Thoughts on Tech Startups and Venture Capital
The public markets are continuing to go down, and the whispers of upcoming recession are on Twitter, on Bloomberg, and in the private conversations. The experts are predicting the recession sometime between now, and the end of 2020. While I am no expert on Macroeconomics, I do know that it is prudent to plan ahead.…
Read more 10 things you can do to prepare for potential slowdown in 2019
I joined Techstars in 2013 and ran my first program in Spring of 2014. This summer 2018 program was my 8th program and it will be my last. We were lucky to work with an amazing group of founders for this summer session, Techstars Class 142. After 8 programs I know exactly what makes for a…
Read more Meet 10 Startups from Techstars NYC Summer 2018 Program
When I was running my second company, I was out of shape. I didn’t take care of myself, nor did I understand the importance of self-care. To start with, I had been a smoker since I was 15. Although I had quit around 30, it had left a mark on my body. I didn’t exercise…
Read more Self-care: 8 Tips for Founders to take care of themselves
After 5 amazing years at Techstars, the time has come for me to move on to my next adventure. This current program, Techstars NYC Summer 2018, will be my last program as a Managing Director. THANK YOU, FOUNDERS! These past 5 years at Techstars have been, without a doubt, the most transformative, and life changing…
How many of you know Facebook? Okay, It is not a trick question – all of you, of course. But how many of you remember Friendster? Friendster was the early social network that gained initial popularity, but then fizzled out. The waves of many first technologies go the same way. In 70’s and 80’s people…
You’ve probably have heard that convertible debt (SAFEs and Convertible Notes) are a lot less favorable to founders compared to equity. If you don’t know why read Mark Suster’s post. With equity, it is clear how much of the company you sold. With convertible debt what exactly do you owe to the investor is to be…
I joined Techstars in 2013 and ran my first program in Spring of 2014. It has been an amazing journey, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with incredible group of companies during my 7th program this winter. Huge shout out to KJ Singh and Jill Canning who built Techstars NYC…
Read more Meet 12 Startups from Techstars NYC Winter 2018 Program
We are headed into the holiday season. For founders who are fundraising, this is typically a particularly stressful time. It is certainly true that some investors slow down their activities during the holidays. That said, there are patterns and specifics for each type of investor. Also, end of year can actually be a great time…
I recently gave a talk at NYU Startup School. The talk is pretty long, 1.5 hours and covers a really broad range of topics from types of investors to how VCs make money, from what do accelerators do to what preferred stock is, and more. I really enjoyed this conversation, and hope you will find…
Read more Video: NYU Startup School: Accelerators, Angels and VCs
TLDR; To create the future you need to envision it in great detail, and then make it happen through precise execution. What distinguishes strong founders from the rest is a massive vision; clarity of details on what the future should look like. Strong founders don’t necessarily know the exact path, but they do know their true…
