View from Seed

JANUARY 11, 2021

The sudden arrival of the global pandemic has shifted the playbook for founders and venture capitalists. As high-conviction, seed stage investors, we are inherently relationship-driven, and we value meeting exceptional founders face-to-face. Following initial decision paralysis, many venture capitalists have returned to pace.

Venture Capital 350

Venture Capital Cofounder Early Stage Seed Stage 350

www.women2.org

MARCH 8, 2012

female founders. founder friday. Lessons learned from female founders and women entrepreneurs. Startup Quote: Wendy Tan White on Building a Successful Startup » FounderDating: How I Found My Co-Founder. Tweet By Elizabeth Knopf (Co-Founder & CEO, Sorced). Conference 2012.

Cofounder 47

Cofounder Technical Review San Francisco Founder 47

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. Most experienced VCs won’t push you to give up founder control at this stage of the business nor should they. Founder’s perspective. In the Early Days. You’ll get empathy.

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Early Stage Software Review Los Angeles 325

Duct Tape Marketing

JULY 14, 2022

Melissa is the CEO and Co-founder of Webinar. She has spent twelve years in startups and built three successful companies without venture capital backing. She is the co-founder and CEO of E webinar. And the people that understand that will be able to use that as a differentiator in their business.

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Demand Cofounder Video 84

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

AI has become the year’s venture capital buzzword. I covered my personal journey to venture capital, what makes our partnership work at Remagine Ventures , and gave an intro to Generative AI, a current theme that connects to our investment thesis (we made 3 investments in the space). Jasper, Copy.ai

Generative AI 103

Generative AI ChatGPT API Venture Capital 103

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

My co-founder and other management team members wanted us to hold off and see whether we could get the deal done at a higher price. It quickly became impossible to raise venture capital. It isn’t even a story about raising venture capital or M&A. I was resolute. Anybody who didn’t close was dead.

Technical Review 301

Technical Review Term Sheet Due Diligence Venture Capital 301

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

And know that just because a venture failed doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. The show follows the journeys of founders who share what it takes to build a startup – from restaurants to rocket scientists, to online gifts to online groceries and more. Will Zell , co-founder and CEO of Nikola Labs wireless power company.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Ohio Columbus Entrepreneur 120

David Teten

OCTOBER 3, 2013

ff Venture Capital just invested in Tackk , a new platform which allows you to creatively share anything on the web with no barriers to creation. And building a differentiating user experience starts with an outstanding designer or team of designers. Contributed Articles ff Venture Capital Recruiting'

Design 114

Design Venture Capital Startup HTML 114

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

“If you can fix a problem for someone and do it better, quicker, and/or cheaper than your competitor, you’re off to a good start.” – Gabriel Kuperman, founder and CEO of CuePin. We created UpKeep to fill this void—a cloud-based solution that was affordable for any size business.” – Ryan Chan, founder of UpKeep.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

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

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

Gust

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

It’s the result of several decades in high tech, three years as an investor in a local Oregon angel investment group , some consulting in due diligence for venture capital, and my experience as founder and co-founder of successful ventures. Startup experience. Respect for the exit. Defensibility.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Software Review Angel Investor Exit Strategy 70

Hunter Walker

MARCH 25, 2015

Forerunner Ventures is one of Homebrew’s favorite co-investors for consumer commerce/retail startups. Firm founder Kirsten Green has an amazing analytical mind combined with empathy for the consumer. HW: Is venture still an “apprenticeship” business? . EK: Absolutely. EK: It’s a great question.

Naming 48

Naming Technical Review Early Stage Green 48

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. Know your planned sources of differentiation and adjust as you learn. Read plenty of “what went wrong” eulogies by founders and see what you can learn. You need a wedge.

Startup 150

Startup Seed Money DC Software Review 150

ConversionXL

JANUARY 16, 2019

Picking a term with a well-understood foil (“outbound marketing”) makes it easier to understand and differentiate. Historically, both terms had narrower definitions related to telemarketing, which differentiated outbound versus inbound calls.) From there, more years passed until: HubSpot’s founders translated an idea into a book.

Naming 119

Naming Conversion Flash Cofounder 119

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. I guess if you’re in high-volume, low-differentiation mode perhaps this is efficient for you. Co-founder discontent. Don’t even get me started on Demo Days. Motives matter.

Cofounder 374

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 374

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2011

Blogs weren’t popularized yet so it was an oddity for me to read the founder of a software company spewing out advice. Joel met his co-founder for Fog Creek software and learned a valuable management lesson. With StackOverflow, Joel raised money through venture capital. What did you learn at Juno?

Software Review 285

Software Review Software St. Louis API 285

OnlyOnce

APRIL 12, 2023

Episode 3: Common Mistakes Founders Make with Fred Wilson Fred Wilson has been a venture capitalist since 1987 and has worked with me for over 20 years now—so it’s fair to say he’s witnessed a few founders and become familiar with their most common mistakes. You just learn more.”

