Startups and VCs Should Avoid “Pier” Funding
Often when startups who have raised venture capital need another round of financing they will turn to their existing investors to give them money before raising from outsiders. This happens when the company has been making steady progress but hasn’t built enough “proof” to raise its next round of financing from external investors. The traditional [...]
Want to Raise Venture Capital More Easily? Clean Up Your Own Shite First
Clean up your own shite. Ok. I know that the tone of the title and post will seem a bit aggressive for a post from a venture capitalist on fund raising. It’s meant to be a bit provocative but the reality is that I give this advice to entrepreneurs all the the time and I [...]
Can VC’s Invest Across Two Funds?
This is part of a series that I’ve been working on called Understanding Venture Capital. In one of the posts I spoke about how the size and vintage of funds might affect you when you’re raising money. This led Roy Rodenstein (whose company Going.com was sold to AOL) and others to discuss, what happens when [...]
Understanding the Risks of VC Signaling
This is part of my ongoing series on Understanding Venture Capital. I recently wrote a blog post on understanding how the size and age of a venture capital fund might affect you when you’re raising money. Because it is a “series” I plan to get into some of the deeper complexities of funds such as [...]
Does the Size of a VC Fund Matter?
This is part of my series on Understanding Venture Capital. I’m writing this series because if you better understand how VC firms work you can better target which firms make sense for you to speak with. It in not uncommon to see a VC talk about “total assets under management” as in “We have $1.5 [...]
Understanding VCs – Where Are You on the Flightpath?
In the past I’ve written on the topic of “Raising Venture Capital” but today I’m starting a new series called “Understanding VC’s.” My goal is writing this series of to make it easier for you as a startup needing to raise money to understand how venture capital firms work so you can be more efficient [...]
What is the Right Amount of Money to Raise at a Startup?
This is part of my ongoing series on Raising Venture Capital. Recently I’ve been debating with a number of young startup companies that are raising money in the next few months, “what is the right about of capital to raise at a startup?” It’s a tricky question with no clear answer. There are trade offs. [...]
Making The Most out of Sitting on Panels
Many of us in the technology, media and VC world sit on panels at lot. Many of them are painfully boring. It’s a shame since it’s such a golden opportunity for you to build awareness with your audience for who you are and what you do. And it’s a surprisingly great way to meet people [...]
Time is the Enemy of All Deals
This is part of my ongoing series with Startup Advice (although this also applies tightly with Raising Venture Capital) You all know this intuitively. But on a scale of ABC (always be closing) there is a wide degree of urgency that entrepreneurs show. As as I’ve said before, I believe that getting things done is [...]
How to Present at Big Meetings without Going Down a Rat Hole
I’m writing this post as part of my series with Advice on Raising Venture Capital but will file it under Sales Tips as well since it applies equally to both scenarios. Congratulations. You’ve found a VC partner or principal who has invited you to the Monday partners’ meeting. Or on a sales campaign you’ve finally [...]
Is Strategic Money an Oxymoron?
This is part of my ongoing Raising Venture Capital (VC) series Yesterday I had lunch with a really interesting and capable serial entrepreneur who is raising his A round. The topic of ”strategic” investors came up. It felt like Groundhog Day because I have this conversation again and again – literally dozens of times each [...]
Save Your Spin for Someone Who Cares
Handling PR with VCs This is part of my series on How to Raise VC but could equally be filed under Startup Advice more generally. I recently got a phone call from an entrepreneur whom I respect and who runs a company that I hope will do great things one day. He had pitched me [...]
How to Deal with Skeletons in your Closet
This is part of my series with Advice on Raising Venture Capital. I recently wrote a post on how to Deal with your Elephants in the Room during your VC meetings. Elephants being big issues that the VC will be thinking whether you bring it to his/her attention or not. My advice with Elephants was [...]
Deal with Your Elephant in the Room
This is part of my series on Raising Venture Capital. There’s an old saying that if I’m talking with you and I start the conversation by saying, “whatever you do, DO NOT think about Elephants” then you can’t help but thinking about elephants while we’re speaking. It’s called “The Elephant in the Room” and there’s [...]
VC Funding Season Ends Next Week
This is part of my series on Raising Venture Capital. I’m sure I’ll spark the ire of some VC’s for saying so, but there is certainly such a thing as black-out days in venture capital. It’s worth you knowing this so you don’t waste your time. It’s also very important to understand so that you [...]
