Building a startup is hard.
Figuring out fundraising and venture capital shouldn’t get in your way.
Here you will find all of my posts, starting with the most recent.
You can also jump directly to the following categories:
How Needy Are VCs?
How often to VCs really want to hear from founders? And how do they prefer to communicate with them?
What Cooking Can Teach You About Fundraising
Here are 6 things cooking can teach you about fundraising.
How to Write for Success
Learning to put your best foot forward in writing is one of the most significant ways to increase your fundraising success.
Find Your Recharge
Startups are a marathon, not a sprint. Long-term success requires you to pace yourself. It’s essential that you uncover the things that deplete your energy and what you need to replenish it. You need to find your recharge.
VC (Probably) Isn't Right for You
Monique Woodard of Cake Ventures, Marvin Liao of Diaspora Ventures, advisor Mike Sigal, Web Summit host Casey Lau and I recently met with startup founders across Scotland. The one topic we kept returning to? The fact that VC isn’t right for 99% of startups.
What is Appropriate VC Diligence?
Founders get a lot of VC diligence requests during fundraising. Here are 6 examples of appropriate VC diligence requests and 6 examples that should set off your alarm bells.
No, You Should Not Give Advisory Shares to Investors
I'm going to be blunt. Angel investors or VCs asking for advisory shares as a condition of investment is not okay. Full stop.
Don't Talk to Your Competitors' Investors
One question many startup founders have is whether or not they should pitch VCs who have invested in their competitors.
The Power of Perspective
As a founder, one of the most powerful things you can have is a unique perspective, insight or opinion about a market.
You Are Not Your Company
The journey of a founder often feels like a series of trials of worthiness. And no experience embodies this more than fundraising.
Immigration: America's Achilles Heel
Something happened over the last 20 years. America — the nation whose foundation was built on immigration — has itself became anti-immigration. The rest of the world has seen America's achilles heel and is in attack mode.
It's Not Just What You Say, It's How You Say It
In our first meeting, I’m focused less on what a founder says and more concerned with how they say it.
The Moment of Truth
It was 2012. My cofounder and I were huddled around a laptop pitching Brad Feld, the "final boss" in our quest to secure a term sheet from Foundry Group.
Why Don't VCs Give Feedback?
One of the most frustrating experiences for startup founders is to have multiple calls with a potential investor, only to hear…nothing. Why do VCs act like this?
Why Market Matters Most to VCs
The uncomfortable truth is that the majority of startup ideas are fundamentally not a fit for VCs. And it’s because of the size of the market that they’re going after.