I often chuckle when I read articles about “successful” entrepreneurs and their multi-billion-dollar exits. It seems so easy in these news pieces: a good idea, superior execution, and everything falls into place. Geniuses snap their fingers. Fortunes follow. The reality, in my experience, is different. There can many heartbreaks, pivots, layoffs, and divorces. There are usually
Category: Technology and VC
New ‘Coffee Connect with a VC’ Leaders
I’ve met many entrepreneurs. Two who impress everybody are Sravish Sridhar and Rob May. Given that, the New England VC Asssociation has asked them to lead the “Coffee Connect with a VC” series. As I’ve written previously, I think there’s a huge need for entrepreneurs and VCs to get together for regular, open/inclusive, and meaningful
Aligning Incentives and the Red Sox
I read Terry Francona’s new book. He is the ex-Red Sox Manager, who took the team to two World Series titles and, at long last, “reversed the curse.” If you like baseball, it is a fun insider’s view into how a professional sports team is run. If you like following companies, it’s also an example
The Guardrail-to-Guardrail Markets
One of my morning meetings today was with a CFO, who is looking for his next gig. He has headed up finance for quite a few start-ups. He recounted one such company, in the 1998/1999 time frame. It went public. Revenue was $1 million. Its market cap was $2.2 billion. “Those were the days!” he
The ‘New Normal’ for Venture Capital (via @avc)
Like many VCs, I’ve long admired Fred Wilson and what he and his team at USV have built. I think his post today is very important, which is why I’d like to highlight it. Fred is writing about recently-announced data from the National Venture Capital Association and a comment from NVCA President Mark Heesen: The
My Bad Back and Social Media
I took a bad fall while skiing during the winter holidays. I should know better than to keep up with my speedy and nimble children, who ski so effortlessly and with insane speed. Days later, I’m in a lot of pain. My usual bad back pills aren’t helping at all, and I wake up often