Venture Capitalists

The Three Myths of Venture Capital

Diane Mulcahy | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Venture Capital, Venture Capital Investment, VC Funds, Investors, Venture Capitalists, Venture Capital Myths, Small Business News

VCs are good capitalists. They sell what their investors will buy, and they charge what their investors will pay. The real problem, it turns out, lies with the institutional investors -- the ones doing the buying and the paying.

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How to Engage a Venture Capitalist: Lessons From Our Dealflow

Andrew Tweed | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Business Tips, Investing, Growing a Business, Investing Advice, Business Advice, Venture Capitalists, Venture Capital, Capitalism, Venture Capitalism Advice, Venture Capitalism, Business News

The ways in which an entrepreneur might best connect with venture capitalists has been covered by a number of other VCs across the web, but we thought it might be helpful for entrepreneurs to put this question into context by providing actual operating data regarding deal flow for our firm.

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Facebook's First Backers Feel The Love As IPO Approaches

Reuters | Posted 05.14.2012

Read More: Google, Small Business, Venture Capitalists, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Small Business News and Trends, Startups, Facebook Venture Capital, Venture Capital, Facebook Investors, Andreessen Horowitz, Silicon Valley, Amazon, Video, Small Business News

(By Sarah McBride - Reuters) - For the handful of venture capitalists who backed Facebook (FB.O) in its early days, a huge financial payoff is not the...

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Can the Crowd Be More Patient

Fred Wilson | Posted 04.26.2012

Read More: Venture Capitalists, Tech Startups, Biotech, Venture Capital, Mobile, Crowdfunding Capital, Crowdfunding, Small Business News

I can feel the crowdfunding movement coming. And I think it will be impactful and helpful in many way. And I hope that its impact will be most felt in the sectors that have been starved for capital, not the sectors that are awash in capital.

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Venture Capital Firm Giving Half of Profits To Charity

Reuters | Posted 04.25.2012

Read More: Philanthropy, Hunger, Charity, Venture Capitalists, Environment, Small Business News and Trends, Donations, Venture Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Small Business News

(By Sarah McBride - Reuters) - In an effort to kickstart more charitable giving around Silicon Valley, the six general partners at venture firm Andree...

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12 Outrageous Business Plans (PHOTOS)

Murray Low | Posted 04.24.2012

Read More: Greenbox, Panda Dog USA, Venture Capitalists, Cup and Compass, Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center, Slidepollajax, Small Business America, Small Business News

Each student is free to interpret Columbia Business School's call for an "outrageous business plan" as they see fit. Some create typical businesses that solve outrageous problems, and others create disruptive businesses that solve ordinary problems in an outrageous way.

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Did A Startup Bubble Just Pop?

The Huffington Post | Nate C. Hindman | Posted 04.18.2012

Read More: Small Business, Video, Startup, Venture Capitalists, Small Business News and Trends, Startups, Startup Bubble, Bubble, Startup Investing, Venture Capital, Tech Bubble, Small Business News

Venture capital financing fell 21 percent in the first quarter of 2012 to its lowest level in nearly two years, according to a new report. That's ...

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Venture Capitalist: If Tech CEOs Any Younger We'd 'Be Invested In Preschool'

Reuters | Sarah McBride | Posted 04.21.2012

Read More: Video, 500 Startups, Paypal, Kiip, Google Ventures, Venture Capitalists, Reuters, Josh Buckley, Mark Zuckerberg, Game Developers Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Minomonsters, Facebook, Entrepreneur, Airy Labs, Silicon Valley, Business News

By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Josh Buckley, chief executive of an online gaming start-up, is looking forward to next month...

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Startup Boards

Mahendra Ramsinghani | Posted 03.21.2012

Read More: Investing, Small Business, Startup, Startup Boards, Ceos, Venture Capitalists, Startups, Entrepreneurs, Startup Investing, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, Small Business America, Small Business News

How does an entrepreneur manage this beast called the board, which has five heads, lots of opinions and shows up every four weeks?

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Something Old, Something New, Something To Solve The Borrowing Blues

Andy Sack | Posted 03.18.2012

Read More: Small Business America, Small Business, Venture Capital, Venture Capitalists, Small Business Financing, Small-Business-Investing, Small Business News

With small-business lending at banks at its lowest point in more than a decade and venture capitalists only willing to offer term sheets for billion-dollar market opportunities, we're seeing revenue-based finance make a strong comeback.

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Romney's Case for Bain

Earl Ofari Hutchinson | Posted 03.14.2012

Read More: GOP Presidential Race, Bain, Romney Bain, Solyndra, Venture Capitalists, President Obama and Private Business, Mitt-Romney-and-Bain-Capital, Politics News

GOP presidential contenders Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, GOP strategist Karl Rove, and a few other GOP stalwarts loudly claim that the Bain issue is a potential presidential game loser for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

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Finally, Newt Gingrich Gets Two Things Right

Peter Smirniotopoulos | Posted 03.13.2012

Read More: Economy, We Are the 99 Percent, Gop Primary 2012, Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Jobs, Venture Capital, Citizens United, Rick Perry, GOP Candidates, Bain Capital, Venture Capitalists, Occupy Wall Street, Economic Recovery, The 1 Percent, Newt Gingrich, Politics News

Bain Capital made Mitt Romney a much wealthier man than he already was as the heir to Daddy's fortune. But was it good for America? Hardly. Is this the American Dream? Perhaps only for the already wealthy Romney.

