Upfront Ventures was created 20 years ago as one of the original VC funds in Los Angeles. Back then only 15% of our dollars were invested locally whereas today 50% of our dollars are invested in LA. MORE
Product teams have been repeating the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) mantra for a decade now, without re-evaluating whether it’s the right way to maximize learning while pleasing the customer. Well, it’s not the best system. It’s selfish and it hurts customers. MORE
Every boss and decision maker is convinced that he or she is able to look objectively at any problem, and make an unbiased decision. Some typically worry about biases in their team, but rarely think of themselves as a source of bias. MORE
Happy New Year Everyone. Yesterday we focused on the past , today we are going to focus on the future, specifically this year we are now in. Here’s what I expect to happen this year: Trump will hit the ground running, cutting corporate and personal taxes, and eliminating the preferential treatment of carried interest capital gains. MORE
What is an executive summary? An executive summary is the brief introduction to a business plan. It should describe your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights. What should an executive summary include? Who you are. MORE
I’ve come to despise the phrase “culture fit.” ” I don’t remember when I first heard it, but it was many years ago. Over time, it became woven into the world of entrepreneurship, as companies used it as a primary frame of reference for hiring. MORE
So you’ve developed a game-changing product, formed a business with a killer team, quit your job, and are rolling the product out to market. Your business is the next unicorn, and all is good in the world. Fantastic. Now only one thing is inhibiting your company’s growth: you have no money. For many founders of high-growth startups, bootstrapping has limits. Read more >. The post What Belongs in a Startup’s Pitch Deck? appeared first on The Gust Blog. MORE
An exec at a company I’m an investor in sent this to me this morning. Does this feel like your life at your company? I’m an enormous fan of Eric Ries and The Lean Startup. His, and Steve Blank’s, thinking and writing changed how we approach startups. MORE
The anti-diversity manifesto written by a mystery Googler has put a spotlight on diversity efforts in the tech industry. Anti-diversity proponents say that meritocracy justifies the lack of diversity in tech. But the real question is: Does meritocracy work? MORE
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When you’re up to your neck in alligators, don’t forget the goal was to drain the swamp. I love teaching because I learn something new every class. This time it was, “Don’t let process distract you from finding the strategy.”. MORE
Starting and building a company is all about leadership – formulating an idea, building a unique plan based on vision and experience, and forging a path over and through all obstacles. MORE
Professionals working with computers are constantly aware of the challenges associated with maintaining these servers and keeping them cool at all times. Sometimes even the most experienced professionals have a hard time. MORE
I was having coffee with the CEO of a new startup, listening to her puzzle through how to communicate to potential customers. She was an academic on leave from Stanford now selling SAAS software to large companies, but was being inundated with marketing communications advice. “My MORE
What will the future hold? It’s a question every VC asks themselves and the entrepreneurs they invest in. Some conclude that certain sectors or technologies — like AI, blockchain, VR — will define the next decade. MORE
This morning’s launch of Maps for Unity brings the full stack of location tools to the world’s most popular game development platform and shows that location and maps are the new building blocks for AR and VR games. We think the maps look amazing and are insanely fast. MORE
I was recently invited to speak at the Management and Entrepreneurial Skills Summit held in Delhi, India. My video (as I could physically not be there) was streamed live for the session on building up an entrepreneurial ecosystem and the survival of the fastest. MORE
Mark Cuban opened the Upfront Summit in an epic interview by Jason Hirschhorn , founder of Media REDEF. MORE
BuzzFeed. It conjures up a range of emotions anytime I’ve privately expressed my opinion to thought leaders in our industry that I believe it is one of the most innovative companies in digital media. MORE
Lately, I’ve been stewing over increased complexity being generated by companies around their organization approaches. MORE
Getting ready for our next semester’s class, I asked my Teaching Assistant why I hadn’t seen the posters for our new class around campus. Hearing the litany of excuses that followed –“It was raining.” (The The posters go inside the building.) “We We still have time.” (We MORE
