Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2011

If you are a first-time entrepreneur, I often recommend that you team with a co-founder with experiences, connections, and a skill set that complements, but doesn’t duplicate yours. Even experienced entrepreneurs need a partner to strengthen their position. The question is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Partner 231

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete 231

Agile VC

JANUARY 4, 2012

Founders Hardi Meybaum and Indrek Narusk originally started building the company in their native Estonia before moving to Boston to join the hub of SaaS / CAD software companies located here. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. My partner @ LeeHower looks back: [link] 5 days ago Search.

Community 100

Community Estonia Syndicate Syndication 100

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

Many assume it was a cakewalk, based on the success LinkedIn has enjoyed over time and the current stature of our founder/CEO Reid Hoffman (now Chairman). Silicon Valley is still emerging from the tech bubble and massive downturn of late 2000-2002. We three partners are working hard. We have a long way to go baby!

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2010

If you are a first-time entrepreneur, I often recommend that you team with a co-founder with experiences, connections, and a skill set that complements, but doesn’t duplicate yours. Even experienced entrepreneurs need a partner to strengthen their position. The question is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Cofounder 135

Cofounder Founder Silicon Valley Startup 135

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 5, 2009

The culture and work ethic of Convergent had earned it the title “the Marine Corps of Silicon Valley”. Unlike Intel chips, MIPS chip architecture also made it possible to plug in a math co-processor. A few days later Gordon became a founder. And so was his reputation for being verbally abusive to his direct reports.

North Carolina 125

North Carolina Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 125

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

Kayak was started here in my backyard of Boston… co-founder & CTO Paul English and the product/engineering team is based here in Concord MA. Co-founder & CEO Steve Hafner and the business team are based in Norwalk, CT. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

Austin Startup

MARCH 3, 2018

Friday, March 9 Attracting VC Funding Outside Silicon Valley Panel with HomeAway founder Brian Sharples & Capital Factory Director Gordon Daugherty We do a lot of things differently in Texas, including fundraising. SXSW and Edelman have partnered to launch a special report of the Trust Barometer?—?Edelman’s

Technical Review 58

Technical Review Silicon Valley Texas Austin 58

Agile VC

JUNE 5, 2011

Even for those who don’t care to dive into the numbers, it’s worth a quick glance because co-founder/CEO Andrew Mason wrote a letter which forms the preamble of the full document. The folks at Yipit did a detailed analyis of the Boston data and concluded Groupon’s model is deteriorating there.

North America 100

North America Chicago Boston Silicon Valley 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

If you are a first-time entrepreneur, I recommend that you team with a co-founder with experiences, connections, and a skill set that complements, but doesn’t duplicate yours. Even experienced entrepreneurs need a partner to back up each other and improve fundability. The question is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Cofounder 239

Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete Startup 239

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

What is it, and how should founders think about it? Below, we talk to Glen Mello , Managing Director of Silicon Valley Bank’s accelerator team in Boston. We’d look at a company and the relationship we have with investors, management team, founders, etc. first and foremost.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

David Teten

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Michael Smith, leader of the Social Innovation team at the Case Foundation , introduced the Foundation as a non-profit started in 1997 by Steve Case (AOL co-founder) and his wife, Jean Case. Connect with our partners, e.g., Derek Holt. We’re not just focused on NY/Boston/Silicon Valley. There are 1.4m-1.6m

America 144

America DC Startup Aggregator 144

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 26, 2009

Its easy to take Silicon Valley for granted. Ive written a little bit about the origins of Silicon Valley because I think its important for us to understand how we got here in order to make sure we preserve what is best about our community. But theres no denying the level of support for entrepreneurs that we enjoy.

