Venture Capital
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How Early Exit Disease Stunts The Growth Of Midwest Startup Communities
There is an unnamed epidemic slowly traveling through the middle of the U.S. This epidemic goes by many names, but our venture fund refers to it as “early exit disease.” This disease spreads when founders realize sub-$20 million exits. Many of these exits could have grown much larger. Instead, early exits have been quietly devastating the Midwest region’s startup… Read More
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Wary Of The “Next Warby”
Warby Parker is astonishingly successful, whether you judge it by the rave reviews of customers, its valuation or, more impressively, by the number of startups that compare themselves to the iconic eyeglass innovator. Over the last couple of years, I’ve met with dozens of entrepreneurs who have pitched themselves as the “Warby of ________.” Read More
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What To Do If Your Lead Investor Asks For ESOP
As valuations continue to rise, early stage VCs are getting more “creative” with their deal structuring. In particular, I’ve seen a rise in requests for ESOP shares to be allocated to lead investors for their “value added services.” It’s common to give ESOP to advisors for their value add, so why not investors? Read More
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Your Firm Is Missing Out On The Biggest Investment In History
Looking for an untapped market for a great new investment? Try 50.4 percent of the population. Today, women are the largest emerging investible class across the globe. Only 2.7 percent of venture capital-funded companies have a female CEO, and even in the 36.2 percent of non-farm businesses that are woman-owned, women only earned 11.3 percent of the revenue. Read More
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PeerSpace Raises $5 Million Series A, Expands To New York City
PeerSpace, a short-term meeting space reservations marketplace, has announced a $5 million Series A round of financing led by Foundation Capital to propel growth. Existing investor Structure Capital also participated in the round.
The startup is a bit like Airbnb but for empty meeting spaces. The idea is to utilize creative spaces in the cities the platform operates instead of the same old… Read More
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Suddenly Every Company Is Becoming A Venture Capitalist
It has often been said that every company is a software company or even a big data company, but as I attended the Intel Capital Global Summit last week, another thought occurred to me: every company is now also an investment company. The star of the show last week was Intel Capital of course, the venture arm of Intel Corporation, but it’s far from alone. Over dinner strictly by… Read More
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Netatmo, France’s Answer To Nest, Raises $32M To Build Its Smart Home Business
France has developed something of a name for itself as a center for IoT startups, and today another mover and shaker in the space is making some waves. Netatmo, a Paris-based designer of stylish connected home devices like smart thermostats and security cameras — think France’s answer to Nest — is announcing that it has raised €30 million ($32 million). Read More
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Ev Williams’ Obvious Ventures Invests In Solar Software Company Sighten
Ev Williams’ venture firm invests in a solar energy asset management, procurement and installation software developer. Vinod Khosla Steps Off Square’s Board In Advance Of Its IPO
Vinod Khosla has stepped down as a director of the San Francisco-based payments company Square as it prepares to go public.Israeli Health Tech Is Heating Up With A Wave Of Interest From Abroad
Israel’s many health tech startups are attracting unprecedented interest from abroad, with multinational medical giants looking to benefit from the country’s ongoing hi-tech boom. Israel’s health tech is spurred on by a global demand for innovative healthcare solutions, fueled by aging populations and struggling middle classes. Considering that life sciences alone… Read More
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