David Teten

JANUARY 23, 2021

I’ve been fortunate to be a Partner at two different VC firms over the past 9 years, and we’ve grown AUM 10X both times. Build the firm as much as possible before you solicit limited partners. . The next best move is to build your core team, e.g., recruit an Advisory Board, Venture Partners, and EIRs. Lastly, gather feedback.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review 78

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 2, 2017

It’s hard enough to get a job at a venture capital or private equity firm; it’s even more complex to join as a Partner. If you join a fund, you’ll invest your financial capital, but far more importantly, your reputational capital. The other Partners have lost faith and want to cut their losses. So assessing fit is critical.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Partner 60

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. Access to the partner. If you’ve put money into a fund, I think it’s reasonable to expect that partner to check out the deal flow that you find on your own, and let you know what they think.

Portfolio 134

Portfolio Syndicate Syndication Deal Flow 134

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 10, 2016

In fact, the main partner became increasingly difficult to reach, and a junior person started interacting with the company more and more. Reference calls to potential limited partners seemingly have no upside to founders. Many founders realize the hard way that reputations of many "top" VCs are little more than smoke and mirrors.

Cap Table 60

Cap Table Limited Partner LP Reputation 60

David Teten

MARCH 2, 2013

Assuming you have a large amount of capital to invest, the relatively easy decision is to invest in one of the brand-name, multi-billion dollar VCs. For larger funds whose Partners can earn 7-digit compensation before producing any profits for investors, incentives are not fully aligned.

LP 114

LP Securities and Exchange Commission Silicon Valley Venture Capital 114

Genuine VC

OCTOBER 11, 2011

I hypothesized that, “Perhaps a contrarian statement in this environment: but even though there’s been a dip in fund size due to broad economic factors and LP appetite, it wouldn’t surprise me if the truly top firms raise even larger funds over the coming decade.” What’s pouring = individual partners matter.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Seed Stage Entrepreneur LP 150

Growthink Blog

AUGUST 14, 2010

The best articulation of it comes from Basil Peters, a serial technology entrepreneur, co-Founder of Nexus Engineering, former Canada Entrepreneur of the Year, and Managing Partner at 3 venture capital funds – Fundamental Technologies I and II and the BC Advantage Funds. His blog is one of the best resources on technology investing out there.

Private Equity 67

Private Equity Intellectual Property IPO Venture Capital 67