Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Marketing with long payback is precisely what requires venture capital. They literally can’t respond to our core differentiator. Our portfolio company Ring had a new “security doorbell” which is truly a new market. That’s why Ring is amongst the fastest growing company in our portfolio.

Startup 150

Startup Seed Money DC Software Review 150

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. But they are also a tax on your time with portfolio companies, looking for new investments, running your shop and honestly they are a tax on your family life. Co-founder discontent.

Cofounder 374

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 374

abovethecrowd.com

OCTOBER 17, 2013

The company, which the founder cleverly named “Stitch Fix,” had a remarkably unique offering compared to other women’s fashion experiences. I immediately reached out to the founder and CEO, Katrina Lake , who had previously worked for another Benchmark portfolio company in the fashion space, Polyvore. Company: Stitch Fix.

eCommerce 62

eCommerce Technical Review North America San Francisco 62

David Teten

AUGUST 6, 2015

My colleague Paul Bianco serves as interim CFO for a number of ff Venture Capital ’s portfolio companies, and has built and reviewed hundreds of financial models. I also spoke with Michael Hutchens , CEO & Cofounder of BPM Global , which helps organizations more efficiently build and maintain financial models.

Balance Sheet 60

Balance Sheet Software Review Forecast Acquisition 60

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2010

What a pleasure that I got to spend an hour talking with both Om Malik (whom I’ve always respected his views) and Paul Jozefak , a venture capital partner at Neuhaus Partners in Germany (and formerly the head of Europe for SAP Ventures). The strategy of GigaOm and where they differentiate in the market.

Venture Capital 225

Venture Capital Non-Compete Vertical Europe 225

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

According to a study by CB Insights (2017), a software that gathers essential data from investors, companies and industries, more than 70% of startups do not exceed the first stage of venture capital investment. The rounds were conducted from 2008 to 2010, starting from seed capital. Why do so many companies fail?

Venture Capital 77

Venture Capital Cofounder Finance United States 77

Pascal's View

DECEMBER 30, 2012

While every company founder makes trade-offs in building a company, few entrepreneurs appreciate the far-reaching implications of several critical decisions they will are required to make at the outset of a startup’s evolution. Most founders tend to make decisions with no process, based on their gut instincts.

Cofounder 34

Cofounder Liquidation Preference Vesting Equity 34

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Venture capital is basically the complete opposite. What are these folks who wind up on the Midas List accomplishing day to day that differentiates them from the middle of the pack? You're competing against other top tier VCs for your deal flow--as top founders look to get backed by top investors. So I asked them.

Non-Compete 97

Non-Compete Cofounder Cap Table Reputation 97

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 18, 2010

These are areas that may be gaps in the portfolio of large companies, and are perfect for M&A deals in three to five years after building enough validation and $10-$20 million in revenue. By definition, the capital investment needs to be relatively low such that the investors and the entrepreneurs all make a healthy return on investment.

Marketing 52

Marketing Bootstrapping Incubator Angel Investor 52

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 18, 2010

These are areas that may be gaps in the portfolio of large companies, and are perfect for M&A deals in three to five years after building enough validation and $10-$20 million in revenue. By definition, the capital investment needs to be relatively low such that the investors and the entrepreneurs all make a healthy return on investment.

Marketing 52

Marketing Bootstrapping Incubator Angel Investor 52

A Crowded Space

DECEMBER 9, 2013

For me, it’s changed the way I look at my job as an investor in venture capital. So, here are my lessons learned and applications to venture: . At one point, he had just 5 individual companies representing 70% of his public stock portfolio. He doesn’t seek co-investors. Pretty clear philosophy. .

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Deal Flow Balance Sheet Down Round 68

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

It doesn’t matter whether an entrepreneur is in our portfolio, whether we’re considering an investment, or whether we’re casually meeting for the first time. What’s your differential business strategy? Your differential growth strategy? Your differential product? Entrepreneurs often ask me for help with their pitch decks.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Revenue Viral Networking 111

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 18, 2011

I always try hard to make this blog a place where you can learn lessons rather than an advertisement for portfolio companies. I first met the founder of Pose, Dustin Rosen , when he was a junior person with an LA-based venture capital firm called The Mail Room Fund. The other “first call” went to Founder Collective.

Term Sheet 303

Term Sheet Mobile Cofounder Early Stage 303

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 3, 2019

I had dinner with my good friend and Bazaarvoice co-founder, Brant Barton, on Tuesday at the new Sway in West Lake Hills (yummy) and we talked about lessons learned in angel investing. We invest in VC funds when it serves to diversify our startup portfolio in the hands of proven experts. 5 from 4–5pm CT (you can sign up here ).

Angel Investor 48

Angel Investor Advisory Board Equity B2C 48

David Teten

JANUARY 13, 2015

I’m speaking on a panel this afternoon on fundraising for minority founders at the Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project. Fundraising is always difficult for all founders; the median PE/VC fund sources and reviews 87 companies before investing in 1. This young, talented girl is given no chance of being the founder of the next Facebook.”. “I

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Advisory Board Greece Cofounder 60

techcrunch.com

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

Researchers polled experts in lending, mezzanine capital, private equity, venture capital and private businesses themselves. Not a big shock, but things don’t look pretty, especially in the venture capital world. 41% of them feel that they qualify for venture capital funding.

Venture Capital 62

Venture Capital Technical Review Sweat Equity Valuation 62

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2017

So LPs are looking for a combination of “established top tier” and “new managers with differentiation.” Chang Xu for her tireless effort in helping me prepare and analyze the data) If you met with LPs to raise a fund in 2009–2012 the most common refrain was, “We have too many managers and too many dollars in venture.

LP 286

LP Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup 286

Reid Hoffman

JANUARY 13, 2021

Entrepreneurs such as Figma CEO Dylan Field, fellow investors including Moxxie Ventures founder and general partner Katie Stanton, and Coatue Management partner Jamie McGurk pitched questions to the duo. Three is, “I think it should be the portfolio,” whereas four is, “If you don’t want to do the deal, I want to do the deal.”.

Incubator 36

Incubator IPO Networking Cofounder 36