Thoughts on Tech Startups and Venture Capital
One of the worst things that can happen to a CEO of an early-stage company is to be in the state of perpetual fundraising. Here is how you can tell that it may be happening to you: You have been fundraising for a while You are fundraising and running the business at the same time You don’t…
Read more What to do when your fundraising is not going well
Josh Kopelman, co-founder of First Round Capital, one of the most iconic and successful venture firms, just posted a must-read Tweetstorm. Josh’s insight is that founders need to be even better pickers than VCs. 7/ Observation #1) Many founders rush "the pick". If you're spending the next 5-10 yrs of your life doing something, pick your idea…
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” -Peter Drucker During the first year after a baby is born, parents take the baby to the doctor for a monthly check-up. The doctor weighs and measures the baby. If the baby is growing and getting bigger, then we know things are going well. A startup is very much like…
One of the key things that Techstars companies do during the program is engage mentors. This ongoing, weekly engagement is important for creating cadence, and getting the most out of the program. To set the pace, companies send weekly updates with progress and asks to their mentors. After companies graduate, we talk to the founders about…
TL;DR Only serial founders with strong domain knowledge and track record and traction get funded quickly. For most founders raising a seed round is a lot more work, but there is a method to the madness. We often write here about raising capital. Capital allows startups to go faster and generate growth. However, raising capital is not…
Read more How to absolutely, positively get seed funding every single time
Everyone is talking about the economic downturn, and exuberant valuations in private markets. Bill Gurley predicted this back in early 2015, and I’ve written about it last August. So, okay, it is finally here – everyone said it, and everyone knows where we are. We are here now, and I want argue that right now is a…
In my capacity of Managing Director at Techstars NYC, I spend a lot of time with founders attempting to get funding. Raising money is a complex and rigorous process. It requires preparation and precision. I’ve been writing extensively on the topic here on my blog. I’ve been also collecting the best articles I find around the…
We encourage Techstars companies to perfect the way they introduce themselves. An introduction is a first touch point. Make it simple, clear, and awesome. To start with, master the etiquette of forwardable email. Get it right. Make the subject line clear and searchable. Don’t call it Intro. Call it: Intro TO/FROM, where TO is the…
When thinking about financing your startup, it is important understand different types of potential investors. Not every wallet is right for you. Figuring out who to raise money from and why will save you time and yield better results. 1. Friends and Family Often times the first check comes from a family member, or a…
Read more 7 Sources of Startup Seed Capital – from friends & family to billion dollar funds
This morning TechCrunch announced that Docker, an enterprise company known for its container technology, has acquired Techstars NYC 2014 alumni Tutum. Tutum was part of my first Techstars NYC class, and this is literally my very first exit as an investor. As you probably know, the only kind of luck I believe in is hard…
Read more Docker buys Tutum: What I learned from my first meaningful exit as an investor
