started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur :  Tenacity .  I caller dialed in to ask us questions about his startup. He was from South America but living in Switzerland and had launched a startup while holding down a day job at a consulting firm (McKinsey if memory serves). This is part of my series on  what makes an entrepreneur successful .  I originally posted it on  VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs.

Recently I’ve been debating with a number of young startup companies that are raising money in the next few months, “what is the right about of capital to raise at a startup?” the funding environment might change dramatically – there may never be a next round (see: March 2000, September 11, 2001 and September 2008) - 8221;  That is so self centered This is part of my ongoing series on Raising Venture Capital . 8221;

started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute:  Tenacity .  I You’ve got to be able to come out of unsuccessful VC meetings, pull your socks up, and go into the next pitch.  You’ve got to hear all of the doubters, and the world is FILLED with doubters, and still not give up.  This is part of my new series on  what makes an entrepreneur successful .  I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs.

This is part of my ongoing series “ Start Up Advice ” but I’d really like to call this post, “VC Advice.” On a panel that I sat on with Ron in LA in 2008 he stated that there were no circumstances in which the founder should take money off of the table.  I Let me start with a couple of stories. A friend of mine is a serial entrepreneur and is running a high-profile, early stage company in NorCal. 8221; If a company has reached a level of success, has been around for a few years and you believe the company has potential to break

On the flip side, as a person who regularly advises early stage start-ups, I often have a hard time finding interesting start-ups. Actually, the friction is even higher trying to find a partner for a start-up. eHarmony for start-up / advisor relationship Andrew Warner from Mixergy posted - Before Looking for Funding, Get an Advisor . He recommends that early stage companies get input from people who know the funding process, know the vertical, etc.

In the first post in this three part series I described why I believe the VC market froze between September 2008 – April 2009 .  In It is also a result of pent-up demand. I believe that consumer spending over the past 15 years has been fueled by a great run up in the equity value of property that gave consumers what economists call “ the wealth effect ” and even though the Wikipedia cites some economists who believe it’s only theory In the second post I argued that as of September 2009 the pace of VC investments has increased rapidly (at least for software / Internet investments – the only sector on which I’m competent to comment), but only for those remaining VCs who have new enough funds and aren’t plagued by “the triage problem.”

Heres 5 steps to start exploring: View Write me an e-mail and let me know what youre up to! The first 6 steps to homegrowing basic startup analytics Comments Quick intro to getting set up on analytics I’ve Futuristic Play by @Andrew_Chen Analysis on viral marketing, user experience, game design, and online ads As

Let me start with a story.  When We ended up agreeing a term sheet for $16.5 We had people hearing through the grapevine that we were about to raise money and new investors started calling us to get in on the deal. Guys, I accept that we could probably shop this around but we could also end up with nothing.  Let’s A reminder that it is important for all entrepreneurs is to remember to be careful about “deal drift.”  I I think the perfect saying to have as a reminder is “time is the enemy of all deals,” or as my wife is all too tired of hearing me say, “Don’t pop the

Is there a difference between tech startups in Silicon Valley vs. They build obsessively user focused products, do a fantastic job at virally driving a ton of traffic, but usually have their head up their ass when it comes to making money. Los Angeles? Most emphatically, Yes ! I’ve

In my previous post, The VC Ice Age is Thawing (for now) I wrote about the reasons why the VC market came to a screeching halt in September 2008 and remained largely shut until at least April 2009.  There There’s no doubt (at least anecdotally) that the pace of VC investments in early-stage technology companies has picked up in the past few months.   The hear from several There are now signs the VC market has gathered pace meaning it’s a great time to be fund raising.  This This post highlights some of the reasons why the market is moving again and what entrepreneurs should