Cofounder 62

Cofounder Early Stage B2B Founder 62

David Teten

MARCH 29, 2015

Nate Jenkins, co-founder of Authorea (ff Venture Capital company), offers, “Sometimes solving a simpler problem can be a beachhead towards a fully-featured solution. Max Segan , Facebook engineer and former ff Venture Capital intern, observes, “Specifically, think through your API.

Software Review 60

Software Review API Algorithm Caching 60

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

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Mike is a no BS guy, has all the attributes I look for in a founder and says things like, openly shares knowledge and opines without a filter including this one, “whoever invented uncapped convertible debt should be spanked!&# This is an interview you’re not going to want to miss, I promise. We can do better.

Semantic 302

Semantic Acquisition Valuation Angel Investor 302

Steve Blank

JANUARY 4, 2010

A first order filter is whether the founders are aiming for a scalable startup. In fact, Google’s offer for $15 Million was equal to the highest valuation from the venture firms. The question was: what did the founders want to do? Lets take venture capital and grow this thing into a real business.”. Go For Broke.

Hockey Stick 276

Hockey Stick Venture Capital Startup Cofounder 276

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: . He doesn’t seek co-investors. There are a number of business owners that went specifically to Buffett because of this unique differentiation.

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Deal Flow Balance Sheet Down Round 68

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

David Teten

JANUARY 28, 2019

My former Partner John Frankel of ff Venture Capital observes that 20 years ago, the defining movie of the generation was “Wall Street”. Founder community. Tsai CITY could sponsor an online community of aspiring tech founders within the university so that they could learn from and support each other. Incubate non-Yalies.

Affiliate 60

Affiliate Connecticut Programming Community 60

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2010

This episode of This Week in Venture Capital featured Michael Montgomery, president of Montgomery & Co. If you don’t know Montgomery & Co it is one of the premier technology & media focused investment banks in the country (and as Michael corrected me they also have a strong Healthcare / Med tech practice).

IPO 242

IPO Venture Capital Private Placement Cofounder 242

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2015

announced they raised $9 million from Sequoia , arguably the best venture capital firm that exists. For starters – the co-founder of Clutter.io, Ari Mir, is a friend and 6 years ago I backed the first startup he co-founded with Ophir Tanz , GumGum. This morning Clutter.io Congratulations.

Cofounder 150

Cofounder Venture Capital Differentiation Holding Company 150

abovethecrowd.com

JUNE 2, 2021

This “gain” ($34B last year alone) is a result of a direct wealth-transfer to these individuals FROM the previous owners of the company — founders, executives, employees, and venture investors. Is it disrespectful to imply that the founders, executives, VC-backers, and the boards of these companies are gullible or naive?

IPO 82

IPO Customer Matching Silicon Valley 82

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

Scott Edward Walker

AUGUST 6, 2017

This week, we again present Marc Andreessen , a brilliant entrepreneur and co-founder and general partner of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Each week, we share a favorite video clip of a successful entrepreneur, investor or business leader on a variety of topics. I hope you enjoy it. Cheers, Scott.

Cofounder 45

Cofounder Venture Capital Differentiation Engineer 45

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

Most founders have a strong sense of what they’re trying to achieve. They hire their initial co-founders and early employees and everybody has a sense of “mission.” We’re a national venture capital investment firm but with our roots firmly in Los Angeles. A Sense of Purpose. Empowerment.

Leadership 150

Leadership Southern California San Diego Hiring 150

Reid Hoffman

OCTOBER 5, 2020

But while it’s certainly possible to use SPACs for financial engineering, Reinvent Technology Partners , the SPAC that I sponsored with Mark Pincus and Michael Thompson , is focused on a very different opportunity, which we refer to as “venture capital at scale,” which offers greater and more sustainable benefits.

Venture Capital 28

Venture Capital IPO Cofounder Institutional Investors 28

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

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 14, 2010

Founders Institute Plain Preferred Term Sheet (by WSGR – disclaimer, I represent the Founders Institute and was involved in drafting this document). If you don’t, please educate yourself on this site, Venture Hacks and the term sheet series by Brad Feld/Jason Mendelson, among other places. Co-sale rights.

Finance 70

Finance Software Review Term Sheet Liquidation Preference 70

cdixon.org

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

Quite early on, you will be able to differentiate yourself – and having competitors help you grow the market can actually be a good thing. and an investor, has a great blog on entrepreneurship and venture capital. Finding cofounders is a biggy, and because 99.9% Dividing equity between founders » Home.

Stealth 68

Stealth Startup NDA Cofounder 68

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Through a deeper understanding of a particular vertical, a much richer perspective on the quality and differentiation of the participants, and the enablement of transactions — you create an evolved service that has much more value to both sides of the transaction.

Internet 88

Internet Matching Vertical Hosting 88

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