Ask The VC
How To Install IPTV On Your Android, iPhone Or iPad | Mark As Read |
As the leading professionals, we know what service you want from us. By suggesting the best, it is assured that we deliver the best in the market. Our IPTV Subscription meilleur IPTV Services in Metz, France provides selected 7000+ premium Live TV channels & 30,000+ Movies and more. We provide the best high quality IPTV … Continue reading...
Fortune’s Term Sheet Ultimate Business Book List | Mark As Read |
It was fun to see Venture Deals on the most recent Fortune Term Sheet Ultimate Business Book List. It's a pretty awesome list. I've read most of the books on it and just bought the few that I haven't yet read.
Venture Deals Interview on Game Change Network | Mark As Read |
With the publication of the third edition of Venture Deals, we have done some interviews around the book. I thought this one with Chicke Fitzgerald on The Game Changer Network was particularly good. Enjoy!
Fred Wilson on Reserves | Mark As Read |
Fred Wilson has a spectacular post up on how VC funds should think about reserves. It's even more valuable to entrepreneurs so they can understand how the best VCs think about reserves, giving the entrepreneurs ammunition to ask their investors how they are thinking about reserves. I only noticed one thing missing from Fred's post... Read more...
Employee Questions To Ask When Joining A Unicorn | Mark As Read |
Scott Belsky has a great post up titled Don’t Get Trampled: The Puzzle For “Unicorn” Employees. In it, he's got a bunch of questions, along with detailed discussion, that you should ask your potential employer if you are considering a job at a unicorn (company with > $1b private valuation.) His suggestion is to strongly "audit your... Read mor...
Buy Our Book | Mark As Read |
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist is the definitive guide to venture financings. This book is for anyone who wants the insider's guide to raising money, negotiating deals, and to know what really makes venture capitalists tick.
HTC One max Hands-On Review | Mark As Read |
We?ve managed to get our hands on the brand new device from HTC, the HTC One max. Not to be left out of the growing phone trend, HTC invited us to have a play with the new phone and here?s … Continue reading →
Motorola Moto E Review: Full of Surprises | Mark As Read |
Motorola pretty much broke the mould when it released the Moto G, an affordable smartphone with specs to impress. But, less than a year later, it?s done it once again with the Moto E, a device that, on paper, redefines our price expectations. It?s got a tidy set of features and it?s kind on the pocket, but how does the Motorola E real...
Samsung Galaxy S5 Review: Out of this world | Mark As Read |
Few manufacturers have had a better year than Samsung. And, following the mammoth success of the Galaxy S4, it?s now the turn of the Samsung Galaxy S5 to replicate the impressive sales figures. To do this it looks like the Korean firm has stuck to what it knows, albeit with a few added bells and whistles. But will it have enough going on ...
Moto G Review: Aint nothin? but a G-thang | Mark As Read |
Very few Phones manage to strike the difficult balance between value and performance. So, with that in mind, when one comes along claiming to achieve this, it makes it all the more exciting. Key Features 4.5-inch display 1.2GHz quad-core processor 5 megapixel camera Android ...
Nokia Lumia 1320 review: Big & bold | Mark As Read |
Big is beautiful, and this particular mantra is certainly believed by Nokia as its 6-inch Lumia 1320 is nothing short of an imposing presence. The more affordable sibling of the Nokia Lumia 1520 packs quite a punch thanks to its size, but do the specs live up to the statement: bigger is better? Key features 6-inch LCD displ...
Sony Xperia Z1 Review: The Xperia Xperience | Mark As Read |
The Sony Xperia Z1 is everything anyone needs when looking for a premium Android phone; it?s sleek, chic, got loads going on under the hood, and it runs all day. It?s a new generation in the smartphone world ? a new player destined for greatness. Key Features? 20.7 megapixel camera 5-inch HD display ...
HTC One Mini 2 Review: Hands-On | Mark As Read |
After pulling off another successful launch with the M8, HTC is quickly back in the game with the HTC One mini 2. It looks to offer a similar experience in a smaller package, but how will it measure up? We managed to get some very brief hands-on time with the phone to see how it was looking? Key features 4.5-inch display ...
