As a growth advisor to over 70 startups at Madrona Venture Group, I’m involved in discussions like this all the time: “Facebook and Google are too expensive and it’s doing horrible things to my CAC — what other channels are working for people?” In many cases, I bring up podcasts…

Over a Weekend and for Under $1000 — Most startups fail. Debates about why are nearly as old as Silicon Valley itself. Some argue it was the team and its inability to execute, while others point to the lack of a market for an idea. Both are critical in achieving ‘product market fit’, but a CB Insights post-mortem…

Meal Kits are one of the fastest-growing consumer categories lately and one that I have looked at both as a customer and as part of a venture firm. I’m clearly not the only one paying attention. …

Most startups understand the importance of customer data, but few believe they have enough people working in data-related roles. I see this with startups I work with and also in studies that point to a data engineering shortage. Though I can’t solve this shortage, I did gather some benchmark data…

Through my role at Madrona Venture Group advising startups on growth, I meet a lot of marketers using Facebook to acquire and engage with customers. It’s a powerful platform. Unfortunately, many companies are falling short of their goals and are left frustrated with what they see as unrealized potential. Recently…

One year ago I took advantage of a rare opportunity by accepting a ‘growth role’ at a venture firm. …

Food tech is one of the hottest sectors around. Nearly every week, I am reading about a new company getting funding with many of them getting traction in the market. …

Introduction One of the tasks in my life most in need for a new technology is meal planning. Each week my wife or I figure out how many meals we are going to make, sort through our growing collection of cookbooks or bookmarked recipes for meals that week, and then…

Introduction Past readers of this blog will recognize my affection for ecommerce companies trying to disrupt and improve the ways retailers have long sold to customers. From buying glasses at Warby Parker, to selling diamonds and jewelry online at Blue Nile, to publishing a new website every day customized to…