San Francisco 113

San Francisco Silicon Valley Startup Continuous Deployment 113

Gust

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

If you are a first-time entrepreneur, I recommend that you team with a co-founder with experiences, connections, and a skill set that complements, but doesn’t duplicate yours. Even experienced entrepreneurs need a partner to back up each other and improve fundability. The question is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Cofounder 170

Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete Startup 170

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2023

The right answer is to find a co-founder with complementary skills. Investors worry about a single entrepreneur getting overloaded, disabled or led astray, with no balancing and supporting partner. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Partner 249

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 249

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2018

In my experience, the initial idea for a new product usually comes from a single entrepreneur, but the implementation plan for a new business requires a team, or at least a co-founder. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner. Network to find co-founders as you network to find investors.

Partner 139

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 139

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 30, 2014

But a new class of life science/healthcare co-working and collaboration space is another. Testing hypotheses with doctors, patients, payers, providers, purchasing departments, strategic partners is hard. A new life science/healthcare co-working and collaboration space. New approaches to translational medicine have emerged.

San Diego 261

San Diego North Carolina Chicago Lean 261

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2014

Kathryn has been the founding VP of Marketing of Oracle , a successful recruiter, a world class Venture Capitalist, a co-founder of a Venture Capital firm, a great board member, one of my mentors and most importantly a wonderful friend. Or one of the first women co-founders of a VC firm – “I co-founded a great firm.”

Venture Capital 333

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Chicago Cofounder 333

View from Seed

JULY 28, 2015

While the startup environment in Boston has vastly improved over the last several years , I continue to hear the sentiment that it’s really tough to build a great consumer startup in Boston. This is expressed by people outside of Boston, but it often comes from those within our community too. A very particular culture.

Boston 120

Boston Marketing Early Stage Startup 120

Austin Startup

DECEMBER 20, 2020

the Connectors, Angels, Venture Capitalists, Founders, Professors, Hackers, Press… and the Legends. Find the Connectors , the Angels , the Venture Capitalists , the Founders , the Professors , the Hackers , and the Legends you need to meet and get some hints about the best ways to meet them. Here is your COVID-friendly cheat sheet.

Austin 110

Austin Texas Cofounder Los Angeles 110

Seeing Both Sides

APRIL 28, 2011

But if you are a competent engineer, sales executive, online marketer or general manager in Silicon Valley, NYC, Boston or other start-up hotspots, the unemployment rate is 0%. CNN recently reported that 40% of the 130,000 job openings in Silicon Valley are for software engineers.

Hiring 44

Hiring Software Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley 44

Agile VC

JULY 11, 2012

The names of these once great, now defunct firms may not be terribly familiar today but here are just a few examples: American Research & Development [Boston] –> Founded by George Doriot and depending how you count it, either the first or second formal VC firm in the US.

Silicon Valley 240

Silicon Valley Carried Interest Cofounder Boston 240

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 11, 2010

This past December I spent a week in Boston to try to get to know some of the local VC’s and entrepreneurs a bit better. I once mentioned this idea to a fellow SoCal VC when I told him I wanted a CIC in LA and he said, “Co-location is dead. Uh, I guess he won’t be co-sponsoring a technology lab in LA with me then?

San Francisco 285

San Francisco Incubator Silicon Valley Startup 285

Agile VC

APRIL 27, 2012

My partners and I have blogged about some of these including Invited Guest , Golazo , Authentic , and Tribe. My partner David recently wrote about how investors tend to bring their own inherent biases (both good and bad) into pitch meetings with entrepreneurs. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Silicon Valley 124

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 124

Agile VC

MAY 21, 2012

The expanding universe of potential buyers is a great thing for founders. We’ll see how long they remain exciting, innovative places to work but at least for now I think most founders who contemplate an acquisition would be open to having their company and team be part of a Facebook, LinkedIn, or Zynga. Pingback: this.

Acquisition 162

Acquisition Silicon Valley B2B Seed Stage 162

Agile VC

AUGUST 2, 2011

Or as my friend and mentor Reid Hoffman says being a founder is like throwing yourself off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. I co-founded NextView Ventures , a seed-stage VC firm based in Boston, in 2010. Read More ». Previous Entries.