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Review: Cut-Price Power | Mark As Read |
Many tablets have price tags that match their large screen size, and can cost more than a lot of people are comfortable spending in one go. Not the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, which is trimmed down in every way, featuring a 7-inch display and a cut-down price that makes it an affordable option that performs above its price range. Key Featur...
Nokia Lumia 625 review: Speed & style | Mark As Read |
The Nokia Lumia 625 isn?t to be confused with similarly named Lumia models. Although it?s closely related to the 520 and 620, it comes with a host of features that look much more towards the premium end of the spectrum. Giants like the Lumia 1020 are paving the way for the Finnish firm?s name, but how does the Nokia Lumia 625 level up?...
Sony Xperia M2 Review: Mid-range masterpiece | Mark As Read |
Following the success of the recently released Sony Xperia Z2, there?s still a buzz around the Japanese company?s name. Now it?s introducing the Xperia M2, is this the answer for those that want Sony?s expertise without the high-end price tag? Let?s find out? Xperia M2 Key features 4.8-inch qHD display 8 megapixel camer...
How Some Investors Think About Projects on Kickstarter | Mark As Read |
NPR recently did a great piece titled?As Kickstarter Evolves, Investors Watch For Next $1 Billion Idea Brad, who is a big backer of projects on Kickstarter?(73 at last count), was interviewed and rattled off a bunch of the companies he's supported on Kickstarter, including two that we are investors in: Occipital Structure Sensor and Modular […...
What?s An LP Meeting Like? | Mark As Read |
Hunter Walk, one of the two founders of Homebrew, a VC firm started in 2013, just wrote a great post about Homebrew's first LP meeting. My partners at Foundry Group and I are LPs in Homebrew and we're actually hosting Hunter and his partner?Satya Patel in Boulder for dinner tomorrow night, followed by some office […]
Don?t Have A Lazy Relationship With Your VC | Mark As Read |
Today's great post is from Bilal Zuberi @ Lux Capital. In it he asserts that?Friends Don?t Let Friends Have a Lazy VC/CEO Relationship. I see this play out so many times in so many ways that – while it seems obvious – it's an important reminder to all entrepreneurs who hear their friends complaining about […]
Hornik: Get an Introduction | Mark As Read |
I love it when David Hornik – one of the very first (maybe the first) VC bloggers writes a post. Today's is?Want to get funded? Get an introduction!?So simple, yet so often overlooked or ignored. The punch line – it's the transitive property that we learned about in elementary school math: So how do you […]
Bootstrapping with Brad Feld | Mark As Read |
Tom and Tony of tastytrade talk with Brad about Foundry Group, Techstars and Bootstrapping… Related articles Startup Life Interview With Sandy Grason The Kentucky Thesis How Is Your Q1 Going? " Feld Thoughts Feld Thoughts
Reid Hoffman ? New VC Blogger (Essayist) | Mark As Read |
Reid Hoffman, founder / executive chairman of LinkedIn and partner at Greylock has started blogging. Well – he's started writing long form essays on a blog that my understanding is will come out about once a month. The first post is?If, Why, and How Founders Should Hire a ?Professional? CEO.?It is outstanding and I expect […]
What Is The Appropriate Time Horizon Of A Financial Model for VC?s? | Mark As Read |
Q:?When building a financial projection model for a pitch to VC's, should you include future rounds of funding in the model or simply show what measurable goal you are trying to achieve with the current round you are seeking? A (Brad): It depends on the stage of the company. But first, it's important to understand […]
What Are Qualified Conditions Of Debt Conversion? | Mark As Read |
Q: On page 105 of the second edition of Venture Deals under Debt Conversion Mechanics, you state: "Therefore, having outstanding debt (that doesn't convert) can be a bad thing if an entrepreneur ever gets sideways with one of the debt holders".?I infer this to mean that convertible debt cannot bring about the same bad results....
