Our firm does a lot of “B2B” and “B2B2C” investing. We are comfortable backing start-ups attacking the SaaS/software/tech spaces, whether they end up selling directly to other businesses or helping other businesses sell something unique to consumers. An example of the former is VoltDB, and an example of the latter is OwnerIQ. So, it is
Category: Entrepreneurship
‘Future Forward’ Conferences & Irony
For me, today has been a day for conferences. In the morning, I attended Scott Kirsner’s “Future Forward” gathering, and, in the afternoon I spoke at the MIT Sloan CFO Conference. Serendipitously, the theme was “The Future Forward CFO.” Two completely different events. Scott’s conference was in town and featured founders with a lot of
From Brown, HBS and Senior Exec…to a B&B
Here is an unusual résumé: Brown University, General Mills brand manager, Harvard MBA, SVP at Darden (the large company that owns Olive Garden, Capital Grille and Red Lobster), and…bed-and-breakfast owner/operator. That is the résumé for my close friend, John Hatton. You might think that he has lost his mind. You might think that this is a
How to Make Money: Concentrating Risk
Eric and I have been emailing this morning about a blog post on seed rounds (here) and how they’re getting larger. As the number of Series A check-writers has remained flat at best (and, down in some sectors) it’s forcing seed-stage companies to prove more momentum before they can raise a new round. So, they’re getting
When the VC-Entrepreneur Honeymoon Ends
Eric and I have been on quite a few boards. That’s another way of saying that we’re in our 40s, which qualifies as “old age” in today’s hip and young entrepreneurial world. But, with age, hopefully, comes self-awareness. For example, one thing for which we are prepared is when the honeymoon period with a founder
A Good Evening with NEVCA
I had a good time last night at my last New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) Board gathering. I ran into some prior colleagues, and it was great to see them (fun to catch up with you, Dan, Bob and Sean). I also had a chance to meet up again with C.A. Webb and