Diversity is a hot topic, but what is not often discussed is the fact that diverse teams are more innovative. Read more about why diversity is an innovation metric. The post Diversity is an Innovation Metric appeared first on GrasshopperHerder.com. MORE
In recent years we’ve seen more and more corporations become more active or establish strategic VC arms. MORE
The Venture Capital business is full of great firms that were founded by entrepreneurs/operators who became investors mid/late career. From Gene Kleiner and Tom Perkins in the early 70s to Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz at the end of the 00s, this is the iconic model of the venture capital firm and the formula that built Silicon Valley into what it is today. MORE
2016 was one heck of a year. It started with a fairly big shakeup professionally. I didn’t end up taking much time off; instead I started meeting with lots of people and looking for my next adventure. In July, 2016 I announced the launch of my new startup, Highline BETA. Over the second half of […]. Personal Development MORE
VC evaluation of seed-stage startups can seem arbitrary or imitative at times. Internally, the scarcity of tangible business metrics – product usage or revenue multiples for example – can make an investment decision feel daunting. Presented with various unknowns from any one pitch, VCs often lack an existing information infrastructure to examine in forming an opinion. MORE
Angel/seed rounds used to be done via priced equity securities, either common or preferred. Then, starting about ten years ago, we started to see convertible debt being used in the angel and seed rounds. By 2010 this was the norm and Paul Graham tweeted this in Aug 2010: Convertible notes have won. Every investment so far in this YC batch (and there have been a lot) has been done on a convertible note. Paul Graham (@paulg) August 28, 2010. Which led me to write this blog post here on AVC. MORE
I came across this index from Bloomberg that tracks the health of the US startup ecosystem. This index “incorporates both the money flowing into VC-backed startups, as well as the exits that are making money for investors. MORE
Entrepreneurship is an adventure of creativity, self-education, and personal development—a passionate labor of love. Now imagine layering on power-ups. Grow Technology apps business tools productivity MORE
Early in my career, I was indoctrinated with a Cardinal Rule of User Interface: A user interface should minimize surprise. Have you always hated tabs inside dialog boxes? Understandable, but users know how they work, so you have to use them. MORE
Summer season is here along with celebrations like Easter , Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. You surely want to celebrate these with your loved ones, but we know the life becomes so busy when you start your new business or try to make your business grow. MORE
Results from Round 14 of the Web Framework Benchmarks project are now available! This round's results are limited to the physical hardware environment only, but cloud results will be included again in the next round. Recent improvements. MORE
Burn rates are meaningless in isolation. Iteration time is a critical aspect of starting a new business and we've noted a few misconceptions. The post Iteration = Time to Learn, Not Time to Build appeared first on GrasshopperHerder.com. MORE
Automobile manufacturers shipped 88 million cars in 2016. Tesla shipped 76,000. Yet Wall Street values Tesla higher than any other U.S. car manufacturer. What explains this more than 1,000 to 1 discrepancy in valuation? The future. MORE
Everyone in the business world has heard of the old bestseller by Geoffrey A. Moore titled “ Crossing the Chasm ,” but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them. MORE
I’ve had a 30-year love-hate relationship with mission statements. I’ve read thousands. I love it when a mission statement defines a business so well that it feels like strategy —which does happen—and I hate it when a mission statement is generic, stale, and completely useless. MORE
When it comes to creating a winning strategy to keep your employees happy and productive, it's really not a matter of science. Company Culture Grow company culture employee engagement health and wellness productivity workplace productivity MORE
A VC : Venture Capital and Technology
JANUARY 1, 2017
Happy New Year Everyone. Yesterday we focused on the past , today we are going to focus on the future, specifically this year we are now in. Here’s what I expect to happen this year: Trump will hit the ground running, cutting corporate and personal taxes, and eliminating the preferential treatment of carried interest capital gains.
