Tag Archives: Venture Capital

Which type of investor makes the best board member?

Posted on November 16, 2009 by

A few days ago, WSJ’s startup & VC blog referred to an NVCA study where entrepreneurs complained about the lack of operational experience in some VC board members. I’ve been an entrepreneur as well as a VC. The biggest travesty … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

A new spin on pitching and fundraising

Posted on September 20, 2009 by

Every conference having anything to do with entrepreneurship and venture capital has the obligatory “pitching & fundraising” panel. I’ve been on enough of them to have a sense of how disappointing they can be for the audience. Experienced folks hear … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Startups VCs are dying to invest in

Posted on July 21, 2009 by

VCs have a big problem. Many entrepreneurs just don’t want to solve big problems anymore. After hearing the fifth socially-responsible-Twitter-client-running-on-fuel-cell-powered-unlocked-iPhones pitch this week, it’s understandable how VCs want to take August off. So, in the interest of helping everyone, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Comparing term sheets

Posted on July 15, 2009 by

Jeff Bussgang did a guest post on PEHub on the topic of how entrepreneurs should look at and compare competing term sheets. Jeff correctly points out that the pre-money valuation of the company is not what entrepreneurs should focus on … Continue reading →

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Beyond Bootstrapping Redux

Posted on April 1, 2009 by

Got hit by the SlideShare April Fool’s joke today that I’ve become a RockStar because one of my presentations has been getting a ton of views in the past 24 hours. I went into my account and, indeed, the Beyond … Continue reading →

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The responsibility of an entrepreneur: when to shut down early?

Posted on March 2, 2009 by

Jason Calacanis has written a lengthy post with a lot of good advice for entrepreneurs who are facing the potential failure of their business. It has good tips for extending the runway and making do with less. It also has … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Founder Dilution

Posted on February 20, 2009 by

Founders often ask me, “If I own X% after my first investment round, how much will I be diluted through financings until exit?”. There are rules of thumb but there is no good data about what happens to common stock. … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

For the MIT 100K Participants: Executive Summaries

Posted on February 11, 2009 by

I was invited to speak tonight at the MIT 100K Web/IT track mixer but, unfortunately, I’m sick (which wouldn’t have necessarily prevented me from going) and have lost my voice (which would have made going to the event pointless). So, … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

The Anti-Patterns of Bootstrapping

Posted on December 6, 2008 by

The three most common bootstrapping mistakes I’ve observed: Setting the wrong bootstrapping objectives. Prototype? First paying customer? CFBE? I often meet with startups that are bootstrapping to a particular objective with the expectation that it will allow them to achieve … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Startup #5 & Future Forward Tidbits

Posted on November 19, 2008 by

My blog rank is in the drain. I have been busy creating a new startup company, the fifth I’ve done at Polaris and the second (after Plinky) I’ve co-founded since I shifted roles to spending 100% of my time on … Continue reading →

Posted in startups, VC, Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments