Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

If you haven’t raised any money or if you raised a small round from angels or friends & family I would suggest you avoid setting up a formal board unless the people who would join your board are deeply experienced at sitting on startup boards. just having a sparring partner with a vested interest in your success can be useful.

Venture Capital 236

Venture Capital Startup Angel Investor Silicon Valley 236

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

I think I’ve read Paul Graham’s post on “ Startup = Growth ” three or four times now. Viewing the article through the lens of a venture capitalist there’s much to agree with under the mantra of “growth!” Eventually a successful startup will grow into a big company. Growth, again.

Silicon Valley 390

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 390

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

None of that can compare with being the CEO of a startup facing a rapidly diminishing bank account, your best engineer quitting, working until 10pm and rushing to the airport and catching a redeye for a “ Hail Mary ” close of a customer, with your board demanding you do it faster. venture/operating partners to get them into new industries.

Venture Capital 334

Venture Capital Early Stage Technical Review Startup 334

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

And they should be; the feeding frenzy in the innovation economy is in some cases because startups are eating the lunch of more established companies. Mari is now building a new venture in human-machine interaction within the Samsung accelerator, currently in stealth mode. New York Times’ timeSpace is a good example.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

Private equity and venture capital investors are copying our sisters in the hedge fund and mutual fund world: we’re trying to automate more of our job. PEVCTech is partnering with Blue Future Partners to run the first large-scale survey of VCs’ technology stack. Google Ventures (GV). Greylock Partners.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer - there are two types of integration strategies, and they depend on where the startup is in its lifecycle. The Innovation Portfolio.

Acquisition 334

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 334

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Our guest this week on #TWiVC was Dana Settle , partner at Greycroft Partners , a venture capital firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Another topic we debated early in the program was “lean startup” vs. “ fat startup ” where we both took the obvious hedge and said “it depends.” OTHER DEALS: 1.

Partner 240

Partner New York City Cofounder Syndicate 240

Haystack

DECEMBER 29, 2018

It’s that time of year, time to look back and reflect on the most significant storylines in the tech, startup, and VC world. And, with that warning, I offer to you, the big stories in the startup and investing ecosystem of 2018, written in ascending order of importance and magnitude…. 6/ Venture Capital In Expansion Phase.

Technical Review 165

Technical Review Venture Capital Russia China 165

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

One of my favorite events last year was attending Startup Grind where I got to interview Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. And of course we talked about many of my views of building startups. You didn’t join startups then. You joined a startup if you couldn’t get a real job.

Cofounder 337

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Startup San Diego 337

Up and Running

AUGUST 30, 2021

Your startup becomes irrelevant. One way to do this before starting your own business is by working for a startup or small fast-paced company in your field. Work at a startup before building your own. It can be a small and nimble startup like Origin, or a company with 50 employees and hiring more every quarter.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Lean Colorado Engineer 132

thebarefootvc

MAY 8, 2012

The best VCs are the ones that balance their optimism, vision and enthusiasm for startups with realism based on very real constraints (the primary one being his/her own time, but also includes market development and exit timing). As an entrepreneur at heart, I often innately grasp the potential of entrepreneurs and ideas that I meet with.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Syndicate Syndication Bandwidth 78

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

According to the Angel Capital Association: Angels (private money) invest in 55,000 startups each year versus 1,500 companies by VC (venture capital) funding. ” Yes, the JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) is exciting, and it will bring a lot more potential investors into the marketplace.

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

www.geekwire.com

JULY 10, 2012

Startup Resources. Posts Comments Startups. STARTUP SPOTLIGHT. VENTURE CAPITAL. You are here: Home / Startups / Bad returns be damned: Venture capital fundraising jumps 31 percent in U.S. Bad returns be damned: Venture capital fundraising jumps 31 percent in U.S. GeekWire Events.

Venture Capital 42

Venture Capital Seattle Cofounder Software Engineering 42

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. Partners leave the industry. Here’s my take: 1.

LP 311

LP Technical Review Early Stage Silicon Valley 311

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

There are many reasons to found a startup. There are many reasons to work at a startup. To most founders a startup is not a job, but a calling. But startups require money upfront for product development and later to scale. Traditional lenders (banks) think that startups are too risky for a traditional bank loan.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Private Equity 120

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. The functions of an early-stage board are pretty obvious and well understood: Providing introductions to customers, biz dev partners, recruits, the press, other investors, etc. In the Early Days.

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Early Stage Software Review Los Angeles 325

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Just as with any company, the most important issue is the team; see “ How to Negotiate a Partner Role at a Venture Capital or Private Equity Firm “ . See How Private Equity and Venture Capital Investors Are Eating Their Own Dogfood. . 3) Raise capital. 4) Originate investments.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Just as with any company, the most important issue is the team; see “ How to Negotiate a Partner Role at a Venture Capital or Private Equity Firm “ . See How Private Equity and Venture Capital Investors Are Eating Their Own Dogfood. . 3) Raise capital. 4) Originate investments.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Picking the right attorney in your startup is as important as picking the right business partner. My business partner and I made many mistakes in our first tech startup, and so many of them were the result of choosing a lawyer who was a terrible fit. My business partner and I were elated.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

The Equity Kicker

MARCH 13, 2012

Please take a few minutes to read the passage below about the upcoming Capital On Stage conference in London. As you will see from the piece below, DFJ Esprit wasn’t present at the inaugural Capital on Stage conference in Amsterdam, but we will be at the London edition, and if you have a startup I hope you will consider applying.

