I met this morning with an awesome start-up CEO. Unfortunately, his company is out of cash next month. The company had raised money from some individuals (who are now tapped out), progress has taken longer than expected, and he has 30 days to raise new money or to unwind the company. “Don’t take failure personally,”
Venture Capital Doesn’t Scale
I’m catching up on some reading this morning before our weekly partners’ meeting. In the mail was a report from Preqin, a highly respected firm that tracks the alternative assets industry. One graph in particular caught my eye: The graph charts various returns for a number of asset classes, indexed since 2000. It shows that
The 4th of July and Gettysburg
It’s the morning of July 3 right now. Already, the sun is shining powerfully and brightly, and the air is thick with humidity. As I drive to my favorite coffee place, there’s scant traffic. I see families start to load up mini-vans for their 4th of July long weekend. I love the 4th of July.
A Quiet Morning (and, a Fly-Fishing Video)
Well, nearly the entire Tango household is out of town, visiting grandparents. I’m home with our oldest child, who is recovering from surgery (don’t worry, everything is OK) and who is a very self-sufficient teenager. So, it’s an at-home weekend. It’s unusual because the house is very quiet (it’s usually buzzing with activity), and I
Jerry Colonna, Entrepreneurship and Personal Drive
Fred Wilson posted a fascinating video today. It’s of an interview between Jerry Colonna and entrepreneur Jason Calcanis. At my old VC firm, I once inherited a Board seat when a partner left, and the bright spot was that Jerry was also on that Board. He is someone whom I respect greatly. There’s a very powerful
TED Talk: ‘The Power of Vulnerability’
As a VC, I meet with many people who are starting their own companies. I often ask them why they’ve decided to leave a safe job and become a risk-taking entrepreneur. Underlying nearly all of the stories is this common theme, which I paraphrase as this: “I want to be happy.” I want to be