Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses. As a result of the IPO window shifting we saw a massive inflow of public-market capital into the latest stages of venture.

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage IPO 328

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

Apple pulled ahead of other mobile phones in its early days largely because it cultivated an ecosystem of software developers who created iPhone apps to meet every consumer niche and need. Simple metrics and your personal knowledge of the industry can’t keep up with all the relevant competitive forces.

Software Review 355

Software Review Algorithm Global IPO 355

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. I have developed a line of thinking and a common retort for people who ask about some of these deals and I often say, “I don’t mind being wrong.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Detroit Early Stage Partner 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 I spent my first year developing proprietary deal flow and learning the business and then the Sept 2008 / Lehman Bros collapse / financial meltdown happened. As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago.

Los Angeles 387

Los Angeles Intellectual Property LP Venture Capital 387

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

As AI reshapes industries worldwide, Chinese companies are at the forefront of developing cutting-edge models and applications. This approach has garnered significant traction , raising questions about the sustainability of its pricing model but also positioning it as a potential game-changer in AI-driven industries like drug development.

China 97

China Artificial Inteligence ChatGPT Generative AI 97

View from Seed

APRIL 6, 2021

You are intentional about developing a point of view on new sectors that we can learn from. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. You have a point of view on emerging technology and business models, and you are not afraid to voice your conviction.

Technical Review 317

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage Cofounder 317

Steve Blank

MAY 9, 2017

the wave of semiconductor startups in the 1960’s/70’s, the emergence of Venture Capital as a professional industry, the personal computer revolution in 1980’s, the rise of the Internet in the 1990’s and finally. The second thing that’s changed is that we’re now Compressing the Product Development Cycle.

Restful 249

Restful Silicon Valley San Jose Puerto Rico 249

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, crowdfunding still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. Other popular sites for startups, including StartupNation and Startups.co Marty Zwilling.

Accredited Investor 352

Accredited Investor Startup SEC Equity 352

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

And we chose to locate ourselves 3 blocks East of The Third Street Promenade where much new development is taking place. Perhaps the biggest piece of new news is that after 17 years of operations we’ve changed our name from GRP Partners to Upfront Ventures. What’s up with that? Upfront seemed to fit the bill.

Los Angeles 343

Los Angeles Las Vegas San Francisco Baltimore 343

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

Artificial intelligence continues to be a bright spot in the world of venture capital. In Q3 of 2024, AI-related startups landed $19 billion USD, which equates to 28% of total venture dollars. This being said, this hinges on an ability to develop and release specific software applications ahead of the curve.

Artificial Inteligence 99

Artificial Inteligence Engineer Software Software Engineering 99

View from Seed

JULY 6, 2020

You are intentional about developing a point of view on new sectors that we can learn from. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. . You have a point of view on emerging technology and business models, and you are not afraid to voice your conviction.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Software Review Hiring Seed Stage 257

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. Other popular sites for startups, including StartupNation and Startups.co Marty Zwilling.

Accredited Investor 324

Accredited Investor Entrepreneur SEC Equity 324

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Gross margins at 66% is fine (they’re selling through a reseller who takes a 33% margin) but their sales aren’t yet large enough to cover the costs of their IT development team + management + marketing + office costs, etc. They raised $5 million in venture capital to fund growth. So which company is better run?

Startup 418

Startup Revenue Technical Review Flash 418

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2020

According to National Venture Capital Association statistics , only 16% of venture-backed startups recently used this alternative, due to high liability concerns, demanding shareholders, and high costs. IPO – public company initial public stock offering. Think of it as a succession plan, to keep growing what you have started.

Exit Strategy 376

Exit Strategy Startup Private Equity Equity 376

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2022

Here are the key elements of the strengths framework they have developed, with my own insights and experience added for your consideration: Money: the capital you have, or can easily raise. Fortunately, you can develop this skill. If you need venture capital, maybe you need to spend more time in Silicon Valley or Boston.

Silicon Valley 325

Silicon Valley Angel Investor Technical Review Boston 325

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

Filed under: China , Customer Development , Technology , Venture Capital. China Customer Development Technology Venture Capital' They are the signs of a leadership frightened not by external enemies but by their own people. It usually doesn’t end well.

China 328

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 328

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Advances in materials science will drive down error rates Regional research consortiums Venture capital investment FOMO and financial engineering We talk a lot about qubits in this post. How many physical qubits do you need? As a reminder a qubit – is short for a quantum bit.

Technical Review 267

Technical Review Illinois Algorithm Software Review 267

VC Cafe

JANUARY 22, 2021

Amazon Corporate Development – Notable acquisitions include Whole Foods ($13.7B), smart doorbell system Ring ($1.2B, 2018) and autonomous mobility technology Zoox ($1.2bn). The Alexa Fund also provides up to $200 million in venture capital funding to fuel voice technology innovation. Investing and m&A. Physical space.

