Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

He said that from what he read, the path to building and funding a company seemed to be: 1) come up with an idea, 2) form a team, 3) start testing minimal viable products, 4) raise seed funding, 5) then obtain venture capital. Unlike an accelerator, a venture studio does not fund existing startups.

Technical Cofounder 346

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 346

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Today is amongst the proudest days I’ve had at Upfront Ventures — getting the chance to announce that Kevin Zhang has been promoted to Partner. years at Upfront has been both a pleasure and also has taught me a lot about venture capital. We are sparring partners, not “deciders.”

Partner 150

Partner South Korea Venture Capital Europe 150

View from Seed

APRIL 6, 2021

You are a native of NYC tech with a strong network. You know the ecosystem and have a network that is additive to the rest of the team. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. Who Are We Looking For. You act as an “ invited guest.”.

Technical Review 317

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage Cofounder 317

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Reverse due diligence on the investor is a comparable process whereby the entrepreneur seeks to validate the track record, operating style, and motivation of every potential partner. Through networking with other entrepreneurs, you should find one or more to visit that have relationships with this investor. Marty Zwilling

Technical Review 345

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 345

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 15, 2010

I was on This Week in Venture Capital (TWiVC) again this week with Jason Calacanis. In fact, their affiliate partners dissuaded them from doing so. I think the best solution for the social networking era is “in-stream&# advertising. This is a CDN (Content Delivery Network). But I made it for a reason.

Venture Capital 271

Venture Capital Affiliate Valuation San Francisco 271

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2023

If you are approaching a recognized venture capital group, or even an accredited angel investor, a non-disclosure agreement is counter-productive. The same is true for people who may approach you at networking events or industry conferences. Discussions with potential strategic partners. Build trust first.

Non-disclosure Agreement 254

Non-disclosure Agreement Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 254

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. It takes more than one person to build a business, so the lone entrepreneur, without support from any visible team, advisors, partners, or potential customers, will not attract investors.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

View from Seed

JANUARY 11, 2021

Noting our own experience, we questioned whether the fast proliferation of virtual interaction introduced by the COVID-19 crisis had changed investor decision-making more broadly across the venture capital industry. Following initial decision paralysis, many venture capitalists have returned to pace.

Venture Capital 350

Venture Capital Cofounder Early Stage Seed Stage 350

View from Seed

JULY 6, 2020

You are a native of NYC tech with a strong network. You know the ecosystem and have a network that is additive to the rest of the team. . You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. . Who Are We Looking For. You act as an “ invited guest.”.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Software Review Hiring Seed Stage 257

David Teten

JANUARY 9, 2018

a “Bitcoin Fund”, a “Social Media Fund”, a “Nanotech Fund”), you’re going to raise capital from Limited Partners who are very focused on Theme X. – Network. At the same time, they reduce the value of knowledge about people in your network; now anyone can find out who, for example, are the M&A decision-makers at Cisco.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Private Equity Silicon Valley Differentiation 60

David Teten

JANUARY 9, 2018

a “Bitcoin Fund”, a “Social Media Fund”, a “Nanotech Fund”), you’re going to raise capital from Limited Partners who are very focused on Theme X. – Network. At the same time, they reduce the value of knowledge about people in your network; now anyone can find out who, for example, are the M&A decision-makers at Cisco.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Private Equity Silicon Valley Differentiation 60

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2010

This week’s guest was David Travers from Rustic Canyon Partners. 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. The investment will be used for product development initiatives. 4mm in Series A.

Venture Capital 270

Venture Capital Cofounder Spain San Diego 270

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

At our mid-year offsite our partnership at Upfront Ventures was discussing what the future of venture capital and the startup ecosystem looked like. 40% of our deals are done in Los Angeles but 100% of our deals leverage the LA networks we have built for 25 years. Please follow him & welcome him to Upfront!!

Technical Review 416

Technical Review Pre-Money Valuation San Francisco Valuation 416

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. PEVCTech is partnering with Blue Future Partners to run the first large-scale survey of VCs’ technology stack. Google Ventures (GV). Greylock Partners.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

David Teten

MAY 9, 2012

VCAP© Addresses the Gap between Venture Capital and Funding for Women and Diverse Entrepreneurs. VCAP©, the first program of its kind, bridges the gap between venture capitalists and angel investor networks and women and diverse entrepreneurs, many of whom have not traditionally had access to these sources of capital.

Venture Capital 154

Venture Capital Programming Accredited Investor New York 154

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

She had so much insight to share that we broke the interview into two parts, 1) Corporate Venture Capital and more broadly, 2) How the Fortune 500 Can Buy, Invest and Partner with the Innovation Economy (coming soon). . At Virgin Mobile USA, Mari led early initiatives in mobile commerce, social networking and advertising.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

If you are approaching a recognized venture capital group, or even an accredited angel investor, a non-disclosure agreement is counter-productive. The same is true for people who may approach you at networking events or industry conferences. Discussions with potential strategic partners. Build trust first.

Non-disclosure Agreement 399

Non-disclosure Agreement Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 399

VC Cafe

AUGUST 11, 2022

A bond between a founder and investor is a commitment for a long term relationship – that’s why it is important to have the right partners on your side. When I first met Eze from Remagine Ventures, it was clear that he shares our company’s vision, understands the market, and cares about our journey as founders.

Founder 187

Founder Term Sheet Cofounder Venture Capital 187

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses. As a result of the IPO window shifting we saw a massive inflow of public-market capital into the latest stages of venture.

