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Visit to Case Foundation and Startup America

David Teten

Michael Smith, leader of the Social Innovation team at the Case Foundation , introduced the Foundation as a non-profit started in 1997 by Steve Case (AOL co-founder) and his wife, Jean Case. Case Foundation didn’t have a website until 2005, although founded 1997. Early stage startups are <5 yrs old.

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The Entrepreneur’s Essentials #11: New Year’s advice for middle-aged people

Austin Startup

Bill Wood, founder of Silverton Partners and an early General Partner at Austin Ventures before, said something that got me thinking (quoting from the SiliconHills article ): Because it’s easy to startup a company and doesn’t take a lot of money, Silverton Partners sees more startups forming, Wood said. in the long-run, I say!?—?success

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Looking for Funds in All the Right Places

Austin Startup

For investors outside of Austin and LPs: Austin is a a vibrant startup market and this list of capital sources can help you identify firms to co-invest with and funds to invest in. Entrepreneurs with early stage companies typically look for local funding before going out of region to pursue other funding sources.

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Building a Great Startup Board: Pt 1

Reid Hoffman

Signing an office lease might not seem like a board-level decision, but with early-stage startups, that lease might very well be a financial liability that significantly exceeds the company’s total cash in the bank. At this stage, you need a true founder who fervently believes they’re going to make the company successful.

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When VCs Don’t B t You

Feld Thoughts

In 2007, when we set out to raise our first Foundry Group fund, early stage tech VC was in the shitter. No one believed that you could make any money as an early stage VC and when we went out to raise our first fund, we heard over and over again that we were on a fools errand.

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This Week in VC with @VCMike Hirshland of Polaris Ventures

Both Sides of the Table

This probably wasn’t a fun period of time for a new VC but nonetheless probably made Mike stronger than having started in 1997. Since then Mike his built his career by investing in early-stage companies (seed or series A), which is remarkable given that Polaris Ventures is a $1 billion fund. Founded 2007 in Boulder, CO.