Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2011

A tale of two pitches (I eventually invested in the first company that pitched). This might be a VC meeting but also might just be a sales or biz dev meeting. Sit closest to the projector – Many times a week I have entrepreneurs who do presentations for me and often I’m with some or all of my colleagues.

Tips 392

Tips Screening Slides Venture Capital 392

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. an investment in your company. friendly, but direct in my thoughts.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2020

Business success is all about having the best team, yet the average entrepreneur has little prior experience with hiring people and building top-notch teams. Most new entrepreneurs assume their passion will attract and motivate the right team members. Failure to include company culture in the hiring criteria.

Organization 135

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 135

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2013

Many entrepreneurs I know don’t realize that the language they learned in the corporate world, or even their recent MBA class, won’t get them ahead in the startup world today. As a reality check, try this quick test of your entrepreneur savvy. As a reality check, try this quick test of your entrepreneur savvy. Super-angels.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup Web Equity 109

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

This is a very common scenario when entrepreneurs pitch VCs and frankly is a very common scenario when VCs try to raise money from LPs. After my board meeting I had to do an interview with a CFO candidate that one of my portfolio companies asked me to speak with. Wednesday I have 4 companies coming in to talk about their companies.

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2012

There is a mythology amongst some LPs (funds that invest in VCs) and some VCs that “entry price doesn’t matter – only investing in the absolute best entrepreneurs.” We also are going to talk a lot about startups getting exits and ultimately: Companies are bought, not sold. Being a radar screen of a buyer helps.

Startup 323

Startup Technology Venture Capital Santa Barbara 323

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

Then there is the EIR (entrepreneur in residence) who is usually at a VC for a temporary period of time and other individuals such as venture partners or operating partners. The process for raising money from a VC is a sales process and as such much of what is taught in enterprise sales can be applied.

Venture Capital 308

Venture Capital Sales Entrepreneur Startup 308

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2011

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.&#. On Being an Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 176

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 176

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

Burstly, a Santa Monica based company, provides an open and free ad management platform that helps mobile application developers better monetize their inventory. As I naturally get asked all the time why we invested in Company A or Company B, I thought I’d just put forth my thesis in writing.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

Those who are more involved in traditional entertainment are seeing a major shift online which is why an additional one-day seminar was created to coincide with Silicon Beach Fest Hollywood as a partnership called, Idea to Screen. tech community and to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing us in the coming years. See you there!

Hollywood 100

Hollywood Screening Ideas Entertainment 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 24, 2009

One of the local firms attacking that market is Los Angeles-based FunnelSource (www.funnelsource.com), a developer of software-as-a-service tools that provide analytics to sales teams. We spoke with the firm's CEO and co-founder, John Hanna : How'd you end up starting the company, and what is FunnelSource all about?

Oracle 145

Oracle Sales Startup Screening 145

Berkonomics

JUNE 11, 2015

It’s good advice; the theory being that entrepreneurs can discover the flaws in their business models sooner, make course corrections and move in a more favorable direction. In my case as a young software entrepreneur, I had a different approach: Fail Locally, one customer at a time. I became an entrepreneur by default.

Customer 120

Customer Custom Writing Southern California 120

Tech Coast Venture Network

MARCH 9, 2011

Investors and entrepreneurs who won at the fundraising game during and after the Great Recession offer advice on landing equity money. To help you get a jump-start with fundraising, I’ve gathered tips from active early-stage investors and entrepreneurs who managed to beat the odds by raising capital during and after the Great Recession.

Tips 100

Tips Capital Tech Coast Angels Screening 100

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 8, 2011

The Spotlight is shining down these amazing LA companies! For those who still might be wondering what Spotlight: LA Tech is all about, It’s a screening room for new technology homegrown in our region. And now without further ado I present the Spotlight: LA Tech Summer Winners: Spotlight Companies. wonder what that might be?

CalTech 100

CalTech Technical Review Company Companies 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Others, like Guy Kawasaki , have irreverently called some of these “entrepreneur lies,” but I prefer to think of them as innocent enhancements or omissions that can kill your deal. Many companies, including Patagonia and Zappos, have used their social focus to enhance their business, but highlight financial return when talking to investors.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

socalTECH

JANUARY 23, 2018

Anyone who has ever bought or sold a home is most likely familiar with the Multiple Listings Service (MLS), the big database of homes for sale used by traditional real estate agents. The company just raised $15M more in a Series B. Where is the company now in terms of the service? For those not familiar with REX, what do you do?

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence Woodland Hills Orange County Startup 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, twelve companies moved into the new downtown San Diego, EvoNexus incubator--which is run by CommNexus. When companies come into our incubator, we take no equity, we take no stake in the company, it's completely free for the participant. That's through the generosity of the Irvine Company.

Incubator 212

Incubator San Diego Technical Review Development Team Review 212

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 8, 2009

Now there are some firms that have strict rules about not funding pre-revenue companies – that’s different. Keep on the radar screen – I know the VC’s seemed to love you when they met you. It’s marketing 101 for tech companies in terms of how you market to customers. Schedule a follow up meeting.

Venture Capital 309

Venture Capital Guide Startup Technical Review 309

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2012

I know that they really impacted an entire cohort of startups because every company that was coming to pitch me businesses was (is) saying, “I’m a ‘mobile first’ company.” The power of large screen real estate. Here’s my view: I support a “mobile first” strategy for many companies.

