Tag: Founders
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“For two decades, no Secretary of Defense even bothered to set foot in Silicon Valley…” In 2015, Ash Carter finally changed that. This was the beginning of a wave that launched a thousand defense startups. In 2016, Raj Shah and Christopher Kirchoff took control of Defense Innovation Unit X (DIUx).…
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+ AI, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Defense, Department of Defense, DoD, Founders, Military, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, Technology, VC, Venture Capital, War+
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Paul Graham says your curiosity is the best way to tell what’s worth paying attention to. So when I scrolled through the YC directory this morning, I let curiosity lead me to the coolest startups. Since we dug into the W25 cohort two weeks ago, many more startups have launched…
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+ AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Entrepreneur, Finance, Founders, Investing, OpenAI, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, Technology, Venture Capital, YC+
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I once met a startup that was $700,000 in debt. Never do this. Angels and VC’s invest money to buy shares in a company. If the company runs out of cash, you don’t have to pay us back. But there is another source of funding for startups: debt. First off,…
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+ Business Loans, Credit, Debt, Entrepreneur, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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This weekend, I was chatting with a friend who’s a psychiatrist. She often deals with patients in crisis. I sometimes deal with founders in crisis. So I got to thinking… How can I apply what psychiatrists do to my work investing in startups? Some founders I meet with are in…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Medicine, Money, Psychology, Startup, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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If you send me your company, what should you expect from me? Here’s how my investment process works… Qualification I focus on meeting companies with these characteristics: I qualify startups like this because I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. If the business is something I know nothing about (biotech,…
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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Silicon Valley, Startup, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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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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+ Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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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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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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Tremendous 