One Of Our Investors Just Closed Shop. What Should We Do? | Mark As Read |
Q: What is the best path to take if a VC which has invested in my company closes down, but we have not exited and are still operating profitably ? What happens to the LLC entity that was formed at the time of investment? ?Do we ask the VC for our shares back or buy
Where Can I Find Information on Starting Salaries for a SaaS Startup? | Mark As Read |
Q:?Where can I get some good starting salary information for a SaaS startup?? I need the information for CEO, CFO, CIO, CINO, Director of Sales. How much should the starting salaries vary for a startup with $5 million vs $10 million gross revenue? A (Brad): ?First of all, you can find a great deal of
Issues with Equity Misalignment | Mark As Read |
Q: In our startup we have 4 founders, two of whom are not full time. ?We've all put in a good sum of cash thus far. ?The two founders with the least equity happen to be the two tech founders. ?Some of us feel that we made a mistake when allocating shares in the beginning
Where Are The Best Executive Programs and Crash Courses for Venture Capital? | Mark As Read |
Q: As a rookie VC trial by fire is a great way to learn. Aside from crunching through some early deals, where are the best executive programs and crash courses for newbies to the VC world? A: While self serving, we recommend you start with our book – Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer
Who are stock certificates issued to and when? | Mark As Read |
Q: We are a Delaware C Corp registered as a Foreign Entity in Colorado our home state and?we need to figure out the answers to the following questions with regards to stock certificates. 1. Who gets stock certificates issued and when? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?My assumptions are?that cash investments DO get certificates,
Is There More Than One Type Of Convertible Debt? | Mark As Read |
Troy Henikoff and I had lunch a month or so ago in Chicago and the conversation turned to convertible debt. I'd recently made an offer to invest in a company Troy was an investor in and the entrepreneur and I got tangled up in the definition of pre and post money in the context of
New VC Blogger ? Greg Gottesman (Madrona) | Mark As Read |
My long time friend and favorite Seattle VC Greg Gottesman has started blogging. Greg's a great writer and super thoughtful investor so I expect his blog will be one to read and comment on. It's certainly going to be in my daily blogroll. Greg and I are currently on the boards of Cheezburger?and Startup Weekend?together.
What Costs Are Considered Reimbursable To The Founders Of A Startup Company? | Mark As Read |
Q: What costs are considered reimbursable to the founder of a start-up company? ?More specifically, if the founder has been boot-strapping his company since inception, and he agrees to a series a term sheet with a VC firm, are the operational costs incurred by the founder between this time and the closing of the round
McClure on Scaling Venture Capital | Mark As Read |
Dave McClure has a great post up today titled?VC Evolution: Physician, Scale Thyself.?It's a long ramble, as is Dave's style, on a bunch of issues around the evolution of how VC works and scales. I'm an investor in Dave's fund and have believed in him from the beginning so it's cool to see him continue
Do You Need To File A Form D With A Financing? | Mark As Read |
It used to be the case that whenever a private company did a financing, it filed a Form D with the SEC in order to comply with Regulation D. Suddenly, I'm hearing of lots of situations, especially in seed and Series A financings, where companies are no longer filing Form D. Apparently a number of
Joe Kraus? Caller ID Test | Mark As Read |
I love it when Joe Kraus blogs. I don't know Joe very well – mostly through my partner Ryan McIntyre (who was Joe's partner at Excite) but I've greatly enjoyed our deep dinner time conversation (the last one I remember was a Vegas one that was the Dick Costolo / Eric Lunt leaving Google party
A New Angel Investing Strategy | Mark As Read |
Dave Balter, the CEO of BzzAgent, founder of Smarterer, and an active angel investor has a guest post up on OnStartups about his approach to angel investing. It's titled?Shorter Flights at Lower Heights: The Right Way To Angel Invest?and is definitely worth a read if you are an angel investor. I have a different strategy
Josh Breinlinger: Why VCs Lie | Mark As Read |
I discovered Josh Breinlinger's blog this morning via a tweet from @stefanobernardi. I added it to the Ask the VC blogroll and read through?VCs are liars. And so am I.?And – Josh is right – it's super hard to say "you suck" or "your team sucks" as a reason for passing. I've written more about...
