Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

And the wrong message is frankly strewn all over Silicon Valley. And this is fueled by the VC culture in Silicon Valley. Our partners have invested in more than dozen companies that became worth more than a billion dollars and that has disproportionately drive returns. Or pivoted too quickly. I built two companies.

Silicon Valley 390

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 390

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 26, 2020

He also said, “The most important hire I made in my time at the JAIC was the chief technology officer, Nand Mulchandani.” Nand changed the culture of the JAIC, bringing in Silicon Valley tools for product development, product management and for the first time a culture that focused on UI/UX, MVPs and continuous integration and deployment.

Artificial Inteligence 388

Artificial Inteligence Fractional CTO Technology CTO 388

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. Companies manage these three types of innovation with an innovation portfolio – they build innovation internally, they buy it or they partner with resources outside their company. Silicon Valley – a Corporate Innovation Candy Store.

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 15, 2014

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?

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Founder CTO Hire Silicon Valley Leadership 309

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Last year I was on Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley meeting with one of the most prominent venture capital firms in the country. The VC partner, somebody I greatly respect said, “Yeah, we like Gil and what they’re doing. So can you really build a great tech firm outside of Silicon Valley? Los Angeles.

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Silicon Valley Southern California Los Angeles Semantic 313

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

They had been introduced by my friend Brian Garrett, a partner at Crosscut Ventures and the ambition outlined in their deck seemed almost unbelievable, “to make wireless charging of phones (and other devices) as easy as WiFi” that I had to see it for myself. We hired OSHA regulatory lawyers. We grilled their IP attorneys.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review Due Diligence CTO Hire 418

Agile VC

JULY 11, 2012

Some disgruntled younger partners left to go start a new firm in 1965 called Greylock. Some disgruntled younger partners left in the 90s to form what is now Redpoint Ventures (IT team) and Versant Ventures (healthcare team). Big success was Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), in which ARD invested about $2.1M

Silicon Valley 240

Silicon Valley Carried Interest Cofounder Boston 240

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

You hire people who look good on paper. So one of the surest signs you’ve hired a leader is the willingness of his or her former team to re-assemble. When you’re hiring most reference checkers focus on the person’s former bosses. My other partner, Steven Dietz, was on the board of my second company.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Cofounder San Francisco Silicon Valley 320

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

Steve Blank

JUNE 29, 2009

You’re Hired, You’re Fired. My first job in Silicon Valley: I was hired as a lab technician at ESL to support the training department. It makes you appreciate that the Silicon Valley technology-centric culture-bubble has little to do with the majority of Americans.) Driving across the U.S.

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Agile Silicon Valley RSS California 245

Reid Hoffman

JULY 27, 2021

Greylock Partners · Reid Hoffman | Philosopher Versus MBA. If they don’t have the right skills or resources, they’ll pick them up along the way by hiring someone, partnering with someone, or just learning it themselves. VENTURE CAPITAL AND THE MBAS OF SILICON VALLEY. TOP DRAWBACKS OF AN MBA PROGRAM.

Silicon Valley 69

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Balance Sheet Cofounder 69

Reid Hoffman

JULY 27, 2021

Greylock Partners · Reid Hoffman | Philosopher Versus MBA. If they don’t have the right skills or resources, they’ll pick them up along the way by hiring someone, partnering with someone, or just learning it themselves. VENTURE CAPITAL AND THE MBAS OF SILICON VALLEY. TOP DRAWBACKS OF AN MBA PROGRAM.

Silicon Valley 69

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Balance Sheet Cofounder 69

Steve Blank

JANUARY 19, 2011

has evolved an entrepreneurial ecosystem with two of the most unlikely partners – venture capital investors and technology entrepreneurs. 30 months ago he raised a Series A venture round from two name brand Silicon Valley VC firms. He was a great engineering manager and recruited, hired and inspired a world-class team.

