March 2011
55 posts
“The strongest thing you can cultivate as an entrepreneur is to not rely on luck...”
– Jack Dorsey
“There aren’t many things more fun than strafing targets on the ground, and...”
– An ex-Harrier pilot explains the difference between firing at other airplanes and shooting at targets on the ground - By Tom Ricks | The Best Defense
K9 Ventures » Thoughts on Convertible Notes →
The convertible note was really intended as an instrument for a “bridge financing” – when an equity round was imminent, and likely to occur, but the company needed some money in between. In that case, it made good sense to have a debt instrument, where the note holder then converted into equity when the financing occurred. Since the financing would likely happen in short order, there was no need...
How should a startup raising VC on the verge of...
Corporate Records and Charter Documents
All minutes of directors’ and stockholders’ meetings, and all written consents of directors and stockholders.
Certificate of Incorporation, Certificates of Designation, Rights, etc., and Bylaws.
Similar information for the Company and subsidiaries, if any.
Business Plan and Financials
Current business plan and any financial projections.
Most recent...
“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other...”
– Henry Ford
“Confidence is 10% hard work and 90% delusion”
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistance. Talent will not; nothing...”
“It’s apparently that time again — the Valley has gone on tilt....”
– The Top Ten Signs the Valley is on Tilt Again
The Global Venture Capital and Private Equity... →
“To live is to love; the rest is cancer.”
Why Social Media is More Popular than Sex -... →
And that means we have a relationship – human interaction – without any of the associated stress.
Does this go some way towards explaining why social media (ambient intimacy) has exploded as it has – apparently overtaking porn as the number one use of the internet?
“Startups are in a unique position to weave the idea of doing good into the very...”
– Biz Stone: BIZ AND AOL
“One of the biggest misperceptions in our society is that a prerequisite for...”
– Notes on Leadership: Be Like Steve Jobs, … And Bill Campbell, And Andy Grove
Four things some VCs do that I don’t like →
1. They are fake casual
2. They want to grab a cup of coffee
3. They confuse pattern matching with knowledge
4. They are pseudo-tough
Tips:
If you are a VC and want to be tough, be real tough. For a VC, real tough is:
The strength to explain in detail to an entrepreneur what she is doing wrong when the company is doing well, in order to improve her performance.
The courage to do...
“The ultimate payday is not a priority. Changing the world is”
– Mark Zuckerberg
“Ignore marketing and customer development at your peril. An engineer starting a...”
“Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them.”
“We love to tear apart the people and companies that are trying to do big things....”
– The Mythical Sheryl Sandberg Wink And Smile
“Imagine seeing your competition’s entire feature roadmap, and then planning your...”
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“The biggest challenge of being an investor is: You can give advice, but the...”
– A VC: Gotham Gal On Startups
“People who know what an integral is would generally not have tattoos.”
– the always observant roelof comes up with the best line in the vanity fair piece on @jack
Twitter Was Act One | Business | Vanity Fair
“Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of...”