Agile VC

JANUARY 18, 2012

Seven Reasons to Become a Founding Entrepreneur. I think there are tons of reasons to be a founding entrepreneur… some good, some bad, some ultimately inconsequential. Being a startup founder isn’t for everyone ultimately, in fact it probably isn’t for most people. AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Cofounder Silicon Valley Seed Stage 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). I also joke with Reid Hoffman that this was back in the days before he was “Reid” Reid’s an incredible entrepreneur, startup investor, and human being.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Agile VC

JULY 16, 2014

To these folks, Boston’s founder pool is a leaky bucket… a young founder who moves to Silicon Valley, New York, or elsewhere is a sign of frailty of Boston’s startup ecosystem. And talent flows in many directions (all three co-founders of NextView are all Silicon Valley transplants to Boston).

Boston 208

Boston Silicon Valley San Francisco Cofounder 208

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. In addition to compelling founders, we were drawn to the company by their vision for a professional community for mechanical engineers and designers.

Community 100

Community Estonia Syndicate Syndication 100

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. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. Groupon’s become a juggernaut in the immense local marketing space.

North America 100

North America Chicago Boston Silicon Valley 100

Agile VC

OCTOBER 5, 2012

One of the most common questions I get is “What’s the best career path to becoming a founder someday?” ” The very short answer is that most people who are ultimately founders (or usually co-founders ) of a company “tack” towards that goal in a series of career steps.

Founder 217

Founder Cofounder Later Stage Operations 217

Agile VC

JANUARY 22, 2014

This was before we started NextView and at the time Ben was still building Zeo, the prior company he co-founded. It’s easy for a startup to pitch itself as “mobile first” just as entrepreneurs pitched “cloud” a few years ago and “web” more than a decade ago. I first met Ben about 5-6 years ago.

Term Sheet 173

Term Sheet Cofounder Mobile Cloud 173

Agile VC

JANUARY 21, 2015

A population of founders, employees, investors, advisors, and others all aligned in trying to build large disruptive businesses is naturally prone to lofty, even over-the-top language. And when and how should founders communicate challenges with their employees, investors, or other stakeholders? How can we put things into context?

Cofounder 188

Cofounder Seed Stage Employee PR 188

Agile VC

AUGUST 1, 2016

We like to back authentic founders here at NextView… entrepreneurs who have experience and unique perspective on the market they’re trying to transform. We’re excited to be in business with Josh and his founding team, as well as a great group of co-investors with experience in digital media.

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Media Internet Founder 100

Agile VC

MAY 10, 2012

NextView is thrilled to have co-led this round along with our friends at SoftTech VC and Farmeron’s existing investors 500 Startups, Seedcamp, and TAG. I first met Matija Kopic, Farmeron’s co-founder & CEO, a few months ago. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. Good stuff Lee.

Silicon Valley 223

Silicon Valley Cofounder Seed Stage Syndicate 223

Agile VC

JULY 19, 2012

First and foremost, it’s worth emphasizing that greatness as a VC firm is derived primarily from helping exceptional entrepreneurs build enduring companies. This is true not only in a firm’s dealings with entrepreneurs but also with it’s limited partners and even within the firm among its partners.

Cofounder 193

Cofounder Limited Partner Early Stage LP 193

Agile VC

JUNE 25, 2012

The company has been in stealth mode for the last couple months but I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about NextView’s investment in the company and our enthusiasm to be working with co-founders Dan Foody and Alex Cote. I first met co-founder/CEO Dan Foody a little over six months ago. Overall, great find!

Cofounder 140

Cofounder Stealth Silicon Valley Mobile 140

Agile VC

JUNE 17, 2015

We see co-working spaces where the ratio of work to non-work (ping pong, beer, startup talks, etc) is pretty low, while elsewhere founders enamored with the lifestyle or perception of being an entrepreneur, believing they’ve made it once their company raises a Series B.

Startup 188

Startup Cofounder Seed Stage IPO 188

Agile VC

JANUARY 21, 2015

A population of founders, employees, investors, advisors, and others all aligned in trying to build large disruptive businesses is naturally prone to lofty, even over-the-top language. And when and how should founders communicate challenges with their employees, investors, or other stakeholders? How can we put things into context?

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Seed Stage Employee PR 100

Agile VC

JULY 15, 2015

I described our existing investments in Whoop and Konekt and our thinking more broadly on businesses that have a hardware component.

Internet 100

Internet Stealth Cofounder Seed Stage 100

Agile VC

JULY 15, 2015

I described our existing investments in Whoop and Konekt and our thinking more broadly on businesses that have a hardware component.

Internet 100

Internet Stealth Cofounder Seed Stage 100

Agile VC

AUGUST 2, 2011

I thought this was an incredibly apt depiction of great entrepreneurs and innovators. 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. Well perhaps the most disuptive entrepreneurs are a little out of their mind… in a good way.

Silicon Valley 113

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 113

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

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

Agile VC

APRIL 27, 2012

We love meeting entrepreneurs who take this blank canvas approach when thinking about disrupting markets. 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

JANUARY 12, 2012

Even the best entrepreneurs often hear “no” from potential investors. As a result, we frequently spend time with entrepreneurs before they’ve started fundraising or while they’re still contemplating various pathways for funding their businesses. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 100

Agile VC

JUNE 17, 2015

We see co-working spaces where the ratio of work to non-work (ping pong, beer, startup talks, etc) is pretty low, while elsewhere founders enamored with the lifestyle or perception of being an entrepreneur, believing they’ve made it once their company raises a Series B.

Startup 100

Startup Cofounder Seed Stage IPO 100

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Startups in NextView’s portfolio frequently receive inbound interest from other VC investors who are intrigued about what they’re doing, and I often talk with other early-stage entrepreneurs how to approach similar situations. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. Author howerl. Read More ».

Early Stage 100

Early Stage Syndicate Syndication Silicon Valley 100

Agile VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

For those who aren’t familiar, Mobius was a VC fund with offices in Silicon Valley and Boulder CO and at it’s peak Mobius had $2B+ under management. the Sequoia’s and Greylock’s of the world) or sometimes its based on the entrepreneurial successes of the founders of new firms (e.g.

LP 154

LP Portfolio Venture Capital IRR 154

Agile VC

APRIL 13, 2012

I describe this in part as the “Social Network” effect… not just the movie itself but the example of Mark Zuckerberg and many other high profile young founders as role models ( who can forget this image? ) Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. Filed under Uncategorized. Read More ».

Silicon Valley 185

Silicon Valley San Francisco San Jose Startup 185

Agile VC

MAY 16, 2012

Rather these firms know that there are countless bright, hard-working entrepreneurs out there thinking 24/7 about the next big thing and so they remain open to these innovative ideas even if the firm hasn’t previously formed a specific investment thesis about that space. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Seed Stage 124

Seed Stage Silicon Valley B2B Syndicate 124

Agile VC

JUNE 12, 2012

Both are building on top of the existing credit card infrastructure because as Swipely Founder/CEO Angus Davis points out, millions of people are walking around with a mobile payment device in their pocket… it’s called a credit card. I’d be happy to co-author with you. Any thoughts? link] leehower. Read More ».

Mobile 250

Mobile Disintermediation SMS Government 250