Thoughts from Startup Grind

Calvin Ling
Feb 25, 2017 · 1 min read

After parsing my notes (a handful of which I posted yesterday), I’ve drawn some broader conclusions about the event.

Common advice

  • Fundraising is a continual process. Develop the relationships over time, not just when you need money.
  • At the early stage, team is crucial. Both in what investors look for and the success of the company.
  • The best VCs are past operators. VCs bring a lot of value through network and experience, but also through asking tough questions.
  • As a founder, it’s important to talk to and understand your customer.

General comments

  • No startlingly-new insights.
  • Entrepreneurs might be confused after the event, as there was a lot of advice. A lot of times in this industry, the answer is “it depends,” so it’s hard to get generalized advice for a large audience. The talks end up diluted.
  • Well-run event. In terms of speaker quality: there were so many speakers that there were bound to be good and bad ones. This proved true.
Calvin Ling

Written by

Stanford MS&E '16. Associate at 415.