Technical Review 174

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Incubator 174

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

At our mid-year offsite our partnership at Upfront Ventures was discussing what the future of venture capital and the startup ecosystem looked like.

Technical Review 416

Technical Review Pre-Money Valuation San Francisco Valuation 416

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2022

I’m not an expert on leadership, so I am always on the lookout for specific development guidance, such as the classic book, “ Leadership Results ,” by the well-known leadership coach and business psychologist, Sebastian Salicru. Good entrepreneurs can make a success from almost any business idea, through a following of partners and customers.

Leadership 285

Leadership Reputation Venture Capital Global 285

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. But I would point out that these days there are really talented tech developers & teams everywhere. Here are mine: 1.

Community 378

Community San Diego Silicon Valley Los Angeles 378

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 25, 2017

Venture Capitalism is changing. The influx of large corporations to the venture capital space has only enhanced funding opportunities for startups and startups no longer need to have their sights solely focused on venture capitalists. Startups should leverage these changes in venture capital to their advantage.

Venture Capital 193

Venture Capital Technical Review Kenya Startup 193

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Intellectual Property 316

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 316

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Over the course of 18 months, I built up an initial knowledge set as I was developing the underlying thesis for the brand. HW: Sanzo was founded, and thrived, through a time where traditional venture capital firms got excited about – and then became more disillusioned – with DTC brands.

New York City 116

New York City Hockey Stick Distribution Angel Investor 116

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 4, 2020

They aren’t operating on big bankrolls of venture capital (at least initially), and they don’t have trust funds to fall back on if the business fails. In the eyes of entrepreneurs chasing venture capital funding, how could being self-funded ever look like anything but a handicap? If they don’t come through, who will?

Entrepreneur 205

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Silicon Valley Bandwidth 205

Steve Blank

MAY 17, 2022

It uses new words to define programming steps, job descriptions, development tools, etc. People (programmers) write software code (programming) to develop applications, thinking a priori about all the rules, logic and knowledge that need to be built in to an application so that it can deliver a specific result.

Artificial Inteligence 425

Artificial Inteligence Software Review Algorithm Technical Review 425

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Myth #1: Venture capital is a growing opportunity for funding businesses. Actually, venture capital financing is very rare. I’ll explain this more later, but assume that only a very few high-growth companies with high-power management teams are venture opportunities. Venture capital.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

This allows the studio to develop processes, well-organized development teams, and growth plans. Over time, this revenue reduces the dependency on outside venture capital sources. Outside project work for clients helps to assemble talented development teams. There are many different types of startup studios.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Developers Software Development 188

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Venture Capital is a tricky industry. Many questioned whether it could survive under the fail whale, inevitable competition from Facebook, founder fighting, fights with 3rd-party developers let alone become a revolutionary business that could make money. Far from it. Lots of it.

Technical Review 362

Technical Review America United States Partner 362

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

According to recent National Venture Capital Association statistics , only 20% of venture-backed startups now use this alternative, due to high liability concerns, demanding shareholders, and high costs. IPO – public company initial public stock offering.

Exit Strategy 289

Exit Strategy Entrepreneur IPO Startup 289

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Others may not have the experience you want and they fill up a seat that makes retaining founder control more difficult if you ultimately raise large rounds of venture capital in the future. What happens at the A-round of venture capital? With that said, no venture capital firm really wants to replace a CEO.

Venture Capital 236

Venture Capital Startup Angel Investor Silicon Valley 236

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2014

She created the company in New Zealand and without raising any institutional capital had grown a global business. The fact that Seedling had never raised venture capital made the deal 10x easier and the fact that they were going to be raising money on their own meant that the VCs had an important role to play.

Merger 296

Merger Southern California eCommerce New Zealand 296

YoungUpstarts

JULY 16, 2019

Positions for software development and data science continue to expand throughout the industry. These are software engineers, business analysts, project managers, graphic designers, and web developers. The most sought-after hires are computer programmers and interactive media developers. million in venture capital to move.

Canada 167

Canada Hiring Artificial Inteligence Software Development 167

Hunter Walker

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

I asked some investor friends to share, as the title suggests, one thing they wished people better understood about venture capital. Here’s Part II: While the venture and tech community is incredibly collaborative, VC is an inherently lonely role. Reporting out in batches of five.

Venture Capital 89

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Memphis Cap Table 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2014

David is also the CEO of Gust , which is an online platform for startup financing used by over 50,000 accredited angel investors, 1000 angel groups and venture capital funds, and 250,000 entrepreneurs. I just finished a new book, “ Angel Investing ,” by a friend and one of the most active angel investors in New York, David S.

Angel Investor 278

Angel Investor Angel Groups Accredited Investor IRR 278