Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2016

In a world that is hyper competitive – even amongst VCs – I can honestly say that not only is the media recognition accurate but it is amongst the proudest days I’ve had in developing Upfront Ventures and our future. From 2007-2012 I scoured LA constantly. He’s pushed us to be out in the community more.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Early Stage LP Partner 150

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I became a VC 12 years ago in 2007 when the pace of deals was much slower. Of course the media doesn’t do nuance well so this is an emotional topic. I had just left Salesforce.com where I was VP, Products, after they had acquired my second startup.

IP 223

IP Intellectual Property IRR Cofounder 223

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 2, 2009

My intuition is that this is why when Twitter initially took off (around the time of SxSW in 2007) it was an open “publish to the world” platform and the trend continued. Tags: Social Media social networking startup technology Twitter. People write their thoughts knowing that anybody else can see them.

Conversion 235

Conversion Management Social Network Philadelphia 235

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

When Troy and Lady Gaga were introduced the market had been in a free fall from the financial crisis of 2007-09 and Troy had had some setbacks professionally while Lady Gaga was sleeping on her grandmother’s couch in West Virginia, having just been dropped by Def Jam Records. Same with Gaga. “It was a series of inflection points.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles West Virginia Venture Capital Silicon Valley 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2010

If you don’t know Montgomery & Co it is one of the premier technology & media focused investment banks in the country (and as Michael corrected me they also have a strong Healthcare / Med tech practice). Founded in 2007 by Oxford Univ. Clients include Skype, Equifax, T-Mobile, Fox Internactive Media. TechCrunch.

IPO 242

IPO Venture Capital Private Placement Cofounder 242

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2010

Founded in July 2007 by Mark Pincus , Michael Luxton, Eric Schiermeyer, Justin Waldron, Andrew Trader, and Steve Schoettler. Structured data asset creation works in on demand in real-time across multiple data sets Including web, e-mail, internal databases, documents, and media. Competitors: Playdom , Social Gaming Network.

Venture Capital 225

Venture Capital Non-Compete Vertical Europe 225

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

I use social media. But I became a VC in 2007 and wrote my first check in 2009 – 4.5 Agree whole heartedly. I never understood investing in companies in which you didn’t really understand their products. I create videos. I use analytics. I IM and DM and SMS. I Instagram, Cinemagram and Path. Ergo I suck.

LP 374

LP Later Stage IRR Term Sheet 374

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

It had grown stratospherically from 2004-2007 to 100 million users, which actually was slightly smaller in December 2007 then MySpace was. Products like awe.sm (I’m an investor) will help you manage the efficacy of your social media marketing campaigns. In May 2007 there were fears that Google was becoming a monopoly.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Internet Technical Review 318

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Mike passed up an offer from Ross Levinsohn of Fox Interactive Media ( around $175 Million ). They sold in December 2007, but he started selling Quigo in 2004. His time at Quigo was a very difficult 5.5 years that left him thoroughly exhausted. In fact, he almost didn’t get Quigo past the finish line.

Semantic 302

Semantic Acquisition Valuation Angel Investor 302

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2009

When Twitter first became popular with niche crowds in 2007 it seemed to take hold initially with bloggers. I have started blogging again having taken a hiatus since 2007 (actually, I was initially embargoed by Salesforce.com who didn’t want me blogging after they acquired my company). So what gives? Thank you, Twitter.

Social Network 219

Social Network Social Media Forecast 219

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2010

In the media NYC is “hot” right now yet having just spent 6 days in NY I heard many similar stories as I get in LA: not enough VC and hard to get great tech resources. Launched in 2007 in Los Angeles by Adam Bernhard and Konstantin Glasmacher. Transaction terms: $70.0mm (rumored by Peter Kafka, Media Memo, AllThingsD ).

Venture Capital 217

Venture Capital Los Angeles Oakland Asia 217

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 2, 2013

SXSW is where Twitter broke out in 2007. Your crappy $10,000 will pale in comparison to the budgets of the big tech & media companies. These are tech launch events designed to see new startups unveiled. I’m talking about big, garden-variety, industry-wide, schmooze fests. It’s where FourSquare first broke out.

PR 332

PR Startup Texas Networking 332

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

The topic of social media came up and one dial-in caller lamented the fact that all Silicon Valley was producing was silly social media companies. But as I pointed out on the show, look deeper at the impact of social media as a tool to organize crowds, hold public debates and spread information in a decentralized way.

Iran 274

Iran Silicon Valley Tunisia Social Media 274

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2016

The fourth part is “ discover ” and this is the professional media part of Snapchat that you barely knew existed but your younger peers certainly know about. Stick with it the same way you “didn’t get” Twitter in 2007 when you signed up but by 2009 you were using it effortlessly. But get on the treadmill.”

Video 150

Video South Africa Naming Kuwait 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2017

It conjures up a range of emotions anytime I’ve privately expressed my opinion to thought leaders in our industry that I believe it is one of the most innovative companies in digital media. Some, of course, agree with me that BuzzFeed has been and continues to be the gold standard innovator in digital media to emulate.

Media 210

Media Los Angeles Russia Viral 210

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2010

Dana Settle & I are hosting a dinner tonight (10/20/10) with some of the biggest companies in entertainment to talk about the future of television, film & digital media. This is where the digital media puck is going. The created a hegemony that delayed innovation until January 2007 when the iPhone was introduced.

Distribution 386

Distribution Audience Video Internet 386