By Collin West “Considering global population growth, we’re going to be in a pinch if we don’t figure out how to shelter ourselves without destroying the world,” says Evan Loomis, Co-Founder of ICON, and Kauffman Fellow (Class 21). “Two of our values at ICON are courage and velocity. There is no shortage of academic types […]
All of you out there raising your first fund. This blog is for you. 👊. Recommended listening while reading: Foreigner, Feels Like The First Time “I have waited a lifetime Spent my time so foolishly But now that I found you Together we’ll make history” Raising a first-time fund. The struggle is real. The […]
The data shows us that if you want to start a venture-backed company you’ll likely be doing exactly that… for a decent chunk of time. As Grateful Dead would say it’s going to be a long strange trip. This week we dug into our proprietary dataset and analyzed over 240,000 rounds from around the world. […]
“Coopetition”. It’s a blended word: cooperation and competition. We use this term when describing how VC firms work together. In one investment opportunity, a firm may be competing head-to-head with opposing term sheets, and in another, they team up as co-investors to help the company succeed. This got us thinking, how often do VCs actually […]
We continue to hear VCs tell us they believe ownership purchased by investors in a startup round (ownership percentage) is declining. So, in search of the truth, this week we dug into our proprietary dataset and analyzed over 240,000 rounds from around the world. To make sure the analysis is relevant and informative to current […]
Blog post by Collin West Over here in the Kauffman Fellows Research Center we have a deep well of data that we have struggled to find time-efficient ways to share with startups and VCs. So, as a beta, we are going to blog a few short posts and keep the analysis light. This one is […]
Female entrepreneurship is widespread across Africa’s economies, and the potential is expanding. Article by Lexi Novitske (Class 22).
Female entrepreneurship is widespread across Africa’s economies, and the potential is expanding. Article by Lexi Novitske (Class 22).
Capital is the scarcest resource for entrepreneurs. Kauffman Mentor and Scale Venture Partners founder Kate Mitchell offers thoughts on how startup founders can best use available capital for growth.
Mamoon (Class 11, KF BOD) shares his vision that in the future, high-paying programming jobs could be filled by people with skills acquired over a short period of time, without a college degree.
Jorge Torres argues the need for diversity in the investor landscape, in addition to the much-discussed arena of startup founders.
Evan Loomis (Class 21) built his son a “Hero Wall” with real-life, imperfect heroes, including Elon Musk, about whom he also wrote a children’s book.
“How did I get this job? How did I trick these people into hiring me?” Carl Fritjofsson (Class 21) discusses imposter syndrome, and ways to keep it from holding you back.
Yousef Hammad (Class 21) discusses Dubai’s entrepreneurship and technology-leaping initiatives.
Ewa Treitz (Class 19) discusses where she sees robotics and robot–human interaction headed over the next decade.
Steve Case shares his vision and enthusiasm for the integration of the Third Wave of Internet into everyday life, and what entrepreneurs need to succeed.
Tammy Jantzen (Class 20) believes the best way to make the VC world more female-friendly is for women to insert themselves until their presence is no longer a novelty, but routine.
Female entrepreneurship is widespread across Africa’s economies, and the potential is expanding. Article by Lexi Novitske (Class 22).
Jason Green (Charter Class) talks about building a reputation for oneself and one’s firm over the long term, based on a strong understanding of one’s own values.
Ashley Carroll (Class 21) describes her preference for face-to-face meetings with entrepreneurs: more demos, less decks.
Hian Goh (Class 20) discusses the softer skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur, especially when building a team.
Collin West (Class 17) advocates against networking, in favor of developing meaningful connections. His advice starts with “Give first, without expectation.”
Greg Horowitt (Class 15) encourages startup entrepreneurs to look further afield to find the most relevant and experienced people to reach out to for advice and guidance.
Brad Feld (KF BOD, Mentor Class 21), author of Startup Communities, believes that a startup ecosystem can be created in any city of 100,000 people—with entrepreneurs playing the long game.
Adrian Li (Class 21) discusses the investment market in Indonesia, where startups can apply proven ideas and technology in a new market, with lower overall risk.
Collin West (Class 16) discusses how today’s investors are changing the game of venture, moving away from evaluating deals by gut instinct and pattern matching, and toward data analysis.
