Genuine VC

MAY 20, 2013

Compared to most other areas of finance, venture capital is practiced as more of an art, as opposed to a science. The art of venture capital also means that for entrepreneurs raising it, there isn’t one definitive playbook which can be used as a guide. MYTH: The venture capital model is broken.

Venture Capital 244

Venture Capital Cap Table Portfolio Early Stage 244

Genuine VC

MARCH 16, 2015

Take that as a proxy, and it’s fairly safe to project that the HBS classes from 2012 onwards will likely raise a $1B in venture capital over the next few years.

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Stealth Warrant Venture Capital 100

Genuine VC

DECEMBER 17, 2012

Most first and second pitch meetings with VCs are fairly lopsided, where entrepreneurs spend the bulk of the time sharing their businesses, rather than being a true exchange of both parties in developing a relationship. However, it’s rare that a venture capitalist is going to point-blank admit that his pockets are empty.

Venture Capital 196

Venture Capital Conversion Search Entrepreneur 196

Genuine VC

JANUARY 3, 2013

The nuance which isn’t being recognized is that most of the companies of this latter profile, while viable businesses, aren’t venture-scale businesses. Businesses which should and do attract venture capital are ones which have the potential to be both high-growth and extremely large.

Seed Stage 166

Seed Stage Venture Capital Audience New York 166

Genuine VC

MARCH 25, 2014

Although the idea of venture firms developing a platform (i.e. resources, events, content, and other initiatives to help entrepreneurs) is not entirely new, to our knowledge this addition is the first such dedicated role here in Boston. In short, for those reasons and more, Jay is the perfect fit. What does this mean for us?

Boston 123

Boston Early Stage Portfolio Cofounder 123

Genuine VC

MARCH 8, 2012

When I first started in the VC business in 2004, I usually shared some reactions with entrepreneurs whenever we passed on pursuing an investment, but I admittedly erred towards communicating generic thoughts that were fairly non-specific but perhaps mildly helpful. And possessing that skillset is not a necessary one to become a good investor.

Venture Capital 167

Venture Capital Portfolio Conversion Partner 167

Genuine VC

JULY 8, 2010

My new partners, Rob Go and Lee Hower , and I are very enthusiastic about starting our new firm, NextView Ventures. The three of us believe that there is a compelling market opportunity on the east coast for a new seed-stage venture capital firm for founders starting internet-enabled businesses.

Silicon Valley 154

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Cofounder Venture Capital 154

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Fairly often I hear entrepreneurs pitch that their startup doesn’t have a headquarters – everyone works remotely and it works. Rather, VCs want to know that an entrepreneur is thinking big enough about their idea that the organization which they’re creating will grow to a point where a central location is a requirement.

Estonia 130

Estonia Startup Distribution Chicago 130

Genuine VC

JANUARY 15, 2015

Often for a myriad of often idiosyncratic reasons, an entrepreneur is introduced to an attractive new potential VC partner late in the game. But reality doesn’t always play out as neatly.

Lead Investor 100

Lead Investor Term Sheet Venture Capital Portfolio 100

Genuine VC

JULY 6, 2011

A lot has been written for entrepreneurs about optimizing a venture capital fundraising process, but one aspect which isn’t discussed very often is the pacing of it. Peace of mind in that an entrepreneur shouldn’t worry early-on that a term sheet isn’t forthcoming after one conversation.

Term Sheet 150

Term Sheet Deal Flow Venture Capital Conversion 150

Genuine VC

JANUARY 17, 2011

Last summer, I along with my partners announced that we were forming a new micro venture capital firm. The three of us are looking to work with entrepreneurs to build industry-changing transformative businesses. ” First and foremost, we are dedicated seed-stage investors focused on investments in internet-enabled startups.

Seed Stage 125

Seed Stage Boston Early Stage New York 125

Genuine VC

JANUARY 5, 2010

Some are at large funds with the ability to put significant amounts of capital to work; some are at small funds which can benefit from smaller exits. Some are “entrepreneur friendly”; others push “tough love” which works. But for the entrepreneur, I’d argue that you can and SHOULD have an above-average VC.

