The best start-ups, we at Kepha think, are the ones that have or can achieve “optionality.” Optionally creates founders’ freedom. Without it, you’re hosed. Here’s why. Optionally exists when you have a repeatable and scale-able revenue model. With that, you can forecast revenues, which is the best form of financing available: non-dilutive cash. When you

How many investments a VC Partner makes a year is critical to know. It greatly drives a firm’s strategy–and, the “kill rate” in a VC portfolio. That’s because many VCs are already on many boards (read “The Early-Stage Financing Digestion Problem”) and need to ration time. At Kepha, we believe in being highly selective. Each

The persistent and recent security hacks reported in the media remind me that we are unsafe. In spite of many dollars and much effort, the arms race against black-hat initiatives continues. Security is a sector that continues to intrigue me. At my previous firm, I was a founding investor in Bit9, which recently announced a