David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

Private equity and venture capital investors are copying our sisters in the hedge fund and mutual fund world: we’re trying to automate more of our job. The extreme example of this are algorithmic investors in the public markets, who design algorithms which trade on the designer’s behalf, as opposed to making trading decisions directly.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2021

But in the grand scheme of things, 10 years is a blip, and one that had a continuous bull market in tech. The objection goes something like this: “yes, I can see rookie founders turning to you for a seed round. But won’t all good founders go to established firms that raise series A’s out of the gate?”. There are a few reasons.

Dilution 399

Dilution Later Stage Portfolio Technical Review 399

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Although we had a busy summer, I was fortunate enough to take a bit of time off as well, and to step back for a moment and reflect on Nextview’s strategy and market position going forward. . It’s been an interesting several years in the early stage venture eco-system, and the sands have shifted considerably. Lead investors are few.

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

From RBI, Flexible VCs borrow the ability to reap meaningful returns without demanding founders build for an exit. Every Flexible VC structure allows founders to access immediate risk capital while preserving exit, growth trajectory, and ownership optionality. . Flexible VC 102: Variations.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Haystack

JULY 15, 2018

Immediate “Yes” – It is not common, but it is possible that I leave the meeting with all the information I need and, with some quick reflection, signal the founder that I’d like to invest. ” Here, the onus is on me to re-engage with the founder and ask for their time. This can be as short as 24-48 hours.

Founder 60

Founder Syndicate Syndication Deal Flow 60

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Our guest this week on #TWiVC was Dana Settle , partner at Greycroft Partners , a venture capital firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. But truthfully both Dana and I are more aligned with the lean startup principles and believe you only go FAT when you’ve really proved out your product / market fit. Time will tell.

Partner 240

Partner New York City Cofounder Syndicate 240

David Teten

JANUARY 11, 2020

The challenge is that my time and money budget for “influencing”–content creation and marketing– is minimal. Also, since I’m not trying to be a full-time marketer, I can’t use some of the standard celebrity techniques. In the venture capital/private equity business, investors are B2B microinfluencers.

Social Media 60

Social Media Technical Review Media Private Equity 60

VC Cafe

JANUARY 24, 2021

billion gamers worldwide will help the global games market generate revenues of $189.3 of US social network users) according to Falcon.io’s 2021 digital marketing trends. Ark Invest forecasts that by 2030 the AR market could scale from under a $1 billion today to $130 billion. Fortnite alone made $1.8 Immersive ar/vr/xr.

Technical Review 207

Technical Review Audio Forecast Social Media 207

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 21, 2014

For current founders, in our hyper-pressurized worlds of being incubated, accelerated, and constantly switching modes between pitching and executing, how do we successfully navigate the labyrinth to success? Now, how do we become successful founders? by Melissa Thompson, CEO of TalkSession. There is no time like the present.

Entrepreneur 210

Entrepreneur Startup Balance Sheet Non-Compete 210

David Teten

JULY 12, 2017

The purest example of this are VCs whose strategy is almost exclusively to coinvest, e.g., some of the funds managed by Alpha Venture Partners , Connectivity Ventures Fund , Correlation Ventures , Proof.VC , and Service Providers Capital. Market Insight. They are comfortable with others taking the lead. .

Syndicate 60

Syndicate Syndication Institutional Investors LP 60

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Although we had a busy summer, I was fortunate enough to take a bit of time off as well, and to step back for a moment and reflect on Nextview’s strategy and market position going forward. . It’s been an interesting several years in the early stage venture eco-system, and the sands have shifted considerably. Lead investors are few.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 3, 2020

The partner at the fund, the VC, gets to do the fun part—the meeting with founders, vetting deals, negotiating, helping, etc. Having a better overall portfolio of venture capital by adding funds into the mix. One way to measure that is to imagine the theoretical $500-$1mm angel round that a founder is looking to raise.

Portfolio 134

Portfolio Syndicate Syndication Deal Flow 134

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 started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). Co-founder discontent. I don’t.