Steve Blank
MARCH 8, 2017
Getting ready for our next semester’s class, I asked my Teaching Assistant why I hadn’t seen the posters for our new class around campus. Hearing the litany of excuses that followed –“It was raining.” (The The posters go inside the building.) “We We still have time.” (We
Feld Thoughts
MAY 22, 2017
This morning’s launch of Maps for Unity brings the full stack of location tools to the world’s most popular game development platform and shows that location and maps are the new building blocks for AR and VR games. We think the maps look amazing and are insanely fast.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 15, 2017
Upfront Ventures was created 20 years ago as one of the original VC funds in Los Angeles. Back then only 15% of our dollars were invested locally whereas today 50% of our dollars are invested in LA.
TechEmpower
MAY 10, 2017
Results from Round 14 of the Web Framework Benchmarks project are now available! This round's results are limited to the physical hardware environment only, but cloud results will be included again in the next round. Recent improvements.
Gust
AUGUST 15, 2017
So you’ve developed a game-changing product, formed a business with a killer team, quit your job, and are rolling the product out to market. Your business is the next unicorn, and all is good in the world. Fantastic. Now only one thing is inhibiting your company’s growth: you have no money. For many founders of high-growth startups, bootstrapping has limits. Read more >. The post What Belongs in a Startup’s Pitch Deck? appeared first on The Gust Blog.
Grasshopper Herder
JULY 24, 2017
Burn rates are meaningless in isolation. Iteration time is a critical aspect of starting a new business and we've noted a few misconceptions. The post Iteration = Time to Learn, Not Time to Build appeared first on GrasshopperHerder.com.
YoungUpstarts
AUGUST 9, 2017
Professionals working with computers are constantly aware of the challenges associated with maintaining these servers and keeping them cool at all times. Sometimes even the most experienced professionals have a hard time.
A VC : Venture Capital and Technology
MAY 1, 2017
The Venture Capital business is full of great firms that were founded by entrepreneurs/operators who became investors mid/late career. From Gene Kleiner and Tom Perkins in the early 70s to Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz at the end of the 00s, this is the iconic model of the venture capital firm and the formula that built Silicon Valley into what it is today.
Steve Blank
JUNE 14, 2017
Automobile manufacturers shipped 88 million cars in 2016. Tesla shipped 76,000. Yet Wall Street values Tesla higher than any other U.S. car manufacturer. What explains this more than 1,000 to 1 discrepancy in valuation? The future.
Feld Thoughts
JUNE 12, 2017
I’ve come to despise the phrase “culture fit.” ” I don’t remember when I first heard it, but it was many years ago. Over time, it became woven into the world of entrepreneurship, as companies used it as a primary frame of reference for hiring.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 7, 2017
Mark Cuban opened the Upfront Summit in an epic interview by Jason Hirschhorn , founder of Media REDEF.
Up and Running
AUGUST 8, 2017
I’ve had a 30-year love-hate relationship with mission statements. I’ve read thousands. I love it when a mission statement defines a business so well that it feels like strategy —which does happen—and I hate it when a mission statement is generic, stale, and completely useless.
A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
AUGUST 22, 2017
Product teams have been repeating the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) mantra for a decade now, without re-evaluating whether it’s the right way to maximize learning while pleasing the customer. Well, it’s not the best system. It’s selfish and it hurts customers.
View from Seed
MARCH 15, 2017
VC evaluation of seed-stage startups can seem arbitrary or imitative at times. Internally, the scarcity of tangible business metrics – product usage or revenue multiples for example – can make an investment decision feel daunting. Presented with various unknowns from any one pitch, VCs often lack an existing information infrastructure to examine in forming an opinion.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 1, 2017
Every boss and decision maker is convinced that he or she is able to look objectively at any problem, and make an unbiased decision. Some typically worry about biases in their team, but rarely think of themselves as a source of bias.
