Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Matt was one of my inspirations behind Launchpad LA (yes, we’re going to have a program in 2011 – news very, very soon). Don’t and you might make one catastrophic mistake that leaves you in the annals of Effed Companies. Since selling Matt has gone on to become one of the smartest angels I have seen operate.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Warrant Customer Term Sheet 304

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

While Google and Facebook will buy “acquihires” (at least as of Dec 2011), many acquirers hate the idea of buying companies that aren’t profitable. (There are many investors who are not looking to build enormous businesses who value the fact that you can run a business profitably). It allows you many more exit opportunities.

Startup 418

Startup Revenue Technical Review Flash 418

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

CEO hinted to WSJ that it may go public in early 2011. Founded in November 2007 in New York City by Alexis Maybank and Kevin Ryan (co-founder of DoubleClick); CEO is Susan Lyne (ex-CEO Marta Stewart Living Omnimedia) Revenue estimates: $50mm in 2008; $170mm in 2009 (versus budget of $150mm); $450mm forecasted for 2010.

Partner 240

Partner New York City Cofounder Syndicate 240

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 1, 2011

That’s how it felt then and a bit how it feels in May 2011. And 18 months later, in May 2011, I have crossed 422,000 views. If you were reading the headlines from only 2.5 years ago you’d remember RIP Good Times from Sequoia, which still strikes me as having been prudent advice in late 2008. I did that? Oh, Crap.

IPO 391

IPO Finance Valuation Naming 391

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2011

So as I get around the country speaking at college campus in 2010 & 2011 I have been preaching the same theme. But what I do see in the market in 2011 is way too many “me too&# solutions where a bunch of founders have brainstormed a way to do a better GroupOn, a better GiltGroupe, a better Twitter or a better Quora.

Churn Rate 309

Churn Rate IPO Open Source PR 309

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2010

A lot will depend on how exits go in 2010/2011. I wouldn’t rule any decent firms out. I know many great funds that haven’t yet raised their new fund but may still get there. GRP’s last fund was in 2000.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Early Stage Software Review 269

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2016

In 2011 I started using Instagram. I had blogged when I was an entrepreneur. I went to an industry event where people actually called me self-centered for writing publicly. Ironic to be self-centered while you’re trying to offer advice to others. It was a break from information overload of Facebook.

Product 150

Product Networking Restful Finance 150

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

The three largest webmail services had over 1 billion global users at the end of 2011. And while this data is from mid-2011 I can assure you that data is not going down. There are 2.9 billion email accounts. This figure is predicted to reach 3.8 billion by 2014. 62% of adult US Internet users check or send email on a daily basis.

Mobile 339

Mobile Email Social Media Global 339

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

But when it’s all over and they define the era of this mini run up in stock prices I suspect they’ll include 2011 in the “over valued&# category. That may be. It may also be that this lasts another 18 months. Good things may come out of bubbles. Bubbles are not all bad.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

2011 is one big cocktail party all over again. But privately here is what I say every week, “I was at the dot com cocktail party in 99-2000. We were all drunk & stupid. The hangover was sure painful for everybody involved. Different kind of party, but the margarita’s are a flowing just the same. This time I’m sober.

Southern California 267

Southern California Angel Investor Early Stage Silicon Valley 267

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

By 2011 the market had started to change dramatically. We announced Fund I in 2011. and I thought if we brought the community together for common purpose we could create more of a sense of community to help new entrepreneurs get funded, assemble teams, raise profiles and help with biz dev, product, etc.

Early Stage 290

Early Stage Venture Capital Los Angeles Coder 290

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

If 2011 & 2012 look like 2010 then the current crop of angel investments will look great. So where are we now? It’s hard to say. There has been a preponderance of early-stage deals that have seen quick exits. and now they’re all buying their way into innovation and talent.