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage IPO 328

VC Cafe

MAY 29, 2022

Building on my post on ‘ Advice for startups in a downturn (May 2022 edition) ‘, this week I continued to follow with interest the impact of the current correction on startups and venture capital, particularly in early stage. How much of the slowdown in venture capital is real vs. ‘doom and gloom’ headlines.

Venture Capital 184

Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation Startup 184

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. It takes more than one person to build a business, so the lone entrepreneur, without support from any visible team, advisors, partners, or potential customers, will not attract investors.

Intellectual Property 316

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 316

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2022

In that environment, you need to look broadly and work effectively on all the available sources of capital, including friends and family, angel investors, and strategic partners. If you need venture capital, maybe you need to spend more time in Silicon Valley or Boston. Status: network, connections, and personal brand.

Silicon Valley 325

Silicon Valley Angel Investor Technical Review Boston 325

Up and Running

AUGUST 12, 2014

A few weeks ago I spoke with Boris Wertz, founder of JustBooks, COO of AbeBooks and founding-partner of Version One Ventures. In In as much as a scheduled interview with an angel investor can be, talking with Boris about what it takes to spark the interest of a venture capital firm was a coincidence.

Venture Capital 90

Venture Capital Founder Angel Investor Portfolio 90

VC Cafe

MAY 18, 2023

So, without further ado, I present to you the Ten Commandments of Being a Great Venture Capital Investor. Focus on building your own unique investment thesis and network. Venture capital investing is a long-term game. Thou Shalt Love Thy Limited Partners as Thyself : Treat your LPs with respect and transparency.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Due Diligence Exit Strategy Deal Flow 78

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

I’ve heard a lot of people question whether there is too much money in venture capital chasing too few great deals. Others believe that new business models are emerging that could replace venture capital all together. We’re in a new tech bubble!” some have pronounced. Follow the money. Want some context?

Venture Capital 292

Venture Capital IPO Mezzanine Early Stage 292

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Reverse due diligence on the investor is a comparable process whereby the entrepreneur seeks to validate the track record, operating style, and motivation of every potential partner. Through networking with other entrepreneurs, you should find one or more to visit that have relationships with this investor. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 310

View from Seed

MAY 24, 2021

You are a native of NYC tech with a strong network. You know the ecosystem and have a network that is additive to the rest of the team. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. Who Are We Looking For. You act as an “ invited guest.”.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage Cofounder 120

VC Adventure

JUNE 14, 2022

Companies looking to raise money turn to venture capital for a variety of reasons. Top among them is generally access to capital, but often on the list is the hope that raising capital from experienced (and well-networked) investors will have other positive impacts on their business.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Due Diligence Portfolio Venture Capital 150

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. Current round: $35mm in Series C (extension of Series B at higher valuation) from General Atlantic, Matrix Partners. OTHER DEALS: 1. Total Raised: $17.7mm.

Partner 240

Partner New York City Cofounder Syndicate 240

Feld Thoughts

FEBRUARY 21, 2019

My partner Seth Levine has written several posts over the years on the topic of how to get a job in venture capital. His 2019 post, titled creatively How To Get A Job In Venture Capital is excellent. Most people are terrible networkers. Getting a job in venture is hard and can take a while.

Venture Capital 114

Venture Capital Networking Community Partner 114

NZ Entrepreneur

MAY 31, 2021

The Angel Association of New Zealand ( AANZ ) is co-hosting with New Zealand Growth Capital Partners ( NZGCP ) a series of workshops on early-stage investment. Jason Graham from Movac provided an early-stage venture capital fund perspective, detailing 35 investments made across 5 funds and 22 years.

Portfolio 81

Portfolio New Zealand Management Technical Review 81

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Their realm fits between crowdfunding and venture capital sources. Look to grants and strategic partners for seed funding.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Accredited Investor Syndicate Syndication 265

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2014

Kathryn has been the founding VP of Marketing of Oracle , a successful recruiter, a world class Venture Capitalist, a co-founder of a Venture Capital firm, a great board member, one of my mentors and most importantly a wonderful friend. The answer of course, was Venture Capital, but that was not in the cards—as yet.

Venture Capital 333

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Chicago Cofounder 333

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

A Venture Capital Firm is a firm that invests in startups and early-stage companies. However, not all firms are venture capital firms. One of the most common ways of investing in a startup is by leveraging the expertise of a venture capital firm. They may also provide a mentorship network.

Venture Capital 52

Venture Capital Early Stage Liquidity Event SEC 52

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

by Marek Danyluk, managing partner at Space Executive. There is a thin line between success and failure for startups, and that is usually determined by capital. The more capital a startup has, the easier it is to get off the ground and ramp up growth. KPMG’s Venture Pulse Q3 2017 reported that the Asian market has raised $12.3

Venture Capital 196

Venture Capital Asia Artificial Inteligence Later Stage 196

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

After years of trying to persuade Kara Nortman to become a partner at Upfront Ventures I can officially announce now that she’s joined us effective immediately. It is rare to find somebody who matches exactly what I’m looking for in a partner so when you find it you act: Academic rigor (Princeton undergrad, Stanford MBA).

Partner 408

Partner Las Vegas Los Angeles Baltimore 408

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

There has been much discussion in the past few years of the changing structure of the venture capital industry. The rise of alternative sources of capital (crowd funding and the like). But it still takes VC to scale a business (thus large capital into industry winners like Uber, Airbnb, SnapChat, etc).

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398