Sneaker Labs > iMeet > Lytro > K9 Ventures
From entrepreneur to investor, in his own words Manu Kumar explains
“I saw a need for a new type of seed-stage venture fund, and K9 Ventures was officially formed in April 2009.”
Today YouPlus.biz (startup that shoot the video) is featured in ProductHunt (thanks Eric Willis!) and we would love you to come and get a look at it. Go here :)
“I'm an entrepreneur at heart and my passion is starting and building companies. The part I enjoy most is getting from idea to first product. That’s why I chose to focus my investing on the earliest stages of a company’s life, where I get to work directly with founders.”
Things we learned from Manu Kumar
1-”Venture Capital looks like rosier from the outside that it is on the inside, there’s no doubt about that.”
Many investors have mentioned how difficult is to get into the “VC” game and how closed the network in SandHill Road has become. Here are some interesting articles that add to the “rosier” of the Venture Capital industry.
2-”The reason why I started doing what I'm doing is because I truly enjoy building companies”
Manu Kumar has invested (and built) some very successful companies. There is no doubt about his passion to help entrepreneurs succeed and build great companies. You can learn more about K9 portfolio here:
3-I specifically look for people that are technical founders, that can build their own product. Yet, at the same time, at least one of the people in the team needs to lead the business side.
It is important to understand how important this distinction is. Many investors (VC’s and Angels) out there are looking for only technical founders with CS expertise. Most of the time coming out of the best universities (MIT / Stanford) without any business experience. It is important (as Manu Kumar mentions) that there is someone that knows how to build a business around the technology or product you have. Sometimes forgotten or put in a second place, there is still an importance in those that talk to the customers and do business development.
4-Having that Dogged Perseverance and Resourcefulness that could be kind of the key things that I would look for.
Everyone knows that most startups fail. The main reason is not lack of money or that there is no market out there, but the fact that the founders quit before they hit the “sweet spot”. It is important to be patient and have the perseverance and resourcefulness to keep going until you get it right. This is a very important lesson, not only to startups founders but also to investors.
If you want your own branded video, contact Michael at michael@youplus.biz Thanks for reading!
PS: I’m an advisor at YouPlus.biz and a friend of co-founders Phil & Michael.
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