This is the first post in a Friday series on “raising VC money”. For the list of topics we are covering, click here. In this post, we’ll focus on the first topic: which VCs to target? I think it’s a critical step in the fundraising process. You have a new business idea, you’ve spent a
Help: what to read?
David Cancel and I had an online exchange about what we read. I’d like to get others’ recommendations. What do you read that is helpful and inspirational? To get things going, here’s what I read regularly (and how I read them): Wall Street Journal (digital): Can be off the wall, such as this piece on
Raising VC money: topics
Raising venture capital money sounds like something from the Dark Arts, but it really isn’t all that complicated. Different approaches and different styles work, but there are some rules of thumb that seem to work well over and over. I thought I’d write a Friday series on raising money from VCs. I am thinking of
New Nest smart thermostat (part 1)
I’ve been on the waiting list for the new Nest thermostat. I just got an email saying that they have some new product. My techie Inner Self is pretty excited about it. The Nest is the “smart” thermostat developed by the folks who designed the first iPods. I completely fell for the marketing pitch. It
Traits of successful founders (and what would you do with $5 million?)
I recently connected with one of the founders in our portfolio. A company where he worked two start-ups ago was sold. He got his check last year. His personal take, which he humbly whispered to me, was $5 million. I asked him what he did with the money. I expected to hear about a new
A Harvard B School lesson for start-ups
I don’t think there’s a lot that business school can teach start-up founders. But, there is one particular lesson I think is valuable: managing culture and conflict. Here’s what I mean. When I arrived at Harvard Business School, my classmates and I were automatically assigned to one of nine “Sections” (I was in Section F).