Tag: Entrepreneurship
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You’re about to get on a Zoom with an investor. On this call, there’s one thing you must not do: just show up and talk. Many founders “show up and throw up.” They come onto the call and give a long, unfocused monologue. They quickly lose their audience. And they…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startup, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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“I want to support the founder.” Whenever I hear myself say that, I throw my checkbook in the river. Follow-on investments can massively increase your returns. But done wrong, they can sink you. When Pro Rata Works Let’s back up and explain what I mean by follow-on and pro rata.…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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One of my investments got acquired at a small loss. A co-investor flamed the founder over it. Never do this. If you invest in startups, most of them will fail. Some investors run wild, writing angry e-mails or even filing lawsuits. This is gross and counterproductive. Here’s how to handle…
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+ Business, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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If your startup fails in China, investors can seize all your assets. Why would any ambitious young person start a company in China today? Chinese venture capitalists are going after the founders of struggling startups, trying to get their money back. They’ve taken apartments and bank accounts, according to an…
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+ Business, CCP, China, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startup, Startups, Tech, Technology, Venture Capital, Xi Jinping+
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On Monday, I spoke with a wonderful founder we’ll call Jim. He was telling me how he sells to big companies. His approach was totally different from most startups — and brilliant. Why Startups Fail to Sell to Enterprises Most startups try to get big companies to use an out-of-the-box…
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+ Business, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Investing, SaaS, Sales, Startup, Startups, Stock Market, Stocks, Tech, Technology, Venture Capital+
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Two companies about to shut down. Another getting acquired at a loss. This is the reality of angel investing — a lot of them don’t make it. Every founder I’ve ever invested in worked really hard. But nonetheless, most companies die. Today, I looked at my 3 most challenged investments.…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Startup, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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$17 million, $12 million, $8 million — those are the annual run rates of my 3 most successful investments so far. This morning, I sat down to figure out what these incredible companies have in common. Startup A Startup A is doing so well I can barely believe it. Revenue…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Startup, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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Former Google and Stripe executives just raised $56 million at a $500 million valuation for their new startup, /dev/agents. I never do deals like this. Here’s why… Returning the Fund In most venture funds, one investment accounts for the bulk of the returns. The same will probably be true for…
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“I know this sounds crazy, but it’s actually easier to raise $3 million than it is to raise $300,000.” Yesterday, I was helping a wonderful founder plan his fundraise. Like many founders, he thought a small raise would be easier — but it’s not. One of the weird things about…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startups, Stock Market, Tech, Venture Capital+
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Next week, YC’s first fall batch will present at Demo Day. Here is what will distinguish the top companies from the stragglers, based on my scores of meetings with YC companies over the years. 1) Top Tier. This elite group makes up 5-10% of the batch. These companies have built…
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+ Business, Investing, Venture Capital, Money, Finance, Tech, Startups, Entrepreneurship, Y Combinator, Founders, Entrepreneurs, YC+
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Tremendous 