Boston 150

Boston Early Stage Venture Capital Operations 150

Genuine VC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

My alternative working title for this post was: “Eight things I kind of knew and only mostly followed as an entrepreneur during b-school.”

Cofounder 256

Cofounder Portfolio Venture Capital Reputation 256

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Fairly often I hear entrepreneurs pitch that their startup doesn’t have a headquarters – everyone works remotely and it works. Rather, VCs want to know that an entrepreneur is thinking big enough about their idea that the organization which they’re creating will grow to a point where a central location is a requirement.

Estonia 100

Estonia Startup Distribution Chicago 100

Genuine VC

MARCH 25, 2010

I had coffee with an entrepreneur friend the other day who is in the early stages of putting a company together, and he recounted how his informal conversations with a venture capitalist had quickly escalated into a full partner pitch in just a few weeks. Make connections to people who will be able to improve your business in some way.

Early Stage 123

Early Stage Venture Capital Term Sheet Conversion 123

Genuine VC

MARCH 25, 2010

I had coffee with an entrepreneur friend the other day who is in the early stages of putting a company together, and he recounted how his informal conversations with a venture capitalist had quickly escalated into a full partner pitch in just a few weeks. Make connections to people who will be able to improve your business in some way.

Early Stage 121

Early Stage Venture Capital Term Sheet Conversion 121

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

The three of us strive to have our behavior and interactions with entrepreneurs exhibit that common character which we share, as Rob talked about in our Invited Guest post. So the sense of Tribe, then, extends beyond our partnership to our family of entrepreneurs with whom we work.

Portfolio 114

Portfolio Seed Stage Venture Capital Partner 114

Genuine VC

MARCH 8, 2012

When I first started in the VC business in 2004, I usually shared some reactions with entrepreneurs whenever we passed on pursuing an investment, but I admittedly erred towards communicating generic thoughts that were fairly non-specific but perhaps mildly helpful. And possessing that skillset is not a necessary one to become a good investor.

Venture Capital 103

Venture Capital Portfolio Conversion Partner 103

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

The three of us strive to have our behavior and interactions with entrepreneurs exhibit that common character which we share, as Rob talked about in our Invited Guest post. So the sense of Tribe, then, extends beyond our partnership to our family of entrepreneurs with whom we work.

Portfolio 100

Portfolio Seed Stage Venture Capital Partner 100

Genuine VC

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Last September I wrote a post outlining my view of the venture capital industry: increasingly evolving like the beer industry as it continues to mature. Those venture firms firms caught in the middle without the scale of a large firm and without the focused strategy of a Micro will continue to wane.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Seed Stage Entrepreneur LP 150

Genuine VC

JANUARY 5, 2010

Some are at large funds with the ability to put significant amounts of capital to work; some are at small funds which can benefit from smaller exits. Some are “entrepreneur friendly”; others push “tough love” which works. But for the entrepreneur, I’d argue that you can and SHOULD have an above-average VC.

Boston 101

Boston Early Stage Venture Capital Operations 101

Genuine VC

JUNE 22, 2011

” I think all of the above is just as true for venture capitalists' offices as well. Entrepreneurs can learn a lot about venture firm by visiting its offices. We wanted to be in a central location which was convenient for all entrepreneurs, our primary constituent, not just in whatever neighborhood is the latest hotspot.

Seed Stage 123

Seed Stage Boston Incubator Portfolio 123

Genuine VC

MAY 5, 2015

One of my first mentors in venture capital explained to me that the key role of a VC is to “aggregate talent.” That is NextView’s overall mission, and that is the reason we exist and partner with exceptional entrepreneurs. Below, I’ll quickly explain the genesis of this initiative and share a few more key details.

Portfolio 100

Portfolio Startup Boston Seed Stage 100