I’ve been working in startups most of my career and gained a lot of experience to draw from, both positives and negatives. These experiences include being on “both sides of the table” — founding a company, then founding a seed stage venture fund, and now founding a startup once again. This time I’m able to approach the role from a very different perspective than I had the first time around. ... Read on.
In business the first-mover advantage is obvious but it is not foolproof. As one analyst wrote, “First-mover advantage is no absolute guarantee of success, and for reasons which must remain forever mysterious, late-arriving and sometimes inferior products often take over the market from the first-movers.” ... Read on.
#venture capital #startup #entrepreneur #first-mover
“There are different ways to do innovation. You can plant a lot of seeds [and] not be committed to any particular one of them but just see what grows. And this really isn’t how we’ve approached [Facebook]. We go mission-first then focus on the pieces we need and go deep on them and be committed to them.” — Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook, in an interview with Fast Company, 2015 ... Read on.
#Funding #venture capital #entrepreneur #seed round
The Pacific Crest 19th Annual Global Technology Leadership Forum reminded me of a promotional tour I once went on with my dad and some of his clients in the music business. In two days, I did 16 meetings with growth funds, about 50 minutes each, one right after another. I’d make the same pitch, give the same updates. I even wound up making the same jokes in the same places. Pull the string and let the puppet do its thing. ... Read on.
#startup #entrepreneur #cap table #fundraising
As I’ve said before, there’s nothing like the rush of that lightbulb moment when a great idea arrives. I’ve experienced it myself several times. It’s the best part of being an entrepreneur. Everything that follows is hard work. ... Read on.
#Funding #venture capital #startup #entrepreneur #investor
There are basically two types of venture capitalists. The first wants to make a difference by building something. The second just wants purely to make a financial gain. ... Read on.
#tech #venture capital #vc #entrepreneur #investor #business #startup lessions
For years, the top three foreign languages taught in U.S. public schools have been Spanish, French and German. One language that isn’t on the list — but should be — is Business, with a capital B. ... Read on.
#entrepreneur #education #business #language
During my career, I’ve spent time at every point along the investor food chain. I’ve experienced the purity of being a venture-backed entrepreneur in the dot-com bubble. Then I founded one of the first seed funds in New York City. Now I’ve gone back to the operating side. ... Read on.
#startup #vc #entrepreneur #pinata #investor
Chairman and Founder at PebblePost, former VC in adtech, long-time endurance athlete, happy dad to “The Heathens.”
