today announced the launch of a joint 10-city Startup Weekend tour across the country. MORE
How has corporate venture capital changed? The post The Future of Corporate Venture Capital appeared first on 500 Startups. All International Investor Education Venture Capital InvestingThe following is an excerpt from 500’s CVC report. In the decade since the Great Recession, we have seen digital upstarts – taking advantage of disruptive technologies from AI to IoT – reshape the economy and the corporate pecking order. MORE
We’ve been dying to tell you all for a while that we had raised a new venture capital fund and of course given SEC filing requirements the story was somewhat already scooped by the always-in-the-know Dan Primack a few weeks ago. Why do they invest in venture capital? MORE
One of the first things I did when I joined the venture asset class as a lowly institutional LP analyst in 2001 was to build the VC fund cashflow model. And no, the numbers don't exactly add up--but they're more than close enough for venture capital. MORE
The fact is, it''s just not cool to criticize the investing side of the venture capital market. For the most part, journalists give startups a free pass when venture capital money is raised or when companies that clearly seem to have failed get "acquired". Venture Capital & Technology The other day, I saw that one of my favorite products, Slack, just raised $120mm at a $1.12 Billion valuation. The company is doing about a million a month in recurring revs. MORE
After much thought and consideration, I''ve decided that the best move for my career right now is a second stint as an analyst at Union Square Ventures. Why go back to a job I first took nine years ago when things are going so well for me and I''m running my own fund, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. I applied for the job before there was even an opening--even before Union Square Ventures was really on the map. Venture Capital & Technology They say you can''t go home again. MORE
If you take venture capital money. 3) You will almost certainly take more venture capital money after that. 10) You will face more competition as venture investment signals that what you''re doing may be attractive. Venture Capital & Technology 1) You increase the chances that you may not be CEO of your own company one day--and that also might be the best thing for its long term success. MORE
Press Release The venture fund and growth-focused accelerator accepted the cohort from a field of nearly 2,000 pre-Series A companies NEW YORK CITY, NY — April 2, 2019 — Dreamit Ventures, an early stage venture fund and growth-focused accelerator, announced its latest batch of startups this week. MORE
Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. Looking ahead at the next decade I am excited by what I believe will be viewed as one of the best and most rational investment periods for venture capital due to seven discrete factors: 1. MORE
Here are some common red flags for venture investors: Red Flag #1 : Ask isn’t tied to specific fundable milestones. By Elliot Levy , Healthtech Associate at Dreamit Ventures Subscribe to Dreamit’s Podcast on Apple , Google Podcasts , or Spotify. MORE
Today, we’re announcing the launch of Revolution Ventures III (RV3)?—?an an over-subscribed $215 million fund to invest in transformative early stage companies with the same team and differentiated approach as the successful Revolution Ventures II (RV2). MORE
Today's top founders will undoubtedly start something new in the future, but they won't make up the majority of innovators going forward--just as prior generations of venture backed founders don't make up a majority of those who are succeeding today. MORE
My partner Nick did this podcast recently. In it he talks about how we think about and make investments at USV, our thesis on crypto, and a number of our crypto investments. If you want to bypass all of the intros and sponsor messages, fast forward to 3mins. blockchain crypto VC & Technology MORE
The other major trend of 2012–2015 was the entrance of “non VCs” into late-stages of venture capital , which mostly consisted of hedge funds, mutual funds, corporate investors, sovereign wealth funds and even LPs doing direct deals. MORE
Not every company raises venture capital—most don’t. Venture Capital & TechnologyTweet. 1) You need it. Not raising gives you flexibility about the market size you want to go after, speed of growth, and de-risks your plan—because once you start spending someone else’s money, the clock starts ticking on your “out of cash” date. Slow and steady isn’t a bad thing. 2) Only 22 year old hacker dudes get funding. MORE
In New York, for instance, there are now venture funds with a West Coast mentality and firms with an East Coast mentality; the same is true for firms in San Francisco. Will a financial crisis affect how venture funds deploy capital? As of now, venture funds are still investing. MORE
There aren't many people who get the chance to analyze venture capital fund return data. Analyzing venture returns without even looking at the 90's? Looking at interim IRRs of young funds, especially during boom periods in venture isn't predictive of outcomes. If you don't think that it's harder to put more money to work in venture than less, in a world where companies do more with less, and great deals are scarce, than I don't know what color the sky is in your world. MORE
So with that in mind, here are 9 innovative ventures to watch that are on a mission to disrupt fast fashion: 1. These ventures contribute to the following SDGs: . The post 9 Ventures Forming the Future of Fashion appeared first on Impact Hub. MORE
Five-and-a-half years ago I first met Chamillionaire at a tech conference in LA. I saw him on stage at the event talking about how he used social media to engage audiences. This was 2009 and his understanding of audience engagement was far beyond anything I was hearing from most people at that time. MORE
Hopefully, the fund gets some nice wins early and you start to get your money back, but when you're in a venture fund, you're in for a really long haul. I recently met up with an investor who I'm not totally sure is a fit for my second fund , so it was important to me that I was upfront about all the reasons why he shouldn't come in. The last thing you want as either a founder or even a VC is to have an investor get stuck with you when you're not on the same page about expectations. MORE
The venture fund launched a completely virtual program with a focus on helping 13 Urbantech, Healthtech, and Securetech startups with business development, customer growth, and capital raising in a time of economic uncertainty. MORE
Raising a venture capital fund is hard enough. Since fundraising is often about who you know, and most people tend to be in networks that look like them, this exacerbates the problem of diversity in who winds up getting venture dollars. MORE
Most VCs did well academically and had enough career success that a venture firm was willing to give them an investment role or they were able to raise their own fund. Fundamentally venture capital is about human capital. Venture Capital is a people business. MORE
We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. Most likely your venture will fail (most do!) MORE
I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. But there is clear evidence that the overwhelming majority of startups will raise their first dollars from LA-based venture capital funds. MORE
Venture Hacks is now independent of AngelList. The first version of AngelList was a blog post on Venture Hacks. Now, Venture Hacks is going solo with new posts on fundraising, investing and good times. Muchos thanks to AngelList for assisting with this transition (Aaron, Jake, Kevin). It shipped in one day, maybe two. I don’t know if anyone remembers, but it was called AngelBase back then. They’ve come a long way since then. MORE
Today is amongst the proudest days I’ve had at Upfront Ventures — getting the chance to announce that Kevin Zhang has been promoted to Partner. years at Upfront has been both a pleasure and also has taught me a lot about venture capital. venture-capital startup MORE
We all have our inherent biases and what I am not arguing here is that the venture capital world is a fair playing field for anyone. I repeat: I AM NOT ARGUING THAT VENTURE CAPITAL IS FAIR TO ANYONE. billion went to women-led ventures.". We really don''t know, because we''re missing some critical information: HOW MANY WOMEN ARE SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL? I AM NOT ARGUING THAT WOMEN AREN''T SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL. Venture Capital & Technology MORE
I'm a lead investor. That means I'm usually the first person to put down a price on what your company is worth--a dollar value on months, if not years, worth of your work, blood, sweat, tears, stress, etc. Here's a piece of paper that says how much I think your dreams are worth." The reality is, any price that I put down at the stage that I invest isn't going to feel like enough--and if it doesn't feel like enough, I'm probably grossly overpaying. But, you don't feel like that as the founder. MORE
On the phone … Me: So, you raised venture capital? I have never come across a sophisticated A, B or C round venture capitalist who thinks convertible notes are a smart move for entrepreneur or investor. This week. Him: Yeah. We raised a seed round. About $1 million. Me: At what price? Him: It wasn’t priced. We raised a convertible note. Me: With a cap? Him: Yes, $8 million. Me: Ah. I see. So you did raise with a price. It’s just a maximum price. MORE
Techstars cofounder Brad Feld and Techstars mentor Jason Mendelson—partners at the Foundry Group, and authors of Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist —are excited to open enrollment for their Venture Deals, Spring 2020 online course. MORE
Grant money and contracts can offer early-stage innovators with many benefits, but how do you determine which funding source is right for your venture? The post grant money and contracts: which is right for your venture? MORE
I think I’m at the expert stage of venture capital and I mean in the Wardley sense. What do I know about venture? VC funding. Our perspectives on the topic wax and wane with market cycles. MORE
Venture Capital & Technology A year ago, I wrote a post about how I was trying to keep my phone away during meals-- No Phone with Food. These days, we''ve got so much that can distract us, being present has become a rare feat. I''ve tried to stick to it, but it''s hard. I run my own business and I try and make myself available whenever my entrepreneurs need me. MORE
Back in 2009, I wrote a post called The Venture Capital Math Problem. This 2009 piece from @fredwilson (literally the best in the biz) predicted significant venture industry contraction when in fact the last 10yrs have seen massive expansion. In that post, I argued that the venture capital business could not sustain more than $20bn a year of new capital coming into it and continue to produce good returns to the investors in VC funds. MORE
Kobie Fuller, Partner at Upfront Ventures We set out to build a venture capital firm that would not only be a beacon for the rapidly growing LA tech ecosystem but also one that would compete and collaborate nationally with the best firms in the country. MORE
I am ecstatic to announce the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures --my new seed investment fund. It is the first venture capital fund based in Brooklyn--the city’s most exciting and creative borough. Tweet. MORE
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. The diversity is the direct result of our mission—to build the most accessible venture capital fund in NY. 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. Three of the founding teams are married couples. MORE
ventures Related Topics 500
OCTOBER 25, 2019
How has corporate venture capital changed? The post The Future of Corporate Venture Capital appeared first on 500 Startups. All International Investor Education Venture Capital InvestingThe following is an excerpt from 500’s CVC report. In the decade since the Great Recession, we have seen digital upstarts – taking advantage of disruptive technologies from AI to IoT – reshape the economy and the corporate pecking order.
TechStars
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
Techstars cofounder Brad Feld and Techstars mentor Jason Mendelson—partners at the Foundry Group, and authors of Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist —are excited to open enrollment for their Venture Deals, Spring 2020 online course.
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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. The diversity is the direct result of our mission—to build the most accessible venture capital fund in NY. 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. Three of the founding teams are married couples.
Revolution
SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
Today, we’re announcing the launch of Revolution Ventures III (RV3)?—?an an over-subscribed $215 million fund to invest in transformative early stage companies with the same team and differentiated approach as the successful Revolution Ventures II (RV2).
Dream It
APRIL 21, 2020
Here are some common red flags for venture investors: Red Flag #1 : Ask isn’t tied to specific fundable milestones. By Elliot Levy , Healthtech Associate at Dreamit Ventures Subscribe to Dreamit’s Podcast on Apple , Google Podcasts , or Spotify.
TechStars
OCTOBER 2, 2019
October 2, 2019 – Techstars , the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, and HBCUvc , a nonprofit fellowship program providing Black and Latinx students with training and mentorship in venture capital, today announced the launch of a joint 10-city Startup Weekend tour across the country.
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This is going to be BIG.
DECEMBER 8, 2014
If you take venture capital money. 3) You will almost certainly take more venture capital money after that. 10) You will face more competition as venture investment signals that what you''re doing may be attractive. Venture Capital & Technology 1) You increase the chances that you may not be CEO of your own company one day--and that also might be the best thing for its long term success.
Dream It
APRIL 12, 2020
In New York, for instance, there are now venture funds with a West Coast mentality and firms with an East Coast mentality; the same is true for firms in San Francisco. Will a financial crisis affect how venture funds deploy capital? As of now, venture funds are still investing.
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 16, 2014
We’ve been dying to tell you all for a while that we had raised a new venture capital fund and of course given SEC filing requirements the story was somewhat already scooped by the always-in-the-know Dan Primack a few weeks ago. Why do they invest in venture capital?
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 11, 2016
Most VCs did well academically and had enough career success that a venture firm was willing to give them an investment role or they were able to raise their own fund. Fundamentally venture capital is about human capital. Venture Capital is a people business.
