Pitches need to be given from the perspective of the investor. These things are too often forgotten The investor’s job is to make a financial return for their investors. They get thousands of pitches per year. This means they are distracted and also that they’ve probably heard a similar pitch to yours already. Put your investor hat on Ask yourself: Did…

Those of us building products that will operate in new market categories need to invest as an emerging industry into the category itself. But the new market category doesn’t exist yet Channels are immature and clumsy There is no supply chain Customers don’t know how to buy The ecosystem of products around ours does not exist yet There…

Joining a startup isn’t the crapshoot it used to be. It can be a very real way to build wealth. This wealth will probably come from equity or options in the company. …

Sadly, there is no easy algorithm for dividing up the initial shares in a company. But getting it ‘right’ is critical. Take the time to discuss allocations between founders and feel good about the decision. These are the foundations upon which a company will be built. Some principles I have learned the hard way The following are not…

No one invests because of a demo day. I certainly don’t. I need to work for it. This is how an accelerator program can help me to invest. Before the program starts Send me a list of each company with enough information for me to commit to work. No more than half a page…

Owners have more momentum than employees. They are driven by pride, agency, intention, hope and fear. When scientists become owners, incredible impact is possible. Venture capital was created to unleash this power It is easy to think of venture capital as a digital-first execution game, but it began in a way that is much closer to our work…

We throw new experiences against a canvas of history to decide whether something is strong or weak, good or bad. In venture capital, we do this all the time. Like junkies, we look for that moment of epiphany. …