I first heard about MakersKit, from Jason Seats, the Managing Director at Techstars in Austin. Jason highlighted a few companies that he was tracking for his previous program. MakersKit looked intriguing, and I reached out to them to get an update. The moment I met Mike and Jawn on Google Hangout, I knew they were […]
Today we graduate our 5th class in NYC and my very first one as the Managing Director. It has been a fantastic experience – one of the best, most intense 3 months of my professional career. The companies in this class spawn a world of ideas and industries. What unites them is their passion for […]
This weekend, in the middle of the Techstars NYC 2014 session, we packed up and left our old home at 36 Cooper Square. Techstars is now a proud owner of a brand new 13K SQ space with the stunning views of Times Square and Empire State Building. Moving is always both exciting and nostalgic. 3 […]
Being able to quickly get in front of the right people is an important skill. Biz Dev has evolved to be leaner, but people’s attention is ever more scarce. Gone are the days of lengthy emails, Twitter forced us to fit most of our thoughts and actions into 140 characters. Here are 7 (lengthy!) tips […]
One of the hardest things about running Techstars NYC is selecting 10 companies out of 1,000 applicants for every program. Many companies, especially the ones that didn’t get in, pointed out just how unfair this system is – some companies get in and some don’t. Over the past several weeks David Cohen, Brad Feld and […]
I once had a pleasure of hearing Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, speak. Something he said stuck in my head: “Never let anyone own your schedule.” Its simple, its obvious, yet its genius. Over the years, whenever I didn’t follow this advice, I was stressed and unproductive. Gradually I learned that planning and following a […]
Startups are easily overwhelmed with ideas. They have a ton of their own, and they hear a lot of advice from others. How do you actually take all of the ideas and prioritize, focus, execute and grow? Here is a simple system inspired by Agile software development that can help you do that. Its a […]
I love to optimize things, and I am scheduling nut. I love planning my days and weeks. Most of my inspiration comes from Fred Wilson and Brad Feld (I’ve been reading their blogs for 7+ years) and they are incredibly organized about their life. I get 300-400 emails per day for Techstars (all of which […]
I am very excited to share that I am joining Techstars, and will be running the program in New York City. Techstars is the #1 accelerator for startups, with a broad vision to create a world-wide network of entrepreneurs, startups, mentors and investors. New York City has become one of the biggest centers of tech […]