YFS Magazine
MARCH 13, 2017
Entrepreneurship is an adventure of creativity, self-education, and personal development—a passionate labor of love. Now imagine layering on power-ups. Grow Technology apps business tools productivity
Grasshopper Herder
AUGUST 7, 2017
The anti-diversity manifesto written by a mystery Googler has put a spotlight on diversity efforts in the tech industry. Anti-diversity proponents say that meritocracy justifies the lack of diversity in tech. But the real question is: Does meritocracy work?
Blogtrepreneur | Entrepreneur Blog
MAY 15, 2017
Summer season is here along with celebrations like Easter , Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. You surely want to celebrate these with your loved ones, but we know the life becomes so busy when you start your new business or try to make your business grow.
A VC : Venture Capital and Technology
FEBRUARY 21, 2017
I came across this index from Bloomberg that tracks the health of the US startup ecosystem. This index “incorporates both the money flowing into VC-backed startups, as well as the exits that are making money for investors.
Steve Blank
FEBRUARY 28, 2017
When you’re up to your neck in alligators, don’t forget the goal was to drain the swamp. I love teaching because I learn something new every class. This time it was, “Don’t let process distract you from finding the strategy.”.
Feld Thoughts
JANUARY 13, 2017
Lately, I’ve been stewing over increased complexity being generated by companies around their organization approaches.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 12, 2017
BuzzFeed. It conjures up a range of emotions anytime I’ve privately expressed my opinion to thought leaders in our industry that I believe it is one of the most innovative companies in digital media.
Up and Running
JULY 24, 2017
What is an executive summary? An executive summary is the brief introduction to a business plan. It should describe your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights. What should an executive summary include? Who you are.
A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
JULY 31, 2017
Early in my career, I was indoctrinated with a Cardinal Rule of User Interface: A user interface should minimize surprise. Have you always hated tabs inside dialog boxes? Understandable, but users know how they work, so you have to use them.
Gust
JUNE 6, 2017
Urbanization is a defining process of modern life. More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and the number of urban citizens around the world is projected to rise to 66% by 2050.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 23, 2017
Everyone in the business world has heard of the old bestseller by Geoffrey A. Moore titled “ Crossing the Chasm ,” but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them.
Instigator Blog
JANUARY 5, 2017
2016 was one heck of a year. It started with a fairly big shakeup professionally. I didn’t end up taking much time off; instead I started meeting with lots of people and looking for my next adventure. In July, 2016 I announced the launch of my new startup, Highline BETA. Over the second half of […]. Personal Development
Grasshopper Herder
AUGUST 29, 2017
Diversity is a hot topic, but what is not often discussed is the fact that diverse teams are more innovative. Read more about why diversity is an innovation metric. The post Diversity is an Innovation Metric appeared first on GrasshopperHerder.com.
View from Seed
JANUARY 11, 2017
In recent years we’ve seen more and more corporations become more active or establish strategic VC arms.
A VC : Venture Capital and Technology
MARCH 12, 2017
Angel/seed rounds used to be done via priced equity securities, either common or preferred. Then, starting about ten years ago, we started to see convertible debt being used in the angel and seed rounds. By 2010 this was the norm and Paul Graham tweeted this in Aug 2010: Convertible notes have won. Every investment so far in this YC batch (and there have been a lot) has been done on a convertible note. Paul Graham (@paulg) August 28, 2010. Which led me to write this blog post here on AVC.
Steve Blank
APRIL 5, 2017
I was having coffee with the CEO of a new startup, listening to her puzzle through how to communicate to potential customers. She was an academic on leave from Stanford now selling SAAS software to large companies, but was being inundated with marketing communications advice. “My
Feld Thoughts
APRIL 18, 2017
An exec at a company I’m an investor in sent this to me this morning. Does this feel like your life at your company? I’m an enormous fan of Eric Ries and The Lean Startup. His, and Steve Blank’s, thinking and writing changed how we approach startups.
YFS Magazine
JULY 12, 2017
When it comes to creating a winning strategy to keep your employees happy and productive, it's really not a matter of science. Company Culture Grow company culture employee engagement health and wellness productivity workplace productivity
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