Here’s How to Cancel a Meeting the Right Way

I wrote a version of this post four years ago but given the hectic nature of today’s tech markets I thought it was worth revisiting and updating.

Canceling meetings is a part of modern day life. I seem to get so over…

What is the Right Burn Rate at a Startup Company?

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “Startup Burn Rate is Normal.” I highly recommend reading it. I love how transparently Danielle lives her startup (& encourages other to join in) because it provides much needed…

Bad Notes on Venture Capital

This week. On the phone …

Me: So, you raised venture capital?
Him: Yeah. We raised a seed round. About $1 million.
Me: At what price?
Him: It wasn’t priced. We raised a convertible note.
Me: With a cap?
Him: Yes, $8 million.
Me: Ah. I see. So you did…

Why Recruiting Isn’t Over When an Employee Accepts Your Offer

Recruiting. It is the bane of every startups existence because it takes up so much time, it is so competitive to sign people and it feels like unproductive time because it’s not moving the ball forward on product…

When VCs Play Defense

Somehow the world seems to be spinning faster these days than just a few years ago. The frantic pace of technology cycles, the amount of tech news, the blogs, the conferences, the demo days, the announcements, the fundings, the IPOs. It’s exhausting. Perhaps unsustainable.

Why We’re Looking to Fund Stuff With More Meaning

Venture Capital is a tricky industry. If you’re funding the same stuff as everybody else and if you started your activities when the clues were obvious you’re much less likely to drive enormous returns.

What I Hate About Selling Companies

By all measures the past year has been successful. Teams that I’ve backed have sold their companies to Disney, Apple and AOL for substantive amounts of money. Founders have done very well, our fund has done well. Exhibit: Champagne and celebrations.