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 20, 2015
I think I’m at the expert stage of venture capital and I mean in the Wardley sense. What do I know about venture? VC funding. Our perspectives on the topic wax and wane with market cycles.
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This is going to be BIG.
NOVEMBER 3, 2014
The fact is, it''s just not cool to criticize the investing side of the venture capital market. For the most part, journalists give startups a free pass when venture capital money is raised or when companies that clearly seem to have failed get "acquired". Venture Capital & Technology The other day, I saw that one of my favorite products, Slack, just raised $120mm at a $1.12 Billion valuation. The company is doing about a million a month in recurring revs.
Dream It
APRIL 2, 2019
Press Release The venture fund and growth-focused accelerator accepted the cohort from a field of nearly 2,000 pre-Series A companies NEW YORK CITY, NY — April 2, 2019 — Dreamit Ventures, an early stage venture fund and growth-focused accelerator, announced its latest batch of startups this week.
This is going to be BIG.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
Today's top founders will undoubtedly start something new in the future, but they won't make up the majority of innovators going forward--just as prior generations of venture backed founders don't make up a majority of those who are succeeding today.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 29, 2017
I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. But there is clear evidence that the overwhelming majority of startups will raise their first dollars from LA-based venture capital funds.
This is going to be BIG.
OCTOBER 17, 2011
Not every company raises venture capital—most don’t. Venture Capital & TechnologyTweet. 1) You need it. Not raising gives you flexibility about the market size you want to go after, speed of growth, and de-risks your plan—because once you start spending someone else’s money, the clock starts ticking on your “out of cash” date. Slow and steady isn’t a bad thing. 2) Only 22 year old hacker dudes get funding.
This is going to be BIG.
JULY 30, 2015
One of the first things I did when I joined the venture asset class as a lowly institutional LP analyst in 2001 was to build the VC fund cashflow model. And no, the numbers don't exactly add up--but they're more than close enough for venture capital.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
On the phone … Me: So, you raised venture capital? I have never come across a sophisticated A, B or C round venture capitalist who thinks convertible notes are a smart move for entrepreneur or investor. This week. Him: Yeah. We raised a seed round. About $1 million. Me: At what price? Him: It wasn’t priced. We raised a convertible note. Me: With a cap? Him: Yes, $8 million. Me: Ah. I see. So you did raise with a price. It’s just a maximum price.
Venture Hacks
APRIL 16, 2019
Venture Hacks is now independent of AngelList. The first version of AngelList was a blog post on Venture Hacks. Now, Venture Hacks is going solo with new posts on fundraising, investing and good times. Muchos thanks to AngelList for assisting with this transition (Aaron, Jake, Kevin). It shipped in one day, maybe two. I don’t know if anyone remembers, but it was called AngelBase back then. They’ve come a long way since then.
A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC
FEBRUARY 27, 2020
Back in 2009, I wrote a post called The Venture Capital Math Problem. This 2009 piece from @fredwilson (literally the best in the biz) predicted significant venture industry contraction when in fact the last 10yrs have seen massive expansion. In that post, I argued that the venture capital business could not sustain more than $20bn a year of new capital coming into it and continue to produce good returns to the investors in VC funds.
This is going to be BIG.
JANUARY 15, 2020
Raising a venture capital fund is hard enough. Since fundraising is often about who you know, and most people tend to be in networks that look like them, this exacerbates the problem of diversity in who winds up getting venture dollars.
This is going to be BIG.
JUNE 10, 2015
Hopefully, the fund gets some nice wins early and you start to get your money back, but when you're in a venture fund, you're in for a really long haul. I recently met up with an investor who I'm not totally sure is a fit for my second fund , so it was important to me that I was upfront about all the reasons why he shouldn't come in. The last thing you want as either a founder or even a VC is to have an investor get stuck with you when you're not on the same page about expectations.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 23, 2016
Kobie Fuller, Partner at Upfront Ventures We set out to build a venture capital firm that would not only be a beacon for the rapidly growing LA tech ecosystem but also one that would compete and collaborate nationally with the best firms in the country.
