… a founder, a VC, and his Associate negotiate a down round. Very NSFW. Video: Old Face Andre talks economics with Omar Another business lesson from The Wire — about intellectual property: “It ain’t about right, it’s about money.”
Entries Tagged as 'Downturn'
In a board room, somewhere in Silicon Valley…
February 6th, 2010 · 4 Comments · Downturn, Negotiation, Video
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Lowering the water level: Do bad economies spur innovation?
January 12th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Downturn, Innovation, Lean
“[Recessions] can cause people to think more about the effective use of their assets. In the good times, you can get a bit careless or not focused as much on efficiency. In bad times, you’re forced to see if there is a technology [that will help].” – Craig Barrett, Chairman of Intel Water hides the [...]
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The spontaneous optimism that drives startups
January 10th, 2009 · Comments Off · Books, Downturn, Psychology
In 1936 (!), old-school economic giant John Maynard Keynes described the spontaneous optimism that drives startups: “A large proportion of our positive activities depend on spontaneous optimism rather than mathematical expectations, whether moral or hedonistic or economic. Most, probably, of our decisions to do something positive, the full consequences of which will be drawn out [...]
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When investors try to re-negotiate a term sheet
October 27th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Closing, Downturn
In Be Careful Who You Deal With, Matt McCall, a Managing Director at DFJ Portage, has great advice for entrepreneurs who are dealing with “slimy bottom sucker” investors: “As these markets continue their chaotic path downward, people’s true colors come out. Some people show increasing amounts of fairness and consideration. Others will self-optimize and use [...]
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Paul Graham: "Look in the mirror"
October 17th, 2008 · Comments Off · Downturn, Founders, Quotes
“If you want to improve your chances, you should think far more about who you can recruit as a cofounder than the state of the economy. And if you’re worried about threats to the survival of your company, don’t look for them in the news. Look in the mirror.” – Paul Graham
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"They blew an opportunity to remain optimistic"
October 15th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Downturn, Psychology
“Over the past few months, I’ve witnessed the experts and the media bemoan and belabor the “tough economy.” My attitude in times like these is to stay focused, stay optimistic, ignore the media and operate as normal. We’ve done a great job of doing these at Infusionsoft and it’s paying off. We had our best [...]
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"Financings are blowing up"
October 15th, 2008 · Comments Off · Downturn, Valuation
“Financings are blowing up, terms are being renegotiated, venture lenders are getting more conservative, and existing investors are stepping up to fill the gaps… “I guarantee that there are some financings happening right now that are getting done at valuations which would have made sense nine months ago but don’t make sense right now… I [...]
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Sequoia’s advice is good advice anytime
October 14th, 2008 · 6 Comments · Downturn, Plans
“Spend every dollar as if it were your last.” – Sequoia Capital “A business plan that doesn’t require a wonderful economic environment in order to succeed… is a good idea all the time.” – Marc Andreessen Summary: In good times and bad, startups should be asking themselves the same questions: (1) What’s our runway? (2) [...]
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