Both Sides of the Table

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Praying to the God of Valuation

Both Sides of the Table

Between 2006–2008 I sold both companies that I had started and became a VC. SEEING THINGS FROM THE VC SIDE OF THE TABLE While I was a VC in 2007 & 2008 those were dead years because the market again evaporated due the the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

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What Angel Investing & Florida Condos Have in Common

Both Sides of the Table

And so it happened that between 2000-2008 I was the biggest buzz kill at dinner parties. Remember it was only 2008 where Microsoft and even Google were laying off employees. While many of my friends bragged about their 5 condos in Florida I kept talking about how the real estate market was in a bubble – their gains an illusion.

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How I Got the Monkey Off My Back – Today Was a Good Day

Both Sides of the Table

I spent my first year developing proprietary deal flow and learning the business and then the Sept 2008 / Lehman Bros collapse / financial meltdown happened. I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 years ago. That company was Invoca, which just announced a $20 million fund raise led by Accel.

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On Bubbles … And Why We’ll Be Just Fine

Both Sides of the Table

I said, “It’s much easier now than it was in 2008/09.&# And time is the enemy of all deals so start sooner rather than later, as anybody who was planning to raise in October 2008 will tell you. That happened a lot in 2002 and again in 2008. Vultures will start circling looking for deals. That’s a fact.

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GRP Announces $200 Million Fund. Rebrands as Upfront Ventures

Both Sides of the Table

We have previously raised funds in 1996 ($200 million), 2000 ($400 million) and 2008/9 ($200 million). I am super excited to announce that today is a day of lots of new things for my partners & me: A new fund, a new office and a new brand. Let’s start with the fund. This month we closed our 4th fund of $200 million.

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Upfront Ventures Raised New $280 Million Fund

Both Sides of the Table

Our 3rd fund began investing in March 2009 (raised in 2008) and our 4th fund started in April 2012 so this fund will naturally begin investing around March / April 2015. That’s why the best firms tend to raise every three years. We feel like we’ve gotten ourselves into a really good rhythm.

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The Great VC Ice Age is Thawing (for now) – Part 1 of 3

Both Sides of the Table

Bu when you start to worry that the world is ending (as it seemed it was in late 2008 / early 2009) you tend to get worried about large burn rates. But imagine a VC that did 12 deals per year in 2006, 2007 & 2008. The company had a huge burn rate but investors and management brought that under control by late 2008.

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