View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

The decision around sequencing is equally (if not more) important, especially in the first 12-18 months of the business as you search for PMF and test out your initial go-to-market (GTM) strategy. With extremely limited resources and time, one wrong step could cost you 6-9 months of runway.

Part-Time VPE 195

Part-Time VPE Seed Stage CTO Hire Forecast 195

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MAY 14, 2015

Lastly, some companies do have close ties to individuals they trust that help them search, which was the experience I had at a Series A startup a few years ago. You should start actively searching for space 3-4 months out. To do so, the partners started their search in earnest in March and finalized paperwork in June.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Cofounder Technical Review 120

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FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Another plausible scenario could be partnership and consolidation earlier in the life cycle of some vertical telehealth providers, in search for shared operating efficiencies across patient acquisition, technology, and back-office operations. .

Vertical 156

Vertical Software Review Portfolio Demand 156

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DECEMBER 17, 2015

For the company, he’s led multiple tech teams focused on products like voice and image search, Google Search for iOS, Google Glass, and Android Wear. But whenever you do background searches, you should also be developing an idea of their story to identify who the person is. office, right in the heart of MIT.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Engineer Software Review Founder 120

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

He then very succinctly laid out how he was going to accomplish this, which is nearly identical to the first sentence of the company’s Wikipedia page and their subtext on google search results: “ 2U Inc.,

Southern California 159

Southern California Phoenix Technical Review Seed Stage 159

View from Seed

JANUARY 2, 2024

Again, I think the question facing early stage investors is: Are you going the a hammer in search for nails? They will be able to enjoy a larger breadth of opportunities, but will lose some of the simplicity that comes with having a very narrow strike zone. Arguably, the greatest hammer in early stage investing is YC.

Early Stage 177

Early Stage Valuation Distribution Founder 177

View from Seed

JULY 31, 2014

Typically, these patterns arise out of a combination of approaches by my partners and me: proactive searching for startups in specific categories, reacting to what entrepreneurs pitch, and translating valuable learning from making one investment over to making another.

Seed Stage 272

Seed Stage B2C Technical Review Disintermediation 272

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OCTOBER 5, 2016

The one takeaway I can share with certainty is that the search for angels shouldn’t be a narrow and haphazard effort concentrating on purely financial motives and outcomes. The above suggestions are just that – a rough guide. The context of your company and the individuals you reach are paramount.

Angel Investor 332

Angel Investor Boston Seed Stage Syndicate 332

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

We believe that fundraising is about searching for believers not convincing the skeptics, and the best way to succeed in that search is to tell a story rather than a just-the-facts presentation; the goal is to win potential investors over with their hearts as well as their heads.

Seed Stage 159

Seed Stage Metrics Matching Search 159

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OCTOBER 14, 2020

When we first started our search process, my partner Rob talked about “ an explorer’s mind ” as a key attribute for the kind of person we wish to bring on to the NextView team. In addition to her operating roles, Leah worked on the venture investing team at Slow Ventures, and she began her career in management at Bridgewater Associates.

New York 180

New York Early Stage Cofounder Operations 180

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MAY 11, 2016

Many second-time founders take a more deliberate, academic approach to searching for a problem. The founder may not have been as experienced as they are today, but they have some unique insights about a problem and unique connection to the opportunity that propelled them as a first-time founder. 2: Fleeing from the familiar.

Founder 159

Founder Cofounder CTO Hire Early Stage 159

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

They make contrarian decisions, push faster and harder that I’m comfortable, or question advice in an aggressive search for truth. From my experience, however, the best founders tend to feel a little out-of-control. These are not necessarily attributes of someone who is not-coachable, but they can seem that way.

Green 280

Green Founder Search Entrepreneur 280

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AUGUST 17, 2021

As my partner Lee always says, fundraising isn’t about convincing skeptics, it’s a search for true believers. We deeply value these relationships, but they were not all perfectly planned. The second is this – don’t let fundraising get you down.

IRR 205

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 205

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SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

But in the search for true believers early on, it was really important to understand how that fits with what prospective LPs were looking to buy. Even though what likely piqued their interest initially may have been different, their long-term goals of great sustained performance are the same.

LP 309

LP Customer Early Stage Portfolio 309

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AUGUST 17, 2021

As my partner Lee always says, fundraising isn’t about convincing skeptics, it’s a search for true believers. We deeply value these relationships, but they were not all perfectly planned. The second is this – don’t let fundraising get you down.

IRR 156

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 156

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AUGUST 2, 2019

Repeat founders are wired to start businesses, and are sometimes working on a company because they have been searching for a business to start rather than being pulled by an authentic problem. We find that often, this is because of the challenge of finding an authentic problem to solve.

Cofounder 168

Cofounder Acquisition Founder Matching 168

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

As my partner Lee always says, fundraising isn’t about convincing skeptics, it’s a search for true believers. We deeply value these relationships, but they were not all perfectly planned. The second is this – don’t let fundraising get you down.

IRR 136

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 136

View from Seed

MAY 19, 2015

Great ideas search for a great entrepreneur; great entrepreneurs don’t search for a great idea. A founding team should not only have relevant experience but should have an immediate and authentic understanding of the end-users’ or customers’ needs. It may seem obvious, but founding a company is not a full-time job. And then some.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Liquidity Event Cofounder Startup 120

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JULY 17, 2019

Second, embrace that early stage fundraising is always a search for true believers. The payoff of getting more potential customers over the hump, and the fundraising benefits as a very nice second-order effect.