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Immigrants Started Half Of Top U.S. Startups

Reuters | Posted 12.20.2011

Read More: Immigration Reform, Investing, Video, Small Business, Startup, Visa, Venture Capitalists, Small Business News and Trends, Startups, Startup Visa, Immigration, Immigrants, Entrepreneur-Visa, Chegg, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur, Small Business News

(By Sarah McBride - Reuters) - Immigrants founded or cofounded almost half of 50 top venture-backed companies in the United States, a new study shows,...

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Pitch-A-Thons Give Startups In Second-Tier Cities Investor Love

Reuters | Posted 12.20.2011

Read More: Small Business, Groupon, Venture Capitalists, Startup Demo-Day, Startups, Small Business News and Trends, Startup Investors, Startup Pitch, Venture Capital, Seattle, Mba, Investors, Small Business News

(By Deborah L. Cohen - Reuters) - The crowd was restless as startups, investors, MBA students and a host of entrepreneurial wannabes waited in anticip...

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E-Commerce Venture Capital Doubles This Year

Reuters | Posted 12.09.2011

Read More: Video, Small Business, Online Retail, Groupon, Venture Capitalists, Gilt Groupe, Cyber Monday, Small Business News and Trends, Startups, Daily-Deals, Venture Capital, E-Commerce, Amazon, Small Business News

(Reuters - By Sarah McBride) - Consumers spent a record $1.25 billion on Cyber Monday, according to comScore, highlighting how much people love shoppi...

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American Midwest Deserves Another Look

Charles Rothstein | Posted 01.27.2012

Read More: Midwest Business Opportunities, Venture Capital, Capital-Poor Markets, Venture Capitalists, Midwest Business Activity, Emerging Markets, Detroit News

The Midwest has the infrastructure and workforce to compete in new economy sectors. Now we need venture limited partners and managers to recognize the opportunity.

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How to Win the Talent War

Dorie Clark | Posted 01.15.2012

Read More: High Tech, Lean Startup, Venture Capitalists, Eric Ries, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur, Lean Startup Methodology, Lean Manufacturing, Tech Startups, Business News

Being certain about what really works means you're selecting the best people -- without the potential bias of pattern recognition. And that means a better return on investment.

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Don't Forget To Bootstrap

Brad Feld | Posted 01.09.2012

Read More: Startup Capital, Small Business, Startup, Techstars, Venture Capitalists, Bootstrapping, Startups, Raising Money, Venture Capital, Small Business News

It's easy to get lost in the soup of "X company raised $Y" and forget that it's not about fundraising, but building a business.

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Too Many Startups Or Too Few Dollars?

Roger Ehrenberg | Posted 01.03.2012

Read More: Small Business, Startup, Technology Bubble, Venture Capitalists, Startups, Bubble, Venture Capital, Startup Investing, Early-Stage Venture Capital, Tech Bubble, Investors, Small Business News

I frequently see disconnects between founders ("This business is going to change the world") and venture investors ("Really? You are super smart and I love your enthusiasm but I respectfully disagree") after a business has already been financed.

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Why VCs Should Be Startup CEOs

Steve Blank | Posted 01.01.2012

Read More: Startups, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, Startup Hiring, Small Business, Venture Capitalists, Startup CEO, Small Business News

Today, you can start a web/mobile/cloud startup for $500,000 and have money left over. Every potential early-stage Venture Capitalist should take a year and do it before he or she makes partner.

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What Is A Revenue Based Loan?

Fred Wilson | Posted 12.17.2011

Read More: Small Business, Startup Financing, Angel Investing, Startup, Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists, Banks, Small Business Loan, Venture Capital, Technology Investing, Investors, Small Business News

Revenue-based financing can be a great option for profitable companies looking for a straightforward way to raise funding without dilution, change of control, or a personal guarantee.

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Serial Entrepreneur Carol Realini Shares Tips for Raising Venture Capital

Angie Chang | Posted 11.27.2011

Read More: Startup, Venture Capital, Raising Capital, Raising Venture Capital, 10-5-3-1, Entrepreneur, Startup Pitch, Pitching, Raising VC, Startups, Carol Realini, Fundraising, Venture Capitalists, Entrepreneurship, Women in Tech, Business News

Carol's Law of "10-5-3-1" is her tried-and-true method to manage your venture capital pipeline.

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Why VCs Matter

Roger Ehrenberg | Posted 09.21.2011

Read More: Small Business America, Startups, Small Business, Venture Capital, Boards, Venture Capitalists, Investors, Business News

Having investors and a board to report to forces reflection, deep thinking and, well, stopping for a bit to regain some perspective.

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Veteran Investors Share Their Top Pitch Pet Peeves

Angela Haines | Posted 09.10.2011

Read More: Mobius Venture Capital, Center for Venture Research at University of New Hampshire, T/Maker Company, Apple, Stanford Ventures, Springboard Enterprises, Heidi Roizen, Stanford University, Golden Seeds, Tivo, Prysm, Angel Investors, Angel Capital Association, Venture-Capitalists, Inc, Stanford Engineering School, Medical Discoveries Inc, Small Business America, Business News

Recently, two seasoned women investors shared their experience about why some pitches don't persuade investors to write checks.

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Entrepreneurs Never Learn Anything While They're Talking

Marty Zwilling | Posted 08.24.2011

Read More: Listening, Business, Entrepreneur, Learning, Small Business America, Small Business, Venture Capitalists, Startups, Venture Capital, Investors, Business News

Even good communicators average only about half their time listening. Yet experts assert that most people listen with only about 25 percent of their attention, hear about 25 percent of what is said, and after two months, remember only half of that.

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