For many companies, it’s not a question of “if” it will go global, but rather “when.” John Kim (Class 20) encourages founders to envision their global expansion plans early to spot opportunities.
The average age of a successful entrepreneur is 39. Rob Kornblum (Class 4) describes the attributes of older workers—acquired through work and life experiences—that make them good founders.
Tyson Clark (Class 21) recommends smaller-sized initial customers for startups. Iterate with those initial customers, then go after the “marquee” names.
Techstars partner Jason Seats (Class 21) discusses CEO burnout; he suggests that founders reframe how they think about self-sacrifice and health.
Tammi Jantzen (Class 21) discusses startup funding, understanding both the investor’s and entrepreneur’s points of view.
Samir Kaji (Class 20) offers founders a quick primer on the options available for raising capital at the very early stages of a startup.
Suzanne Fletcher (Class 21) discusses the benefits of a support community for startup founders, whether through a formal accelerator program, a co-working space, local meetups, or online.
Collin West (Class 17) tells of his world-record-breaking crossing of the Arctic in a rowboat, and the lessons he took away from that adventure, applicable to entrepreneurs and VCs alike.
Facing a dearth of funding because life sciences investors don’t understand your medical project? Your plight has a name: the “valley of death.” Article by Ramphis Castro (Class 19).
Andrew Goldner (Class 21) discusses the benefits of starting up in places outside of the Valley, such as Chicago or Chattanooga.
Trish Costello (KF CEO Emeritus) discusses the emergence of female investors, and their impact on venture capital and the entrepreneurs in which they invest.
Jenny Rooke (Class 11) discusses startup founders who have a clarity of vision and are able to succeed by standing firm in their ideas—despite being worn down by time and detractors.
Aziz Gilani (Class 14) discusses the investing opportunities available in the United States’ traditional manufacturing and industrial hubs.
He’s taken bets on healthy living, messaging, and the needs of minority consumers and entrepreneurs. KF Executive Chairman Phil Wickham (Charter) interviews Marlon Nichols (Class 18) of Cross Culture Ventures.
Highlights from Steve Case’s keynote at the 2016 Kauffman Fellows Reunion VC Summit, including where he sees opportunities for entrepreneurs in the next wave of the Internet—the “third wave.”
The AT&T / TimeWarner merger raises questions about media consumption: Will we even call it “television”? As form factors evolve, content sources will likely fragment as the media world consolidates. An interview with Brad Feld (KF BOD, Mentor Class 21).
Miriam Rivera (Class 15) discovered, during Google’s early days, that business could grow faster if customers didn’t have to spend weeks studying an unduly complicated contract.
Crazy perks can mask weak ideas or a team with a misplaced focus–but top talent is lured by a solid challenge and a strong team. In a downturn, smart founders will consider using market dynamics to steal market share and talent.
A conversation between VC veteran Phil Wickham (Charter, KF Exec. Chairman) and Rob Coneybeer (Class 2) of Shasta Ventures, an investor with a proven track record of spotting IoT trends.
Kauffman Fellows CEO Phil WIckham (Charter, KF Exec. Chairman) interviews Venrock’s Bryan Roberts (Class 3) about health care trends.
Our 7th global Summit in Singapore was a spectacular success, with more than 200 Fellows from 16 classes attending. Read the full recap, complete with photos, videos, and links to news coverage.
A look at the effect of China’s stock market crash in July 2015 and rough start to 2016, and its possible impacts on the decade-long VC boom in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Singapore is poised to become an investment destination for VCs and an essential cog in the global innovation network—backed by a receptive government that can enable and “get out of the way,” per S’pore’s Foreign Minister. (Reprint of Business Times article, 26 January 2016)
For most people, a unicorn is a mythical horse with a pointy horn in a cloud of fairy dust — but the recent herd of Silicon Valley unicorns is losing its sparkle as more of them become “unicorpses.”
Phil Wickham (Charter, KF Exec. Chairman) interviews Freada Kapor Klein in a discussion covering diversity, investing, and ethos.
What forces do women need to overcome to succeed in venture capital? KF Exec. Chairman Phil Wickham (Charter) responds to Sequoia Capital’s Mike Moritz.
Phil Wickham (Charter) interviews Jason Green (Charter) about investing, the next 5-10 years, and diversity.
Imagine a VC industry more multicultural, global, creative and much, much bigger than it is today. An excerpt from the Venture Capital Journal.