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Silicon Valley Venture Capital Software Review Technical Review 235

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 25, 2021

Eren Bali arrived in Silicon Valley from Turkey in 2010 hoping to relaunch Udemy , his online education company. Eren came to the US from Turkey to work at a Silicon Valley tech startup, which is actually where I first met him a few years ago. They pivoted to monitoring patients for COVID, then testing.

Silicon Valley 60

Silicon Valley Turkey Los Angeles California 60

Steve Blank

APRIL 11, 2013

Examples are Hollywood for movies, Milan for fashion, New York for finance and today, Silicon Valley for technology entrepreneurship. It has become China’s Silicon Valley. They provide consulting, promotion, product testing, hiring, training and incubation services to startups.

Programming 278

Programming Technical Review SBIR China 278

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

The press called Rocket Science one of the hottest companies in Silicon Valley and predicted that our games would be great because the storyboards and trailers were spectacular. We hired everyone according to our plan. My wife was a great partner here. Stage 1: Shock and Surprise. This can’t be happening to me.

Redemption 330

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 330

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 19, 2019

Meanwhile, we recently talked with him about his thoughts on 35 years in Silicon Valley, why the skill sets of venture capitalists and CEOs are so different, and why telling a good story about your product is so crucial. You’ve been in Silicon Valley since the early days. I was the second partner to opt out.

Silicon Valley 159

Silicon Valley Lean Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation 159

Ben's Blog

MARCH 1, 2011

In my career, I have never seen a position in any industry with more varying criteria than General Partner at a venture capital firm. Some firms hire pure investors, some firms hire operators, some Wall Street analysts, some firms hire sales people, some firms hire lawyers, and others hire reporters.

Partner 78

Partner Technical Review Venture Capital Cofounder 78

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

He just hired Meg Whitman. Since NewTV won’t be making the content, they will be licensing from and partnering with traditional entertainment producers. NewTV will depend on partners like telcos to distribute the content. the ex-CEO of HP and eBay, as CEO of NewTV. Will consumers want to watch short-form mobile entertainment?

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Transformify

AUGUST 20, 2018

Transformify Recruitment CRM and Generate FS have joined forces to help employers hire top talent worldwide. As IT talent becomes scares in many technology hubs like London, New York, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Sydney, Berlin and many other big cities, the employers are left with no other option than looking for talent elsewhere in the world.

Saudi Arabia 40

Saudi Arabia Czech Republic Hiring South Korea 40

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

For much of 2014 and 2015, I banged my head against a plane window flying back and forth between Austin and Silicon Valley while trying to raise institutional VC money for Localeur. Are there amazing Silicon Valley VCs out there with whom entrepreneurs should work to partner? but it’s true. Most definitely.

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Technical Review Venture Capital San Francisco 48

Steve Blank

APRIL 13, 2013

I trained the Startup Weekend Next Beijing mentors and instructors, presented to several hundred entrepreneurs, and had a great fireside chat with Zhen Fund founding partner Xu Xiaoping in front of another roomful of entrepreneurs. It’s much easier to just steal their ideas and hire their employees. In the U.S. Unlike the U.S.

Silicon Valley 267

Silicon Valley China Venture Capital Merger 267

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

Seattle should be the envy of any non Silicon Valley tech community in the country. Your highest priority right now is hiring the 1 or 2 people that are going to join your company and make a difference. I know it’s not single-handed as he has both fantastic partners at Foundry Group and many other community leaders.

Seattle 317

Seattle Silicon Valley Technical Review Los Angeles 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2021

Of course, they can outsource part of the work or hire employees, but that approach means more time and money to manage the work, which they don’t have. Investors worry about a single entrepreneur getting overloaded, disabled or led astray, with no balancing and supporting partner. Join online "matchmaking" sites for business partners.

Cofounder 315

Cofounder Startup Silicon Valley Kansas 315

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

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. Hire around you to fill those weak spots. …. whether that’s partners or employees that you bring on. Nayeem : (Nods.) Nayeem : I didn’t, no.