Angel Investor 284

Angel Investor Early Stage Cap Table Deal Flow 284

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Many readers know that at Upfront Ventures that’s precisely what happened at our own firm in 2011 when our founding partner and my co-Managing Partner, Yves Sisteron, asked me to lead the daily management of our firm. The great firms transition day-to-day leadership and often those who don’t fail to protect their “franchise value.”

Leadership 161

Leadership LP Venture Capital Silicon Valley 161

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 20, 2009

M&A Outlook for 2010 / 2011 – text.

150

150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

In 2011 the company was sold to Nordstrom for $270 million in a deal that has been widely seen as a success for both buyer and seller. Greg was the CMO at HauteLook from the early days all the way through growing the business to 12 million registered users and far in excess of $200 million in annual sales.

Partner 360

Partner Las Vegas Los Angeles San Francisco 360

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2011

Just as we launched a 2010 site they go all 2011 on us! We liked this idea so much we decided to steal it from True Ventures. Just as we did they took it down from their website. I still loved it. Next I might steal this. Thanks, guys. We didn’t want this section to be our recommendations but those of our portfolio.

Early Stage 260

Early Stage Lead Investor Portfolio Partner 260

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

The market is over-valued in 2011 relative to norms. It doesn’t feel like that in February 2011. Today’s $15 million pre-money valuation might be tomorrow’s $20 million. But more likely it will be $10 million. This is not a reflection of you – it’s a reflection of market conditions.

Pre-Money Valuation 303

Pre-Money Valuation Dilution Valuation PR 303

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2016

I joined Upfront Ventures in 2007 and took over as co-Managing Partner in 2011 along with the founder, Yves Sisteron. In the end, if you’re not developing a deep bench of talented professionals who keep you on your toes, you’re bound to be disrupted.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Early Stage LP Partner 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

If 2011 & 2012 look like 2010 then the current crop of angel investors will look great. So where are we now? It’s hard to say. There has been a preponderance of early-stage deals that have seen quick exits. and now they’re all buying their way into innovation and talent.

Angel Investor 152

Angel Investor Cap Table Early Stage Deal Flow 152

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2013

first world problems and all] But I did feel like 2012 was particularly tough for me having closed out 2011 losing a close family member and dealing with cancer with both family members and close friends. After all, you’d have to be a really big baby to complain about being a VC. Some responded very well and are in recovery.

Los Angeles 313

Los Angeles Maryland Programming Conversion 313

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

A great recent example of this was a successful group of entrepreneurs who had created a company that will do $10-12 million in revenue at their system integration business (read: services business) in 2011 after having done $5 million or so in 2010 and $2-3 million in 2009.

Silicon Valley 332

Silicon Valley IP Dividend Finance 332

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2012

According to Forrester Research (2011 report) 77% users who abandoned an online purchase cite the inability to speak to some as their primary reason for leaving. RingRevenue grew it’s revenue 3x 2010 over 2011 and is on track to grow more than 3x again in 2012 with no signs of slowing. Again, I have the data that proves it.

New York 311

New York Mobile Technical Review Software Review 311

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

By 2010-2011 this had shrunk by half again, averaging under $15 billion. By the end of 2011 the Internet population was estimated at 2.3 Money flowing into our industry has also massively downsized. LP contributions to VC firms shrunk from 2000 and by 2005-2008 had stabilized to around $30 billion per year.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Mobile 347

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

I’ve been on the road much of 2012 and part of 2011. I didn’t sleep much back then. I was on the road much and I internalized much of the stress so that others didn’t have to. And so it goes again. According to the SEC we’re not allowed to market the fact that we’re fund raising, so I won’t.

Monaco 420

Monaco Cofounder Chicago Mexico 420

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

He left traditional media at the top of his game to be the founding CEO of Next New Networks, one of the first digital video startups, backed by Spark Capital and bought by YouTube in 2011. After a stint as the President of North America at BBC Worldwide, Herb is returning to his roots in both digital and Latino.