Venture Capital 114

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Internet 114

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2017

Here are my guidelines for when a signed agreement is required, versus other alternatives: Insist on a two-way NDA for partner negotiations. Most often, your best partners are in some way a competitor, or already in a business complementary to yours. Don’t ask for an NDA from trusted investors and advisors.

Non-disclosure Agreement 153

Non-disclosure Agreement NDA Technical Review Due Diligence 153

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2022

In reality, a successful startup can be built by a thought leader, but growing a successful business requires a business leader. That’s why venture capital investors often replace startup CEOs as a condition of their scale-up investment. Most entrepreneurs are not both.

Leadership 368

Leadership Venture Capital Hiring Entrepreneur 368

David Teten

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

However, in a startup the most common scenario is that projections get missed. This agile approach is not restricted to small startups. … “ Group Health Cooperative , a nonprofit health care system in Seattle with 10,000 employees, has also thrown out its budgeting process.

Agile 60

Agile Management Forecast Silicon Valley 60

SiliconHills

MAY 17, 2014

StepOne, an Austin-based startup that makes customer support software, announced that it secured $4 million in venture capital. LiveOak Venture Partners led the round with participation from Silverton Partners. The company plans to use the money to add employees and to expand sales and marketing efforts.

Venture Capital 93

Venture Capital Australia Austin Partner 93

David Teten

MAY 1, 2013

This is part 1 of a 2-part series on domain names and startups; part 2 will be “ Build Your Startup on a Vacant Domain Name ”. Wesabe lost out to Mint.com ; Noah Kagan, employee #5 at Mint, later wrote that the awkward Wesabe name was a key reason. This bench at Cathedral Lawn is engraved with country domain names such as.uk,us,nz

Naming 114

Naming Semantic Venture Capital Startup 114

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

The biggest difference I cite is that Venture Capital often feels like an “individual sport” while startups are a “team sport.” Startups are team sports because you’re all working on the same shared objective of the company. It was more hedge fund than venture capital.

San Francisco 150

San Francisco Jordan Los Angeles Technical Review 150

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

A new flock of startups has launched to support content creators to craft (videos, art, newsletters, music, games, courses, etc), find an audience, generate income (subscriptions, tipping, ecommerce, NFTs, etc) and engage their communities. This is where new startups can help. A look at Creator Economy Startup Landscapes.

Startup 207

Startup Social Media Venture Capital Audio 207

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 25, 2016

On Friday it seemed like everyone in the venture capital industry was again reading about market turmoil, this time the news is that angel investors are pulling back and valuations taking a hit. The best startups capture all the returns so focusing too much on entry valuation is a mistake.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Angel Investor Startup Participating Preferred 60

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Over the same 30 years, Venture Capital firms have honed their skills and strategies to match Wall Streets needs to achieve liquidity for their portfolio companies. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. What Do VC’s Do?

Silicon Valley 237

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 237

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2015

Thus, based on my experience as an entrepreneur as well as a startup investor, there are indeed situations where a non-disclosure is highly recommended, and others where the potential good far outweighs the risk. Discussions with potential strategic partners. CDA entrepreneur idea NDA non-disclosure startup' Build trust first.

Non-disclosure Agreement 120

Non-disclosure Agreement Technical Review NDA Due Diligence 120

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

The venture capital industry is facing real competition for the first time in decades. Not only that, but the growing battle between venture capital firms and “super angels&# presents an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs trying to build the next big thing. So what’s causing this fundamental shift?

Angel Investor 84

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 84

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 15, 2014

Much has been written about when it is time to hire a “professional CEO” to run a startup company and of course that has long been a norm in Silicon Valley when founders find that their inexperience may be a limiting factor in company growth ( know as the Peter Principle ). Startup Lessons' Shaping an industry.

Founder 309

Founder CTO Hire Silicon Valley Leadership 309

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

The venture capital industry is facing real competition for the first time in decades. Not only that, but the growing battle between venture capital firms and “super angels&# presents an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs trying to build the next big thing. So what’s causing this fundamental shift?

Angel Investor 83

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 83

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2011

This week I sat down with Chris Dixon, co-founder / CEO of Hunch and Partner at Founder Collective in the most recent installment of This Week in Venture Capital. 2. Chris then discussed his time as founder and CEO of SiteAdvisor, his first venture-backed startup. be the guy that provides them quotes”).

Technical Review 281

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Cofounder API 281

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!” What did they actually do?

Stock Options 227

Stock Options Startup Dilution Venture Capital 227

David Teten

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

This is the third of three blog posts on financial modeling for startups. The first was on best practices in building financial models , and the second was a template financial model for a startup. Download the Startup Options Valuation model here. I couldn’t find one online, so I built it.

Employee 155

Employee IRR Startup Mexico 155

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2009

And he recognized it was making his startup feel and act like a big ponderous company. Most decisions in a startup must be made in the face of uncertainty. One of the things he mentioned was that when it came to decision-making he still tended to think and act like an engineer. The same is true in your company.

Silicon Valley 309

Silicon Valley RSS Startup Agile 309