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Silicon Valley Ohio Columbus Entrepreneur 120

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

I had lost a previous deal where the team said they liked me but didn’t know my partners well enough so I promised myself never to let that happen again. So I organized a team dinner with all four of my partners and all three of their founders. They hired a consultant to help them with the review.

China 333

China Silicon Valley Software Review Technical Review 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

I had lost a previous deal where the team said they liked me but didn’t know my partners well enough so I promised myself never to let that happen again. So I organized a team dinner with all four of my partners and all three of their founders. They hired a consultant to help them with the review.

China 328

China Silicon Valley Software Review Technical Review 328

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. The best and most consistent funds in Silicon Valley (e.g.

LP 311

LP Technical Review Early Stage Silicon Valley 311

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

I am thrilled to announce that we have added Hamet Watt as a Partner at Upfront Ventures. But as sweet as that success has been (we invested pre-revenue in a small team) today my even more important news was the further expansion of our partner ranks. We have been on a drive to add more operational partners. What does that mean?

Partner 340

Partner Los Angeles South Africa Cap Table 340

Steve Blank

JULY 16, 2009

Successful pinball companies didn’t hire Hollywood talent. Meanwhile our company was pouring an enormous amount of dollars into building tools and video compression technology, while also hiring a lot of high-priced Hollywood talent like art directors, and script and story editors. Instead I said, “Oh, OK, glad it’s all under control.”

Silicon Valley 207

Silicon Valley RSS Video San Diego 207

Steve Blank

JULY 2, 2009

Entrepreneur-in-Residence After SuperMac I had been approached by one of our venture investors to be an entrepreneur in residence (EIR), a Silicon Valley phrase which says one thing but means another. Peter described the first company in which “Hollywood meets Silicon Valley” and we were enthralled.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS Software Review 120

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

The press called Rocket Science one of the hottest companies in Silicon Valley and predicted that our games would be great because the storyboards and trailers were spectacular. We hired everyone according to our plan. My wife was a great partner here. Stage 1: Shock and Surprise. This can’t be happening to me.

Redemption 222

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 222

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

Our industry just took one big step towards legitimacy with the hiring of renowned media exec Ynon Kreiz to run Maker Studios. He joined when Maker was a small, chaotic organization and helped bridge our talented creative team with the outside world of investor, brands, partners & press. The Future of the Digital Living Room.

Video 320

Video Los Angeles Technical Cofounder CTO Hire 320

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

I had hired the VP of marketing from a potential software partner who was responsible to get all this 3 rd party software on our computer. In reality we hadn’t gotten any closer to our goal than the day we hired him. Oh, and we had no installed customer base. We had accomplished nothing – zero, zilch, nada.

Silicon Valley 324

Silicon Valley Software Review RSS Technical Review 324

Steve Blank

APRIL 11, 2013

Examples are Hollywood for movies, Milan for fashion, New York for finance and today, Silicon Valley for technology entrepreneurship. It has become China’s Silicon Valley. They provide consulting, promotion, product testing, hiring, training and incubation services to startups.

Programming 170

Programming Technical Review SBIR China 170

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 18, 2013

And in 2013, Version One got its first analyst, with the hiring of Angela Tran Kingyens. This not only doubled our size, but also bolstered our physical presence in Silicon Valley. We also participated in 6 follow-on deals this year to further support our portfolio. We now have Boris in Vancouver and Angela in Palo Alto.

Technical Review 153

Technical Review Silicon Valley Portfolio B2B 153

Seeing Both Sides

APRIL 28, 2011

But if you are a competent engineer, sales executive, online marketer or general manager in Silicon Valley, NYC, Boston or other start-up hotspots, the unemployment rate is 0%. CNN recently reported that 40% of the 130,000 job openings in Silicon Valley are for software engineers. 2) Hiring Inexperience.

Hiring 44

Hiring Software Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley 44