San Francisco 243

San Francisco Cofounder B2B Seed Stage 243

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OCTOBER 29, 2015

In this episode, we talk to Gabriel Weinberg, co-founder and CEO of the search engine Duck Duck Go and author of the book, Traction , now in its second edition. Subscribe on iTunes , SoundCloud , or Stitcher. Can you use a framework and process to gain initial startup traction?

Framework 120

Framework Cofounder Startup Channel 120

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DECEMBER 6, 2018

You can of course share privately that you’ve raised a round, but it’s a different story than a prospective employee (and their friends & family who she is going to brag to) can easily find it with a web search. Seeing on the screen just feels more “real” to many prospective employees, even if it shouldn’t. Inbound partners.

Seed Stage 201

Seed Stage Stealth Seed Capital Later Stage 201

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OCTOBER 7, 2015

The post NextView Investment Themes: A Search for Authenticity appeared first on The View From Seed.

Search 120

Search B2B Artificial Inteligence Semantic 120

View from Seed

OCTOBER 7, 2015

The post NextView Investment Themes: A Search for Authenticity appeared first on NextView Ventures.

Search 120

Search B2B Artificial Inteligence Semantic 120

View from Seed

MARCH 1, 2016

Search lights would pass right through where the statue used to stand. Well certainly: Not only would the TV cameras show it had disappeared, but they would film in long, uncut arcs free of trickery. A credible live crowd would testify live at the truth of the spectacle. Radar would confirm the loss of a giant metal structure.

Founder 120

Founder Technical Review Cofounder Non-Compete 120

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JANUARY 8, 2015

That’s literally all you are during the first 18 to 24 months — a promise to solve a problem (your founding mission) and a commitment to finding the best way to do that (your search for traction). We saw this at HubSpot, as our email list — more so than social or search — was the top driver of new contacts.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Audience Leadership 120

View from Seed

APRIL 21, 2015

Georgiades (Zumper): I think business school is more about soul searching than spending 24 hours building a product. I think I really overvalued experience and undervalued determination and ambition. Startups are all about just going out there and doing it. There is plenty of time post-HBS to crank on building product.

Founder 120

Founder Las Vegas Entrepreneur Cofounder 120

View from Seed

JANUARY 11, 2017

One of our prior investments was an e-commerce company that grew primarily through organic search.

Strategic Investors 120

Strategic Investors Post-Money Valuation Seed Stage Cofounder 120

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 1, 2017

These can then prioritize their own products and services (Amazon already does) or drive the evolution of competitive search monetization and SEO rankings for voice. These two categories of voice-user activation further underscore the future power of dominant voice platforms to develop into independent operating systems.

Vertical 120

Vertical Differentiation Internet SEO 120

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JANUARY 14, 2016

Unfortunately, this juncture is where most people make a critical mistake that derails their search… Continue reading by downloading the full guide : Contents include: Matching your overall career goals and your near- and long-term objectives to the appropriate startup stages of growth.

Startup 120

Startup IPO Portfolio Matching 120

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NOVEMBER 12, 2015

In crowded markets, you want to help investors understand why the large number of names they might turn up in a google search are not as relevant as the 1-3 in the first list. For the second list, you should know the players inside and out, but hopefully there is some clear reason why they are lower priority for you.

Due Diligence 120

Due Diligence Startup Early Stage Hiring 120

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JANUARY 11, 2018

In the end, we look for companies dramatically improving people’s everyday lives first, and then search for startups that design the business model around that transformation. Parsec ), or startups aimed at small business owners who are effectively consumers (e.g. Alignable ).

B2B 120

B2B B2C Vertical Portfolio 120

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APRIL 21, 2016

So this further complicates your search. System/Ops. Native App Types. The best engineers I’ve worked with cross into multiple categories. I’d consider them to be more like generalists. Sometimes, the decision about who to look for is easier than other times.

Engineer 149

Engineer Hiring Non-Compete Dividend 149

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APRIL 16, 2015

Your fundraise is a search for true believers , so I wouldn’t think much about this in terms of early value inflection points. These are four key value inflection points to reach and pass. Let’s take them in (sort of) reverse order. Does it matter? This may not really be “provable” to an investor.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Cofounder Early Stage Startup 120

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

However, working against founders when they share pricing expectations too early is the fact that the search for investors becomes largely about price, not about finding a good partner for the business moving forward. And if executed effectively, this can also set a positive tone towards all proceeding discussions with other investors.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

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FEBRUARY 19, 2015

I called the recruiter running the search and told him I was going to step down and hire a CEO. In 2010, we were recruiting for a Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Backupify, and it was clear that many of the people I was interviewing wanted the CEO role.

Founder 120

Founder Startup Cofounder Business Model 120

View from Seed

MARCH 3, 2016

Search online for freelancers and consultants using LinkedIn. Ask around to see if you can find people that are verified by your connections. Even if you’re connected with a freelancer through a friend, make sure you vet them by asking for samples and by using our interview questions below.

Hiring 120

Hiring Marketing Startup Portfolio 120

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APRIL 7, 2015

That’s why early stage fundraising is about searching for true believers, not convincing skeptics.). (In fact, with low conviction, the threshold probably moves further and further away from you and is always just out of reach.

Early Stage 120

Early Stage Founder Later Stage Engineer 120