Cofounder 374

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 374

VC Adventure

JANUARY 19, 2024

Choosing not to be a legacy firm is one way we’ve challenged norms in the venture industry and just one of many things we take pride in as we reflect back upon our time building Foundry. I have a bunch of ideas for how I’ll stay close to startups – my real passion continues to be around engaging with founders.

Portfolio 72

Portfolio Syndicate Syndication Cofounder 72

OnlyOnce

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

On the heels of the announcement we made last month about our Series B financing , we are now announcing the launch of a new program called Bolster Prime and a new venture capital fund called Bolster Ventures. The roots of Bolster Prime and Bolster Ventures pre-date the founding of Bolster. What about the middle?

Silicon Valley 62

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Cap Table Early Stage 62

Version One Ventures

APRIL 8, 2014

Thus, it should come as no surprise that we are now seeing Venture Capital being disrupted by these forces as well. In his post The Disruption of Venture Capital , Albert Wenger described VC as “the club you had to be invited into.”. Enter Mattermark: where “Big Data Meets Venture Capital”.

Venture Capital 160

Venture Capital Vertical Curation SEC 160

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

Ron Conway , of SV Angels, and Reid Hoffman , LinkedIn's founder, are names often mentioned in this category. A micro venture capital firm. A “genesis” venture capital round. million and is normally syndicated from one to three institutional seed investors or larger VC funds.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Finance Early Stage Startup 120

Pascal's View

JULY 9, 2017

While VC deals remain marketed on a pre-money basis, sophisticated investors know that what matters most is the post-money (how much of the company will I own after all of the new shares have been issued). The CEO/founder often has leeway to influence or negotiate the cap value (especially when the headline cap is softened by a discount).

Post-Money Valuation 49

Post-Money Valuation Valuation Cap Table Covenant 49

Austin Startup

MARCH 7, 2021

Texas is the most promising technology market in the United States. It seems like every day there is a new headline about an exceptional startup founder, investor, or corporate headquarters moving to Texas. Now the 9th largest economy in the world, it‘s clear that the rest of the world is waking up to the potential in Texas.

Texas 90

Texas San Antonio Houston Dallas 90

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Understanding Venture Capital. I recently wrote a blog post on understanding how the size and age of a venture capital fund might affect you when you’re raising money. You were a VP at a company that sold for $200 million making the founder very wealthy. is now a VC.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Term Sheet Early Stage Silicon Valley 265

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Private equity and venture capital investors are copying our sisters in the hedge fund world: we’re trying to automate more of our job. . In liquid markets, most of the calories expended on technology and analytics are focused on trade selection, or “ origination ”. 2) Market .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Agile VC

APRIL 27, 2012

We love meeting entrepreneurs who take this blank canvas approach when thinking about disrupting markets. This is how new markets get created. We try hard to bring our own blank canvas into these meetings so that we can better conceive and appreciate the vision of founders we meet with. What’s Your Favorite Future?

Silicon Valley 124

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 124

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

For almost as long as I’ve been at First Round , we’ve been thinking a lot about the gap between the average experience of a local merchant and the huge marketing opportunity that the internet and social networks represent. and Chris weighed in given his expertise in the sales & marketing area.

Syndicate 104

Syndicate Syndication Venture Capital Social Network 104

Haystack

AUGUST 18, 2019

If you’ve been following my tweets lately, you’ve read some of my quick musings on the state of the seed market this summer. years is not a long arc – I have not experienced a prolonged down market as a private investor. When more capital is chasing the same set, entry prices go up and returns are likely to go down.

Seed Stage 108

Seed Stage Cap Table Early Stage Malaysia 108

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 1, 2010

It’s just that he’s a “super seed&# investor in a firm, Founder Collective , that I really respect (and with whom I’ve done two deals and hope to do a third) and I’m a partner in a venture capital firm, GRP Partners. So we’re bound to frame the issue in slightly different terms.

