Category Archives: Seed/Venture Capital

Ohhhhh. I Get It Now. You Said Valuation…I Thought You Said Value.

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

I am obviously slower than I thought I was.  And I’m certainly slower than the capital aggregators known as Silicon Valley venture capital.  They understood long before I did that early stage company investing is NOT about the value of … Continue reading →

Posted in Seed/Venture Capital, Innovation and the World, Commentary/Editorial | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? A. To Get to a Real Incubator.

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

Yesterday I received an email from an entrepreneur who wrote: “I am launching a startup in the mobile/social media/sales & e-payments/arts & networking arena this summer and am looking to get into an accelerator.”  Rather than try to figure out what … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary/Editorial, Seed/Venture Capital, Tech Based Economic Development | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

We Better Define Success Before Declaring It

Posted on October 26, 2011 by

Ten years ago, in my office, I was fortunate to have observed an “A-HA!” moment that pops back into my head more than once in a while.  In my office was a very well known and successful venture capitalist and … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurial Advice, Seed/Venture Capital, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What Erich Brenn Can Teach Us About Funding of Start-Ups

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

Who remembers Erich Brenn?  In these blog posts, I’ve occasionally tried to understand, and explain, the business world I see by comparing it to famous people you’ve probably never heard of.  We’ve previously talked about Don Ho and Jim Riggleman.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Development Policy, Just Kidding, Seed/Venture Capital, Tech Based Economic Development | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should VC’s Be More Like Lumberjacks?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

According to this Small Business Trends post, only 10% of all VC investment goes into seed and early stage companies.  That is up from only about 5% in the mid-2000′s, but well below the 15-25% range that existed between 1980 … Continue reading →

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Don’t Bring Me Angel Investors…Bring Me Hero Investors

Posted on July 25, 2011 by

There is trouble in the town! In case you haven’t seen the headlines, let me deliver some bad news to you. You’re not going to like it, but it’s time you hear it too. The United States is no longer great … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Development Policy, Innovation and the World, Seed/Venture Capital, Tech Based Economic Development | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

VentureTips…Wise Beyond Their Years

Posted on July 19, 2011 by

Ah, youth.  Early signs of future success sometimes appear to be obvious, but so many do not live up to their potential.  Like the highly recruited college athlete who appears to be the “next one”, early promise can fizzle or … Continue reading →

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VentureTips…What Jim Riggleman Can Teach Us About Negotiating

Posted on June 27, 2011 by

Last week’s post at VentureHacks on negotiating terms in a capital raising effort provided an excellent context for evaluating the decision later in the week by Washington Nationals manager, Jim Riggleman, to retire. The post by VentureHacks talks about utlizing leverage … Continue reading →

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Tiny Bubbles, In The Whine…Make Your A Round Happy, Feel Fine

Posted on May 26, 2011 by

Most people younger than 40 may not even recognize the name Don Ho.  It’s probably not even vaguely familiar; not stored even on a single synapse way in the back there from  when you were channel surfing and accidentally heard … Continue reading →

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Angels Invest in People

Posted on May 9, 2011 by

I caught up on some reading over the weekend.  Not as much as I would have liked because I had to help my wife around the house on Mother’s Day.  Mostly I was taking notes on all the help that … Continue reading →

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