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When Should Technical Founders Become CEO?

Both Sides of the Table

Much has been written about when it is time to hire a “professional CEO” to run a startup company and of course that has long been a norm in Silicon Valley when founders find that their inexperience may be a limiting factor in company growth ( know as the Peter Principle ). So why did Larry need to return?

Founder 309
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Making Good Decisions Still Means You're Sometimes Wrong.

Agile VC

I recently was having one of these conversations with an entrepreneur I’ve known for a couple years. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. One of the hardest things for me as a VC remains telling entrepreneurs I like and respect that we’re passing on their investment round. Author howerl.

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The Power of Quora & Why Benchmark was Right to Pay Up

Both Sides of the Table

What I notice is that people further the conversation, talk with each other, network, try to get noticed (linking to their websites, etc.). I wish every blog used Disqus and I wish every website that syndicated content would create an integrated commenting thread the way that Business Insider does. It’s true.

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LinkedIn: The Series A Fundraising Story ? AGILEVC

Agile VC

Silicon Valley is still emerging from the tech bubble and massive downturn of late 2000-2002. Online social networking is a concept still being evangelized even in Silicon Valley… Friendster is in private beta (wasn’t until Oct 2003 they received Google acquisition offer which they turned down for Kleiner/Benchmark round).

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Cliff Notes S-1: Kayak ? AGILEVC

Agile VC

At the end of the day Kayak’s playing a key role in the online travel process, but it appears more of the revenue comes from filling top of the conversion funnel rather than the middle or bottom of it. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. Distribution revenue is CPC and CPA. . Author howerl.

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Introducing Bolster Prime and Bolster Ventures (and their back story)

OnlyOnce

” While the founding team was exploring potential business opportunities that allowed us to make a bigger impact on the world, Silicon Valley Bank and High Alpha Innovation were together envisioning a platform to help VC-backed portfolio companies more effectively navigate the complex world of executive talent needs.

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Three Questions Founders Should Ask Scouts Before Taking An Investment

Hunter Walker

[Stefon voice] “The hottest club in Silicon Valley is ‘Scouts.'” As Tomio Geron wrote in this week’s WSJ , At Homebrew , we don’t currently use Scouts, but generally welcome any investors into syndicates who can provide value to the founders. The ties in Silicon Valley are complex!

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