Pro-rata Rights For Angels | Mark As Read |
Joanne Wilson (aka Gotham Gal) has an outstanding post today titled Pro-rata rights. In it she makes two important points about angel investing. She won't do a deal if the legal documents aren't good. She won't do a deal if she doesn't get pro-rata rights. She then goes on to discuss a thing that happens
When Should A Company Be Formed Around an Idea? | Mark As Read |
Question: I participated in a company's "app challenge weekend" (which they described as somewhere between a hackathon and a startup weekend). I am excited to continue working on the product that my team built over the weekend with 2 of the team members (my brother and the guy who pitched the idea). My preference is
Weiss: The CEO?s Weekly Checklist | Mark As Read |
Scott Weiss, a partner at?Andreessen Horowitz, has an excellent post up on GigaOm titled?The CEO's Weekly Checklist. I've gotten to know Scott over the past few years via the board of Return Path. Scott was co-founder/CEO of IronPoint (acquired by Cisco) and built a very significant and powerful company – his checklist comes from his...
Baldwin: Advisors ? Stop Screwing Startups | Mark As Read |
Today's post of the day comes from Micah Baldwin. Micah isn't a VC – he's an entrepreneur, CEO, and experienced mentor (he's been involved in TechStars since the ?beginning.) He has a great rant titled Advisors Stop Screwing Startups. He makes several very important points about how advisors are screwing startups, why they should stop,...
Do My Early Stage Investors Own Too Much Of The Company? | Mark As Read |
Question: Most VCs commented that they can not fund current cap table where the CEO and COO would get 10% equity once fully vested while the current investors have 80%. We talked to our investors and they have agreed to rework the cap table, however, I would like to understand from you what should I
Does Being The First Full-Time Paid Employee Affect That Founder?s Equity In The Company? | Mark As Read |
Question: I am one of three founders of a company. ?Up until now we have been bootstrapping the company from our own funds and working part time on the company while having full time jobs. ? However, we are now looking to raise some private funding and one of us will be transitioning to the
How Often Do Employees Of VC-backed Startups Get Stock Options? | Mark As Read |
Question: How often do venture-backed start-up employees (let's say non-executives) get stock option grants? Besides the initial grant when they start, how often do "re-up" grants come? Should they be expected after further funding rounds? After significant accomplishments/promotions? Never? The short answer, at least in the US, is "most of the tim...
How Do I Protect My Option Grant From A Down Round In The Future? | Mark As Read |
Question: I am considering joining a startup that is currently in the process of raising their next round of funding. I will be joining as a VP, reporting directly to the CEO, and considered an "executive". Given the environment for this particular industry, it is very likely that the company will face a down round
Parker: Open Source and For-Profit Companies | Mark As Read |
On the heels of Yahoo suing Facebook for patent infringement followed by Tim Armstrong at AOL saying "hey Wall Street – look at me – I've got great patents also", Andrew Parker (Spark) wrote a post that brought me out of my "intellectual property depression" titled?Open Source and For-Profit Companies. I've been thinking about advancing...
Wilson: The Board Of Directors ? Selecting, Electing & Evolving | Mark As Read |
Fred Wilson (USV) must not be at SXSW because he's got a great post up titled?The Board Of Directors – Selecting, Electing & Evolving. While having a great post up and being at SXSW don't have to be mutually exclusive, all of the other VC Posts that I saw this morning said something like "here's
Suster: Never Negotiate Piecemeal. Here?s Why | Mark As Read |
There were very few VC posts today – I'm guessing most VC bloggers are either sleeping late, at SXSW (and possibly sleeping late due to their hangovers), or not blogging today (yeah – I know the third one is – well – a tautology). Mark Suster (GRP) has a great post up titled?Never Negotiate Piecemeal.
Wenger: A Rational Internet Venture Valuations Bubble | Mark As Read |
As I sit here in Boulder watching MI-5, taking care of Amy, avoiding SXSW, and catching up on RSS and email, I came across a post from Albert Wenger (USV) that rang true. It's titled?A Rational Internet Venture Valuations Bubble?and is insightful, clever, and though provoking. Easily the best VC post of the week.
McIntyre: Unencumbered By Reality | Mark As Read |
Ryan McIntyre, one of my partners at Foundry Group, has a delightful post up this morning with a short (4 minute) video about the founding and startup of Excite on his blog titled Ctrl+Alt+Compete Documentary. Ah yes, Excite, one of the first search engines (can you name the very first one? I'll give you a
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