Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

Our industry just took one big step towards legitimacy with the hiring of renowned media exec Ynon Kreiz to run Maker Studios. You can’t change media consumption patterns easily. Ynon Kreiz is a force of nature in the media and tech sectors. hours of TV / day. hours of TV / day. They read less than 30 minutes.

Video 320

Video Los Angeles Technical Cofounder CTO Hire 320

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

The functions of an early-stage board are pretty obvious and well understood: Providing introductions to customers, biz dev partners, recruits, the press, other investors, etc. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions. how much energy to put into channel partners vs. direct sales. Mentorship.

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Early Stage Software Review Los Angeles 325

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2010

GRP Partners is looking to hire two analysts (maybe even three) to join our practice in Los Angeles. The chosen candidate will probably have worked for a very reputable firm that is either in technology, consulting, investment banking, media or a startup. And none of our partners actually worked for any of these firms.

Los Angeles 290

Los Angeles Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital 290

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

In my last post I pointed out that many of the media commentators who have criticized the YouTube video network companies as not having strong businesses were mistaken. People aren’t going to fundamentally change their media consumption patterns just as consumers don’t fundamentally change their diets. MSN & AOL.

Video 339

Video Technical Review Distribution Aggregator 339

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

Not just the $20 million round at Invoca, the $70 million I helped us raise at Maker Studios , but I was intimately involved with the earliest funding round at DataSift and every subsequent round which has recently announced $42 million led by Insight Venture Partners and $70 million in total.

Los Angeles 387

Los Angeles Intellectual Property LP Venture Capital 387

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

I was reminded of this yesterday watching my friend Justin Kan on Snapchat with this 10-second reminder, “No matter how much you raise at your company you’ll end up spending it in 12–24 months” https://medium.com/media/8594cb16d022a083932b0f3d60b79ebd/href I would probably amend it to say 12–18 months. People do what people do.

Pre-Money Valuation 292

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Early Stage Startup 292

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

There was so much great content at the Upfront Summit but I think one held a special place in minds of most people I talked to – our panel on diversity led by my partner Hamet Watt (<– what? We want to partner with you to make money.” you’re not following him?). ” – Earvin Magic Johnson.

Silicon Valley 150

Silicon Valley Video Los Angeles Philadelphia 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

And rather than a small group of our partners and associates all thinking it’s a good idea we don’t mind if there is strong internal debate and at Upfront there often is. ” So other partners at the firm might sling mud at your ideas as you go for approval on an investment. As I like to say, “We need to fight.

Technical Review 362

Technical Review America Partner United States 362

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

I know that sounds trite but that is exactly how my firm talks about things in partner meetings. It becomes a large part of the conversation in our partners’ meeting afterward. I know that many media outlets would like to portray this in a different way but knowing many of these individuals I believe it is true for most.

Technical Review 284

Technical Review Due Diligence Entrepreneur Early Stage 284

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Along with Greycroft Partners we were the first investors in Maker Studios 3 years ago when the company had no revenue and limited infrastructure.

Networking 366

Networking Media Distribution Video 366

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2011

The obvious starting points to think to yourself are: Has something happened that fundamentally affects my customers or partners? Find other media outlets to tell your story. Trust me, these advisors will prove invaluable if you don’t have a lot of media experience. I want to know our media roadmap.

PR 329

PR Management Startup Vietnam 329

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2010

They are tasked with “getting deals done&# so they race around talking to tons of potential partners inking anything from channel sale deals , product integration, international distribution agreements, co-marketing arrangements, M&A discussions, etc. Here’s how it goes: You have a business development group with two people.

Development Team Review 323

Development Team Review SEM Channel Social Media 323

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2013

“We don’t have budget for that this year” “I don’t believe in social media advertising.” ” “There’s no way we’re going to partner in this area. ” “I’m already in a pilot with one of your competitors.” It’s too strategic.

Sales Cycle 375

Sales Cycle Sales Technical Review Campaign 375

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

o Their strong skill was online media buying and optimization – they rarely would do CPA deals – mostly buying CPM. As internet crashed media became cheaper so they bought more and their tracking and analysis became really good so they did better. Later they became big business in Financial services lead-gen. And he said ok got it.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Warrant Customer Term Sheet 304

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

My action item – I will soon announce the GRP Partners CEO Summit. I really enjoyed learning more about Buddy Media and meeting Michael Lazerow. If you can get 30 CEO’s sitting on the edge of their seats about about 8 VC partners to not use their Blackberry’s for 90 minutes you’re really achieved something.

PR 279

PR Technical Review Portfolio Customer Development 279

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2010

This week’s guest was David Travers from Rustic Canyon Partners. They focus on trying to drive engagbranded social media marketing campaigns (e.g. What I found strange about this funded was the fact that it was led by Summit Partners. Investors: Summit Partners (lead), Jeff Clavier, Aydin Senkut, Gary Vaynerchuk.

Venture Capital 270

Venture Capital Cofounder Spain San Diego 270

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2009

My firm GRP Partners recently funded a young LA based company named Ad.Ly Traditional media companies published their stories on the web. And it is the most notable media darling not making any money so everyone is asking the question – how will they make money? So did the media. was the “static&# web.

Technical Review 286

Technical Review Advertising Early Stage Internet 286

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

Focus on the partner you would be working with. One issue he talked about was working with partners. I also like to work with partners. But I also know it’s not realistic for the partners to do all of the work. In every firm there are A, B and C players. Good people and evil people. Get to know them.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

I told her that I believed America’s best asset – driven initially from software innovation mindset in the San Francisco Bay Area and media innovation driven from Los Angeles – was our willingness to accept failure. Now they are partners. The collective wisdom of the establishment to this huge innovation?

