In reviewing companies many months ago I found an unusual trend in which the pre-money valuation mode was $5M. At the time, it seemed it was the default expression of having a startup. “I have a startup in …. and it’s social… there’s BIG DATA…. we have MBAs…. I have never worked at nor …
I just saw “This is the End,“the idea is celebrities attempting to survive during the apocalypse. It is a ridiculous and offensive comedy. I laughed plenty and as of July 14th the movie brought in over $90M with a production budget of $32M. Upon leaving the theater, I told my partner in crime that we …
FinTech Demo Day has companies of early and later stages all trying to solve big, complex problems that are challenging to execute given the barriers to entry in the market. The companies were mostly B2B and worked closely with mentors at banks to understand how to be “must have” and not just a “nice to …
Yesterday morning was the screening day at the New York Angels where we have companies pitch for funding. On a monthly basis, we review 14-16 companies in two rooms running concurrently. Selected from our pre-screen process and referrals by members – it lends itself to be an exciting morning. What really happens Companies are …
“Why do we ask for financial projections?” What??! Time and again you hear investors say that whatever financial projections there were at the start prior to investment with an early stage company, they change greatly after a few months, year, and so on. So why do we care…? Well, the basic things at a …
Citibike has hit New York and people are riding. I can count at least 3 citibike riders at any given point when I am on 8th or 9th avenue south of 34th street. The numbers lend themselves to this truth. There has been a total of 1.4 million miles ridden since launch and there are …
Staying hydrated in the heat wave is incredibly important. I stick to fruits – grapes, berries, oranges – any fruit that has a good amount of water when consuming. However, running around in this heat to meetings or using your Citibike to get to meetups, overheating is highly likely. Particularly with the amount of coffee …
The power of thank you notes and follow ups is substantial. If someone takes time to meet with you for your startup, career, or anything else, a quick thank you email goes far. I have met investors that use the thank you follow up as a measure of how this person treats future potential clients, …
It was four year ago this week that I left my safe corporate gig during the 2009 post-financial crisis meltdown and record spikes of unemployment. I wanted something more, something interesting, something challenging. The role I had felt limited and not challenging enough. When I reached for more challenges, I felt a culture of “do …
What I learned at the bit.ly breakfast panel of What your blog can do for you Being a successful blogger is about Cultivating relationships and community Being current, not passive, by responding to current things Keeping your identity and differentiate yourself from the noise in the market Knowing your audience – know what people want …
