2012

Genuine VC

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Searching for the Kinect Killer App

Genuine VC

We at NextView have been thinking about and looking for investments in seed-stage startups which leverage the megatrend of transitioning computing away from a standard fixed-web PC world. Of course that includes “mobile-first” applications and companies which ride the adoption of tablet devices (more on those in upcoming posts). But this exploration also includes alternative user-interfaces and inputs, like gesture controls.

Search 211
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The Startup Offsite

Genuine VC

When was the last time all of your startup’s management team came together to take a step back from day-to-day minutiae and think big picture? I think it’s actually incredibly valuable for startups to occasionally, and regularly, have offsite planning sessions. Unlike at “big companies,” a startup offsite isn’t about a boondoggle, it’s not about fancy hotel rooms, nor is it about silly team-building exercises so dilberts in accounting can interact with dilberts in marketing.

Startup 138
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Searching for the Kinect Killer App

Genuine VC

We at NextView have been thinking about and looking for investments in seed-stage startups which leverage the megatrend of transitioning computing away from a standard fixed-web PC world. Of course that includes “mobile-first” applications and companies which ride the adoption of tablet devices (more on those in upcoming posts). But this exploration also includes alternative user-interfaces and inputs, like gesture controls.

Search 100
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A Choir of Angel Investors Sing Different Parts

Genuine VC

We at NextView Ventures often invest in a startup’s first round alongside other funds; either seed stage focused ones like ourselves or larger traditional firms. Just as often, however, we’re investing alongside individual angel investors who are participating in the round as well. Angel investors come in many shapes and sizes, however. And it’s not always easy to recognize the pros and cons of taking money from individual investors, or how to even seek them out in the first place.

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Playbook for Incoming MBAs to Start a Company Out of School

Genuine VC

Like a lot of students, I went into business school a decade ago with a set plan to start a company coming straight after graduation in co-founding an internet startup (… again ). During the following two years I did a number of things which prepared me for that endeavor, but then also in retrospect, I completely missed out on a number of opportunities and valuable resources immediately in front of me which I didn’t recognize at the time.

Cofounder 256
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What A VC Orders for Breakfast Says

Genuine VC

One of the things that surprised me most about venture capital when I got into the business is how much VCs seem to like to meet for breakfast. VCs usually typically reserve dinners for portfolio companies’ CEOs and board members. And “doing lunch” doesn’t happen that often because VCs don’t like going out of the office mid-day much. But breakfast for venture capitalists is an open free-for-all for all sorts of networking meetings and conversations.

Portfolio 248
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A VC Walks into Your Pitch Meeting Biased

Genuine VC

VCs rarely go into an entrepreneur’s pitch meeting with a completely open mind. Of course they have biases given their past experiences, like with any human interaction. More importantly, though, they have biases about whether or not they are going to find the opportunity attractive even before a word of the dialog has been spoken. VCs have a fond saying about “wanting to like it” when they’re introduced to a new investment opportunity where many conditions of their so-called pattern recognition

Syndicate 224