Technical Review 417

Technical Review South Korea San Francisco Software Review 417

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 5, 2010

My personal favorite and best fit for GRP Partners was Thumbtack. It serves a similar role as Digsby (which I love using) albeit from a social media metaphor rather than an IM metaphor. There wasn’t a bad company tonight but I had a clear favorite. Thumbtack is marketplace for local services.

San Francisco 254

San Francisco Technical Review Los Angeles Software Review 254

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2014

As you may know we co-lead the first round of financing of Maker Studios, the largest overall producer for online video content, along with Greycroft Partners. Every politician in the country knows this as well as every consumer brand, every retailer, every restaurant and every media company.

South America 291

South America Colombia Mexico Vertical 291

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Eric Paley , managing partner at Founder Collective , told me that they had implemented a city-wide program in Boston to help local university students get internships at local tech startups. It also has a built-in advantage in telling the world how awesome it’s doing – it’s the center of the media world. Savings.com.

Community 378

Community San Diego Silicon Valley Los Angeles 378

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

If you haven’t followed this check out what’s happened with Netflix’s biggest content partner who has withdrawn from the service. should have come out early and say, “we lost the search war to Google but we still have a have a great media business and we’re going to focus on that.&# A note for industry.

Los Angeles 329

Los Angeles Revenue Retention Acquisition 329

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Recently the firms two founding partners (and also Managing Partners) —  Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham  — decided to transition management of the firm to Andy Weissman (who joined in 2012) and Albert Wenger (joined in 2008 and writes one of the most thoughtful blogs in our industry ). Maybe that’s USV, too.

Leadership 161

Leadership LP Venture Capital Silicon Valley 161

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

But through expressing points-of-view I can raise above the consciousness of my customers (entrepreneurs and limited partners who invest in VC funds) in ways that I couldn’t without breaking through the noise of the hundreds of others of VCs who also have money. Think about Luma Partners. They’re different. More strategic.

Campaign 389

Campaign Marketing Widget Analytics 389

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2016

My partner Greg Bettinelli (worth following on Twitter) was recently named by The LA Business Journal as the “ Top deal maker in Los Angeles in Venture Capital.” I joined Upfront Ventures in 2007 and took over as co-Managing Partner in 2011 along with the founder, Yves Sisteron. ” Numero uno.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Early Stage LP Partner 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

Be open & transparent (mimicking the greater social order changes that have come with blogs & social media). If you’re an associate, an assistant, in finance or a new partner interviewing with the firm – you know what we expect! So what else have we done to live up to our brand changes?

Ireland 324

Ireland Jordan Portfolio Flash 324

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2009

But then your customes start using your products, your competitors come out with new offerings and your business partners decide to launch a similar product rather than working with you. They had signed up Gawker Media and the New York Post. They had signed up Glam Media and TMZ. More interesting but still not my cuppa tea.

Entrepreneur 291

Entrepreneur Term Sheet Early Stage Affiliate 291

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

The first check I wrote was just over 10 years ago into a company called Invoca who just announced a new $56 million in funding led by Scott Hilleboe at HIG Growth Partners. Of course the media doesn’t do nuance well so this is an emotional topic. I thought this was a good time to reflect on some lessons of the past 10 years.

IP 223

IP Intellectual Property IRR Cofounder 223

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 15, 2010

In fact, their affiliate partners dissuaded them from doing so. They help speed up the network by pushing the highly viewed and large media files to the “edge&# of the network (e.g. 6mm in Series A : RRE Ventures ( James Robinson, IV ), Village Ventures , Contour Venture Partners , and Lowercase Capital. OTHER STUFF.

Venture Capital 271

Venture Capital Affiliate Valuation San Francisco 271

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

If you follow the tech media you would be subject to a lot of narrative biases that are completely off base – and this includes the value of email and phone calls. It’s why the first company I ever invested in as a VC – Invoca – just announced a $20 million funding by Accel Partners. THE FULL STORY.

Mobile 339

Mobile Email Social Media Global 339

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 15, 2010

I heard word that a new project was starting in Tokyo to work for the board of directors of a very large and well known Japanese electronics company to work on their Internet strategy looking at media, devices and networks. He told me that he was leading the project globally and gave me the name of the lead Japanese partner.

San Francisco 379

San Francisco Europe Japan Switzerland 379

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

To give visibility to these companies to: Sources of funding (angels / VCs), business development partners, mentors who have themselves built successful companies, the press and potential employees to hire. He previously co-founded Charlie , a Los Angeles based media company and interactive agency. This education will continue.

Los Angeles 287

Los Angeles Silicon Valley Incubator Startup 287

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

But relying upon SEO / SEM too much and not building a product and brand that is valued in its own right leaves you reliant upon that channel partner to not change the rules of marketing through their channel.

SEM 379

SEM Viral Marketing Widget 379

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

I have a good friend who spent years building relationships with senior executives at media companies. But I pointed out that he would be up against competitors that had spend years building relationships with the big financial services companies (as well as channel partners) and he was going to have to start from scratch.

San Diego 267

San Diego Entrepreneur Philadelphia Cloud 267

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2010

You bump into the person you’ve always wanted to chat with or your perfect business development partner who can “make” you. One person who doesn’t waste this opportunity is Sam Jones of Formation Media. I run a company called Formation Media. We set up Formation Media to bring that experience to the Internet.

Elevator Pitch 315

Elevator Pitch Southern California Media Hosting 315

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2014

More Americans buy cars through TrueCar (Upfront is a large investor through my partner Steven Dietz ) than any other place by a long shot. The entire team had a hell of a couple of years and I lived this through the stress I saw my partner Steven going through with the team. I can’t imagine buying a car any other way.

Turkey 338

Turkey Cloud Startup China 338