Web 334

Web Mobile Startup Software Review 334

SoCal Delicious

MAY 6, 2012

where entrepreneurs share their stories. 63 Los Angeles Entrepreneurs To Be Proud Of By mario on May 2, 2012 in Features , grid. Free Corporations For First-Time Entrepreneurs. Right now they’re setting up 500 free corporations for first time entrepreneurs. Here are 62 63 Los Angeles entrepreneurs we can be proud of.

Los Angeles 78

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Angel Fractional CTO 78

InfoChachkie

MARCH 16, 2016

Car companies spend a significant amount of money on superficial design features, including the timbre of the sound emitted when a car door is shut. I learned the hard way that during a startup’s early days, entrepreneurs should give slightly greater emphasis on developing buyer features, in order to reduce the friction of the sales cycle.

SaaS 100

SaaS Startup Software Review Development Team Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 21, 2011

My macro theme was “great entrepreneurs&# who mapped to my belief system about the kind of entrepreneurs I wanted to work with. Digital Media was an obvious theme because it’s one in which LA (where I’m based) and NY (where I spend a lot of time) have strong assets, companies and management teams. Or can they?

Mobile 329

Mobile Advertising Media Marketing 329

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2016

Business success is all about having the best team, yet the average entrepreneur has little prior experience with hiring people and building top-notch teams. Most new entrepreneurs assume their passion will attract and motivate the right team members. Failure to include company culture in the hiring criteria.

Organization 57

Organization Entrepreneur Satisfaction Screening 57

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. The idea was to feature early stage companies in the region that have not attracted much attention or raised a substantial amount of startup capital.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

All the data actually suggests with the growth of mobile, inbound sales calls will double from 30 billion to 60 billion in 3 years (source: Kelsey). It’s why the first company I ever invested in as a VC – Invoca – just announced a $20 million funding by Accel Partners. Much more data in the full post. PHONE CALLS.

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

InfoChachkie

MARCH 3, 2011

In the spirit of the “land grab” mentality of the day, we emphasized usage of our screen sharing technology with no thought applied to how we would convert such users into paying customers. Anyone, including well-healed, Big Dumb Companies, could offer state-of-the-art technical support for free. free weekly Infochachkie articles!

Customer 162

Customer Custom Technical Support Startup 162

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 26, 2011

I have often said that what separates real entrepreneurs from pundits and bystanders is a bias towards getting things done versus over analyzing things. It’s the hardest thing to teach people who come out of big companies, out of conservative jobs. The startup entrepreneur knows that they’re going to be wrong often.

Startup 335

Startup Technical Review Framework Entrepreneur 335

Tech.Co

AUGUST 16, 2017

Finding potential customers continues to be a huge challenge not only for established marketing and sales teams but also for startup executives and solo entrepreneurs. You need to find lead gen tools that will convert leads, fill your sales funnel, and increase your revenue effectively. You need to have a strategy.

Tool 77

Tool Startup Help Template 77

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

The partner you saw is probably sitting on 5-6 boards which means he or she will be busy helping existing portfolio companies. They have probably seen 4-5 new companies this week minimum. This is not unlike a major biz dev deal you’re trying to sign or a big sales campaign into the VP of a major company.

Venture Capital 277

Venture Capital Startup Email News 277

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers. Through advertising or direct sales, these sites harvest intent. He started targeting the ad by location and interest, and the number of potential people he was reaching began decreasing on screen (Facebook tells you dynamically). was having coffee with a friend who teaches at the U.C.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2012

Santa Monica-based Fundable (www.fundable.com) is a newly launched, crowdfunding site which is headed by local entrepreneur Wil Shroter. Dolgoff has a fascinating background--he invented the first LCD projector, he helped inspire Star Trek's Holodeck, and he also is a serial entrepreneur who took his company public on the NASDAQ in the 90's.

Startup 252

Startup Sites Patents Outsource Development 252

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 5, 2015

In his premier film appearance in the blaxploitation send-up “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” Chris Rock inadvertently addresses a key pricing challenge faced by most entrepreneurs. Even sales reps will invoke a cost plus logic when negotiating with me on behalf of their customers. Experienced entrepreneurs know this is simply not true.

Pricing 100

Pricing Product Startup Customer 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

Bijan Sabet – investor & board member in some small companies you might have heard of like Twitter, Tumblr, Boxee & OMGPOP – took issue with the whole notion that you even need a Powerpoint deck anymore. First, if it’s an early stage company, I don’t need to see a powerpoint deck. I funded them 8 weeks later.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. 15 companies North of $1 billion exit.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. 15 companies North of $1 billion exit.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 5, 2013

With unrivaled weather, a host of high-profile universities and unlimited array of daytime and nightlife entertainment, Los Angeles seems like a dreamland for young tech professionals and the companies hoping to employ their talents. People don’t just solely watch TV nowadays; they multitask with a handful of screens.

Los Angeles 98

Los Angeles Startup Angel Southern California 98

socalTECH

MARCH 4, 2010

Do you screen all of the documents on the marketplace, or how does that work? Jason Nazar: We screen the profiles, but we don't screen the content. We want to make sure the marketplace is for professional content, so we screen to make sure the seller is a professional or small business owner, or a startup or entrepreneur.

Technical Review 171

Technical Review Rustic Canyon Screening Startup 171