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Entrepreneurs are Everywhere Show No. 20: Nayeem Hussain and Will Zell

Steve Blank

If you’re a venture capitalist … you have limited partners that give you money to invest on their behalf, and you’re responsible for giving them outsize returns. Filed under: Customer Development , SiriusXM Radio Show. Steve : And they wanted a bigger business than just a vent company. Nayeem : (Nods.)

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How Private Equity and Venture Capital Investors Are Eating Their Own Dogfood

David Teten

A more efficient approach is to mine the data exhaust from the Limited Partner universe to identify those LPs most likely to find your fund attractive, and focus all your energy on them. Relationship Science makes it easier to understand and map social networks into potential limited partners. 2) Raise capital.

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Welcome to the Lost Decade (for Entrepreneurs, IPO’s and VC’s)

Steve Blank

VC’s invested their limited partners’ “risk capital” in a portfolio of startups in exchange for illiquid stock. Some of the old-line venture firms have changed their strategy, but some are still locked into last decade’s model while the partners are living off of their management fees and go through cargo cult like rituals.

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Corporate Venture Capital: Obligatory or Oxymoron?

David Teten

Of course, bringing startups (whether prospective or existing portfolio companies) closer to operating divisions has business and customer development benefits. Access to potential buyers and partners is, after all, one of the main attractions why startups seek investment from corporate venture funds. Are they good sales people?

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Reinventing the Board Meeting – Part 1 of 2

Steve Blank

Investors get board seats to assure themselves and their limited partners that they are duly informed about their investment. From a VC’s point of view there are two reasons for board meetings. 1) It’s their fiduciary responsibility. Once a startup gets going, it has asymmetric information.

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Why Board Meetings Suck – Part 1 of 2

Steve Blank

Investors get board seats to assure themselves and their limited partners that they are duly informed about their investment. From a VC’s point of view there are two reasons for board meetings. 1) It’s their fiduciary responsibility. Once a startup gets going, it has asymmetric information.

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Founder First Principles?—?Creating Expa Labs

Eric Friedman

Network: Expa will provide a bi-weekly breakfast with individuals that can help Expa Labs companies + share materials with our limited partners at the end of the program. Hearing from real people was my Customer Development Process for Labs, and it felt good to “get outside the building” and talk to prospective “customers”.

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