Professor VC

MARCH 10, 2009

In other parts of the country, this is business as usual: Identify a customer need Build a product Sell the product In the valley, the knee jerk reaction is to start with the powerpoint deck and look for the venture capital drug. I also teach Entrepreneurial Finance at San Jose State. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► October. (1).

Bootstrapping 28

Bootstrapping San Jose Silicon Valley Software Review 28

BeyondVC

DECEMBER 10, 2009

Financial models for startups are important from a big picture perspective, but I never like to get mired in the full details as things always change in the early stages. In my mind some of these key variables include new bookings, growth of deferred revenue, churn rate, cost of acquiring new customers, and obviously cash.

Churn Rate 112

Churn Rate Burn Rate Startup Metrics 112

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

However, liked the team, and Dennis Mink, FootFeeds CEO, convinced me of the value in check-ins as a white label service for brands to market to their customers. I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases.

Technical Review 38

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 38

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 13, 2011

As customer and agile development reinvent the startup, it's time to ask why startup board governance has not kept up with the pace of innovation. Board meetings that guide startups haven't changed since the early 1900's. Why don't we have standards for what metrics VCs want to see from their early stage startup teams?

Silicon Valley 117

Silicon Valley Balance Sheet Metrics Early Stage 117

Professor VC

JULY 31, 2008

I actually enjoy the process of pulling together a selection of materials to create a complete course on Entrepreneurial Finance. Last year, I tried out a custom textbook through one of the major publishers, which seemed like a great way to go. I also teach Entrepreneurial Finance at San Jose State. Now Its Organic Chemistry."

San Jose 28

San Jose Software Review Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

Also, if the weather gets really bad, they offer a full refund voucher good for your next trip - all about customer retention. I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?

Oregon 28

Oregon San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 16, 2008

I am not sure how this relates to venture finance or entrepreneurship, but Im sure Ill find some connection along the way. Perhaps, its that old joke: Q: What two industries call their customers "users"? I also teach Entrepreneurial Finance at San Jose State. Tuesday, September 16, 2008. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?

San Jose 28

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 30, 2020

Many fail because they fail to keep their burn rate in check and then run out of investors who are willing to fund their operations. They treat their startup’s burn rate like it’s etched in stone. The latter group also tends to spend every waking moment in the pursuit of lining up new financing.

Burn Rate 107

Burn Rate Management Startup Early Stage 107

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Historically, different financial institutions specialized in different stages, because the assessment of risk and opportunity was considered unique at each stage — for example, a seed investor was unlikely to do late-stage financing, and vice versa. We are in a risk bubble.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2011

If you are in the very early stages with your company and there are no major reasons (e.g. And if you don’t have US business activity, then get a beta customer for initial footprint. R&D outside SV is normally cheaper, so it helps you keeping your burn rate low. If not, raise locally. good luck!

Silicon Valley 104

Silicon Valley Startup Seed Stage Delaware 104

OnlyOnce

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

In the early stages, you have to hire generalists who are both willing and able to take on dozens of tasks at once. Then your VP Finance Sally gets lured away by an even hotter and sexier new startup and leaves a sudden, gaping hole on your team. By and large, startups work the same way.

Burn Rate 71

Burn Rate Leadership Search Curation 71

OnlyOnce

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

In the early stages, you have to hire generalists who are both willing and able to take on dozens of tasks at once. Then your VP Finance Sally gets lured away by an even hotter and sexier new startup and leaves a sudden, gaping hole on your team. By and large, startups work the same way.

Burn Rate 48

Burn Rate Leadership Search Curation 48

Reid Hoffman

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Careful planning, cautious investment, and courteous service may end up being tossed aside in favor of rapid guesstimates, inefficient capital expenditures, and ignoring angry customers. But it is also clearly faster, and has allowed Uber to grow its engineering team (which is typically a major challenge) at higher rate.

Engineer 28

Engineer Burn Rate Hiring Dilution 28