Bootstrapping
(AVC.com)
Venture capitalist, Fred Wilson gives some famous examples of companies that started by bootstrapping.
“With all the talk of massive amounts of cash sloshing around the web/mobile startup ecosystem (including things I’ve said recently), you would think that nobody bootstraps anymore. But that is not true at all.”
Get your Startup Offsite
(GenuineVC.com)
“A startup’s offsite provides the leaders of a startup with the opportunity – and excused absence from one day’s operational details – to review where the company has been and point it in the right direction for the future given that context.”
Is Venture Capital Dead? Mark Suster Feels It’s Morning in Venture Capital (Great Article)
(BothSidesoftheTable.com)
“I can’t help feel a bit of rear-view mirror analysis in all of “VC model is broken” bears in our industry. I have been close to the tech & startup sectors for more than 20 years and I can’t think of a period in which I felt more optimistic about the innovation and value creation I see in front of us.
These seven factors are leading to better and more sustainable opportunities in venture capital than have been present at any time in our investment histories.
We have lower costs to create companies – leading to more early stage innovation. We have a more normalized venture market with less capital and fewer firms. We have consumers who are online at higher speeds and for more of their days. People are connected all the time and when they’re mobile. Each of these pocket computers is payment ready & social linked.”
Hey Graduates: Forget Plastics – It’s All About Machine Learning
(BostonVCblog.typepad.com)
“For the first time, I began to think through the practical implications of what the advent of the information explosion (now commonly referred to as “Big Data”) really meant to both individuals and corporations. How would this onslaught of information effect decision-making across a range of industries, what were the practical implications to businesses and executives, and what were the resulting investment opportunities?”
The Bar Has Gotten Higher
(BostonVCblog.typepad.com)
“When I first entered the venture capital business 10 years ago after being an entrepereneur, my partners warned me that “my bar” for new investments would get higher over time. In other words, the criteria to make a new investment – clearing “the bar” – would get more strict with time as I developed more experience and saw more things. I found this to be very true, and the notion that investors get wiser and more selective over time has become common wisdom in the industry.
But there’s something very new going on in the last few years – something very striking. Simply put, the collective bar of the investment community to fund young companies has recently gotten higher – much higher.”
Startups getting caught in No Man’s Land
(BeyondVC.com)
“I am seeing many startups who were ably seed funded get caught in “No Man’s Land” between the seed round and a true Series A round led by a venture capitalist. “
How Even a 10-year-old Can Compete with Free — and Win
(labs.openviewpartners.com)
“The fundamentals of most businesses are the same as this: identify market pain, provide a superior solution, compete, modify strategy to adjust to the market, and repeat.”
I could build Instagram in a week
(DonDodge.Typepad)
“How many times have you heard someone say “I could build [insert hot startup name here] in a week”? I hear it all the time. But, I have yet to see one of these delusional wizards actually do it. They are obviously too busy inventing the next big thing. They fail to realize that building a successful consumer web or mobile product takes more than great technology. A lot more.”