A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC
SEPTEMBER 28, 2019
My partner Nick did this podcast recently. In it he talks about how we think about and make investments at USV, our thesis on crypto, and a number of our crypto investments. If you want to bypass all of the intros and sponsor messages, fast forward to 3mins. blockchain crypto VC & Technology
This is going to be BIG.
APRIL 1, 2014
After much thought and consideration, I''ve decided that the best move for my career right now is a second stint as an analyst at Union Square Ventures. Why go back to a job I first took nine years ago when things are going so well for me and I''m running my own fund, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. I applied for the job before there was even an opening--even before Union Square Ventures was really on the map. Venture Capital & Technology They say you can''t go home again.
This is going to be BIG.
OCTOBER 1, 2014
We all have our inherent biases and what I am not arguing here is that the venture capital world is a fair playing field for anyone. I repeat: I AM NOT ARGUING THAT VENTURE CAPITAL IS FAIR TO ANYONE. billion went to women-led ventures.". We really don''t know, because we''re missing some critical information: HOW MANY WOMEN ARE SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL? I AM NOT ARGUING THAT WOMEN AREN''T SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL. Venture Capital & Technology
Both Sides of the Table
MAY 23, 2012
Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. Looking ahead at the next decade I am excited by what I believe will be viewed as one of the best and most rational investment periods for venture capital due to seven discrete factors: 1.
This is going to be BIG.
JANUARY 17, 2012
I am ecstatic to announce the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures --my new seed investment fund. It is the first venture capital fund based in Brooklyn--the city’s most exciting and creative borough. Tweet.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 5, 2016
The other major trend of 2012–2015 was the entrance of “non VCs” into late-stages of venture capital , which mostly consisted of hedge funds, mutual funds, corporate investors, sovereign wealth funds and even LPs doing direct deals.
This is going to be BIG.
OCTOBER 3, 2017
I'm a lead investor. That means I'm usually the first person to put down a price on what your company is worth--a dollar value on months, if not years, worth of your work, blood, sweat, tears, stress, etc. Here's a piece of paper that says how much I think your dreams are worth." The reality is, any price that I put down at the stage that I invest isn't going to feel like enough--and if it doesn't feel like enough, I'm probably grossly overpaying. But, you don't feel like that as the founder.
Venture Well
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Grant money and contracts can offer early-stage innovators with many benefits, but how do you determine which funding source is right for your venture? The post grant money and contracts: which is right for your venture?
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 14, 2016
Today is amongst the proudest days I’ve had at Upfront Ventures — getting the chance to announce that Kevin Zhang has been promoted to Partner. years at Upfront has been both a pleasure and also has taught me a lot about venture capital. venture-capital startup
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. Analyzing venture returns without even looking at the 90's? Looking at interim IRRs of young funds, especially during boom periods in venture isn't predictive of outcomes. If you don't think that it's harder to put more money to work in venture than less, in a world where companies do more with less, and great deals are scarce, than I don't know what color the sky is in your world.
Impact Hub
APRIL 24, 2019
So with that in mind, here are 9 innovative ventures to watch that are on a mission to disrupt fast fashion: 1. These ventures contribute to the following SDGs: . The post 9 Ventures Forming the Future of Fashion appeared first on Impact Hub.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 22, 2015
Five-and-a-half years ago I first met Chamillionaire at a tech conference in LA. I saw him on stage at the event talking about how he used social media to engage audiences. This was 2009 and his understanding of audience engagement was far beyond anything I was hearing from most people at that time.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 29, 2010
We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. Most likely your venture will fail (most do!)
This is going to be BIG.
JUNE 10, 2014
Venture Capital & Technology A year ago, I wrote a post about how I was trying to keep my phone away during meals-- No Phone with Food. These days, we''ve got so much that can distract us, being present has become a rare feat. I''ve tried to stick to it, but it''s hard. I run my own business and I try and make myself available whenever my entrepreneurs need me.
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