United States 269

United States North America South America Los Angeles 269

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 4, 2011

So that’s what’s on my mind this Independence Day 2011. We have people who spend personal time advocated for the advancement of our country and for the people in it to have better opportunities. I feel lucky for the freedoms that I have to spend with my extended family in peace and prosperity.

America 290

America South America Honduras Sacramento 290

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 6, 2012

In 2011 YouTube had 1 trillion views, which is the equivalent of every human watching 140 videos. YouTube has done a phenomenal job in aggregating audiences, which is why I have taken to calling YouTube the new Comcast and believe it will be a huge disruptor in the TV market . 4 billion videos are watched daily.

Media 302

Media South Korea Distribution Technical Review 302

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2012

2011 was the first year I went to SxSW. And why I still made it to breakfast at 8.30am with Christina Cacioppo the next morning (although I’m not sure she found me too Haimish of a conversationalist that day ). If you get a chance after you’re done with this post then please be sure to read Brook’s Haimish op-ed.

Los Angeles 319

Los Angeles Silicon Valley Fractional CTO New York City 319

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2020

If you want to watch my interview from 7 years ago it’s here or you can read the summary notes I wrote up ) Derek built Startup Grind from 2011 with 20 people in one room for a conference into a global phenomenon with 600 chapters all over the world and more than 2 million members.

Community 234

Community Software Hosting Venture Capital 234

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

And honestly it was the single biggest roadblock at Upfront when we raised out fourth fund in 2011. In firms where this transition doesn’t begin the talented younger partners splinter off and form their own firms. We as an industry have seen this. ” I told everybody I wasn’t going to and I meant it.

Artificial Inteligence 150

Artificial Inteligence Partner .Net Technology 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2013

I started announcing my Twitter thesis back in 2011 (still serves as a useful read today). As this astute journalist pointed out, DataSift “ likely would have cost a lot more to acquire.” ” What gives? Why all the fuss about the Twitter firehose? I stated that Twitter provided. Predictive Data.

Iran 358

Iran API San Francisco Nigeria 358

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2011

Do you really still need a Powerpoint deck in 2011? They are also looking for a well-defined market opportunity, evidence of your success to date and ultimately most are looking for a large addressable market as this is the only way a VC drives returns. Can’t you just demo & talk?

Non-disclosure Agreement 340

Non-disclosure Agreement NDA Cofounder Term Sheet 340

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

And one of the cooler new products that will emerge in 2011 is called LocalResponse and is being created by Nihal Mehta , who has pivoted from his previous company Buzzd, but I’m sworn to secrecy on what he’s up to until he releases it publicly.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Internet Technical Review 318

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

But one common theme I’m hearing from there in 2011 is that it’s impossible to recruit. Recruiting & retention will be different outside the Valley. I meet with Bay Area entrepreneurs all the time and am actively looking to make investments there.

Silicon Valley 313

Silicon Valley Southern California Los Angeles Semantic 313

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

2010 was the year of the “super angel&# and 2011 has to date been the year of unbelievably highly priced B,C & D rounds of venture capital. August 2011. In particular part three talked about what happened if we saw a double dip in 2010-11 or a “lost decade.&#. We did not. Fundings boomed. Summary version?

Stock 305

Stock Technical Review Marketing Greece 305

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

While he is publicly saying that he expects a modestly improved economy in 2011 , it’s hard to be too sanguine when you look at the data. I expect the economy to continue to expand in the second half of this year, albeit at a relatively modest pace.&#.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Technical Review Balance Sheet Government 298

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2012

I had been trading emails & Tweets with venture capitalist John Frankel and we were to meet in person in March 2011 at SxSW to talk about Klout and other investments he had made. Other people were convinced including Kleiner Perkins who lead their $30 million fund raising in 2012 (they had previously also invested in 2011).

Los Angeles 303

Los Angeles Detroit Venture Capital Lean 303