Apr 1, 2019The Valuation vs. Traction MatrixEarly-stage valuations for startups are hard to understand because typically there is very little traction or data to go on in the first year or two of a startup. [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/fPF9l ] Startup valuations are not science, but they’re not magic either. It’s…Investing5 min readInvesting5 min read
Feb 23, 2019How to Raise Money Instantly for Your StartupExterior, San Francisco’s SOMA district, two nerds, walking briskly. Tents, traffic, and garbage — everywhere. [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/w91C_ ] Founder, excited: “JCal, I just got some advice from an advisor that I should call my first round of funding a ‘pre-seed’ round so that…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
Feb 11, 2019How to Predict the Future (Don’t)Nobody can predict the future. Everybody can tell you what’s possible. The art is in knowing what’s probable. I’ve spent the last 10 years investing in startups, half that time as a hobby and half that time as a career, and in that time I’ve learned that most people are scared, little aliens. [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/uzlFV ] All day long I ask…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
Jan 24, 2019Resolving co-founder conflictsGot a lot of feedback on my post on “How to find a co-founder” yesterday, including founders asking me how they can resolve conflicts with their co-founders. [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/Gzath ] This is one of the hardest questions for me to answer because conflicts…Startup4 min readStartup4 min read
Jan 23, 2019How to find a co-founder for your startupIf you’re a first-time founder, you probably want to have a co-founder or two to lean on. The second most frequent question I get from new founders, after “will you give me $250,000?” is, “do you know a technical co-founder?” [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/178_d ] …Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
Jan 18, 2019This is your Captain again, I’m canceling drink serviceIn July I wrote a message to my founders, warning that things could get choppy, titled “This is your Captain speaking, I’m turning on the fasten seat belt sign.” Well, this is your captain again, and we’ve got turbulence ahead so I’m canceling drink service and asking everyone to check…Venture Capital3 min readVenture Capital3 min read
Jan 17, 2019Always Have a Plan B and C Teed UpI spent 10 years living in Los Angeles, traveling up to the Bay Area every other week, sometimes weekly, to do angel investing. During that time I learned that SFO is a complete disaster, with Karl the Fog creating all kinds of trouble. Also, I was frequently missing flights with…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
Jan 16, 2019Zuckerberg tries to buy off journalists with .3% of Facebook’s yearly revenueYesterday I wrote the first piece in a three-part series about how Facebook could turn around their “WORST. YEAR. EVAR!!!” [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/cRafE ] The basic premise: share revenue with publishers, Instagrammers/influencers, App developers and anyone else creating content on the platform, just like…Startup4 min readStartup4 min read
Jan 15, 2019Saving Facebook, a Three-Part Strategy for the New CEOFacebook’s self-inflicted wounds come from their founder’s obsession with growth, which at its core was based on three extraordinary tactics: removing friction, staying focused on global growth and stealing other people’s ideas. [ Click to Tweet (can edit before sending): https://ctt.ac/NemMw ] There is no debate over this. If Zuckerberg…Startup5 min readStartup5 min read
Jan 13, 2019Why aren’t VC firms focused on slow/modest growth startups?Yesterday’s post mocking the New York Times’ link-baiting story created a lot of debate on Twitter. One thing that came up was, why don’t venture capitalists fund slower growth startups? Or, said another way, why don’t VCs invest in startups that grow at a normal pace? [ Click to Tweet…Venture Capital4 min readVenture Capital4 min read
