Tag: Entrepreneurship
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In my best meetings with founders, we have a back-and-forth discussion. In the worst, only the founder talks. Here’s how to avoid those bad meetings… Take a Breath! Some founders talk very fast and never pause. Instead, pause after an important point. Let it sink in, and leave a space…
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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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Tremendous 