Post-Money Valuation 298

Post-Money Valuation Term Sheet Warrant Partner 298

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Find out what the buzz is all about and make valuable connections with local investors who you can syndicate deals with. The tour starts in Dallas on June 4 and ends in Austin on June 6 with an epic 10 year birthday party for Capital Factory! Venture Capitalists and Family Offices from around the U.S. Who should come on the bus?

Texas 50

Texas San Antonio Houston Dallas 50

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

This forces some level of intellectual honestly about one’s position in the market, and can push you to try to see around corners and respond. When we started NextView, there were relatively few seed focused venture capital funds in the country, even fewer on the east coast, and almost none in the Boston area.

Cram Down 66

Cram Down Institutional Investors Dilution Seed Stage 66

Professor VC

JULY 25, 2013

Mike Markkula presenting Steve Jobs with first investment in Apple I recently watched an excellent documentary on PBS, Something Ventured: Risk, Reward, and the Original Venture Capitalists. Another area where I''m not sure I stand is with some of the more formal referral and syndication programs that are emerging now.

Term Sheet 46

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 46

K9 Ventures

JULY 19, 2012

With the new fund K9 Ventures will be able to invest between $250K – $750K as an initial investment in the companies we back. K9 Ventures II will still be syndicating most investments with other seed and angel investors. New Technology or New Market : The product must involve some kind of new technology or a new market.

Technology 132

Technology Seed Stage San Francisco Limited Partner 132

K9 Ventures

JULY 19, 2012

With the new fund K9 Ventures will be able to invest between $250K – $750K as an initial investment in the companies we back. K9 Ventures II will still be syndicating most investments with other seed and angel investors. New Technology or New Market : The product must involve some kind of new technology or a new market.

Technology 132

Technology Seed Stage San Francisco Limited Partner 132

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 2, 2010

Dave McClure: MoneyBall for Startups: Invest BEFORE Product/Market Fit, Double-Down AFTER. But before Foundry Group, my partners and I were involved in many seed investments, both at Mobius Venture Capital. At Foundry Group, we describe ourselves as being “syndication agnostic&#.

Angel Investor 152

Angel Investor Cofounder Syndicate Syndication 152

VC Cafe

JULY 27, 2017

My own fascination with podcasts began with a warm recommendation from Pablo (founder of Antidote ). It is often available for subscription, so that new episodes are automatically downloaded via web syndication to the user’s own local computer, mobile application, or portable media player. The third wave of podcasting.

Audio 60

Audio Curation Silicon Valley Media 60

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

Some can supply more when syndicating with other such groups. Email readers, continue here… ] The Angel Capital Association (ACA) lists over four hundred member groups, located throughout the USA. All angel groups will want to see the founders in person or by Zoom at sometime early in the process.

Equity 62

Equity Finance Liquidity Event Angel Groups 62

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 21, 2010

At First Round , I often hear the term “product-market” fit. Since we often invest before the big “hockey stick” traction that bigger VCs wait for, a lot of times the company is still trying to tweak exactly what service or application will take off in a given market. Think about what your product and market will demand of you.

Product 68

Product Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Syndicate 68

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

We were trying to optimize around a few criteria: price, size of round, number of syndicate partners and, of course, terms. 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. If you remember your history the market crashed the next week.

Technical Review 301

Technical Review Term Sheet Due Diligence Venture Capital 301

David Teten

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

Prior to joining ff Venture Capital , I published the first-ever study of how private equity and venture capital funds originate new investments, with my coauthor Chris Farmer , CEO of SignalFire and an experienced VC. ff Venture Capital. First Round Capital. Acquirer/ Investor. 2009) [ii].

Private Equity 114

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Equity 114

Rob Go

OCTOBER 21, 2013

I’ve been hearing a similar lament recently from founders of seed stage companies. What they’ve found is that it’s reasonably effective to hang-around-the-hoop as a deal is coming together, and pounce once a high-quality syndicate seems to be forming. Here’s what I make of it. Investors make good decisions.

Seed Stage 53

Seed Stage Due Diligence Early Stage Syndicate 53