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This Week in VC with @VCMike Hirshland of Polaris Ventures

Both Sides of the Table

This lasted from about 2001-2004. Since then Mike his built his career by investing in early-stage companies (seed or series A), which is remarkable given that Polaris Ventures is a $1 billion fund. So how is Mike able to do this at a time where others have warned against taking seed money from VC funds?

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Should Founders Be Allowed to Take Money off the Table?

Both Sides of the Table

In my first company I had to raise money in April 2001 or die. I took money with a 3x participating preferred liquidation preference with 8% compounded interest annually. I raised $500k in seed money to start the company. And importantly you start thinking about your next gig. That’s when the VC has lost.

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