Both Sides of the Table

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The Audacious Plan to Make Electricity as Easy as WiFi

Both Sides of the Table

It’s true the some VCs have started writing so many checks that they resemble stock pickers but the majority of us still have less than 10 board seats at any time and tend to go pretty deep so the result is that we care deeply about where we commit our time. We hired IP specialists to review prior art.

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How to Work with Lawyers at a Startup

Both Sides of the Table

Shame about not getting it in legal writing that you owned the original IP. Forget to get around to setting up that Employee Stock Option Plan and want to be able to give the early guys their options at a low strike price? They usually ask for warrants (basically like a stock option) in exchange for taking a deferred fee.

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Some Career Advice for Aspiring Tech CEOs

Both Sides of the Table

There are many companies with phenomenal IP that is truly differentiated but where the original executive team squandered their opportunity due to inability to sell, market or service customers. There is often money to be made in finding places with under-valued IP. I saved my main point for last. ” (Warren Buffett).

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Should Startups Focus on Profitability or Not?

Both Sides of the Table

If you spent the 3 years perfecting some hugely differentiated technology IP that may also be different. I always remind this to journalists who ask me about public stocks. If you had huge customer growth but just didn’t focus on revenue that’s a different story.

Startup 418
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What Did I Learn From the First VC Check I Ever Wrote?

Both Sides of the Table

Just as I was getting the swing of things the world shifted beneath my feet and the stock market went into a free fall and venture capital all but shut down for nearly a year. Defensible IP becomes insanely valuable?—?particularly Over the past 2.5 particularly as you achieve scale.

IP 223
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Revisiting Paul Graham’s “High Resolution” Financing

Both Sides of the Table

These days there are many lawyers that will do equity deals cheaply as long is it is a standardized, simplified term sheet, early stage, no serious investor / management debates, limited IP / customers / due diligence and as long as they perceive you as a “hot&# company that’s likely to need legal services for many years ahead. (if

Finance 286
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Bad Notes on Venture Capital

Both Sides of the Table

If you’re wildly successful early on or if they help you achieve a great valuation they actually pay a significant price for their eventual stock even though they took much more risk than a future investor and backed you early. Less than you’ll probably grant your most junior employees in stock options? Stock Option plans.