Silicon Valley 113

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 113

Agile VC

JANUARY 18, 2012

Being a startup founder isn’t for everyone ultimately, in fact it probably isn’t for most people. Not everyone has the skillset and experience to be a founder, and many of those that do may not have the risk tolerance. Seven Reasons to Become a Founding Entrepreneur. January 18, 2012.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Cofounder Silicon Valley Seed Stage 100

crowdSPRING Blog

JUNE 20, 2018

The report details some of the high profile success stories in Vancouver: In the early days Slack’s founder estimated the market for the software to be $100 million, which they exceeded in just three years—and have now become the fastest growing business software of all time. Broadband.tv com for $575 million.

Silicon Valley 83

Silicon Valley Canada Entrepreneur Startup 83

Agile VC

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Objective Logistics co-founders Philip Beauregard and Matt Grace sent out this illustration immediately after the round was announced which I think keeps this in perspective nicely. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. I co-founded NextView Ventures , a seed-stage VC firm based in Boston, in 2010.

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 100

Austin Startup

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

image source: [link] If you are a startup co-founder in Central and Eastern Europe, when you hear about about US entrepreneurial communities, you usually hear of course Silicon Valley, but more and more often now east coast as well. And here I hear about writing them a message on LinkedIn and some of them will respond.

Austin 48

Austin Founder Silicon Valley Texas 48

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

by Nick Candito, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer at Progressly. Based in Silicon Valley, Progressly helps companies document, collaborate and analyze business processes — all in one central place. Every year, companies lose 20 to 30 percent in revenue due to inefficiencies.

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Cofounder Software Review Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2021

The right answer is to find a co-founder with complementary skills. Investors worry about a single entrepreneur getting overloaded, disabled or led astray, with no balancing and supporting partner. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Cofounder 315

Cofounder Startup Silicon Valley Kansas 315

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Last year I was on Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley meeting with one of the most prominent venture capital firms in the country. The VC partner, somebody I greatly respect said, “Yeah, we like Gil and what they’re doing. So can you really build a great tech firm outside of Silicon Valley?

Silicon Valley 313

Silicon Valley Southern California Los Angeles Semantic 313

Agile VC

JANUARY 12, 2012

When a startup doesn’t match the stage where a particular investor focuses, founders may get a response along the lines of “This is interesting to us, but come back once you get from X phase to Y phase” That could be from seed stage to a larger Series A financing need, or to progress from pre-product to post-revenue.

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 100

crowdSPRING Blog

JUNE 20, 2018

The report details some of the high profile success stories in Vancouver: In the early days Slack’s founder estimated the market for the software to be $100 million, which they exceeded in just three years—and have now become the fastest growing business software of all time. Broadband.tv com for $575 million.

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Canada Entrepreneur Startup 48

Agile VC

MAY 16, 2012

IMO Bessemer is perhaps the most emblematic firm of thematic investing… all the investment professionals in the firm from senior partners to more junior staff team up in small groups to construct “ roadmaps ” of the themes in which they intend to pursue investments, which are then articulated more broadly within the firm.

Seed Stage 124

Seed Stage Silicon Valley B2B Syndicate 124

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

If you and all the people around your startup (co-founders, advisors, existing investors) feel strongly that the company A) could benefit from additional equity capital at this time and B) you’ve accomplished value accretive milestones since your last round of funding, then it might make sense to talk with potential new investors.

Early Stage 100

Early Stage Syndicate Syndication Silicon Valley 100

VC Cafe

JUNE 29, 2012

You’re in Silicon valley, competing against the best of the best. When I met Instagram, Kevin (the founder) had great numbers, but he wasn’t even thinking about revenue. I invested in a company called Yobongo – the founder blew me away, he ended up selling his company and I made most of my money back.

Developer 103

Developer Silicon Valley Software Review Mexico 103