One of the most interesting aspects of the growth of the venture industry over the past few years has been the proliferation of resources for investors. The growth of VC blogs, podcasts, and books, combined with VC Twitter, has created a seemingly endless stream of information, and it’s not always easy to sift through the noise. At the same time, several industry participants have created truly valuable resources for aspiring and experienced venture investors alike.
I’ve created a completely new list of the best resources for venture capitalists, which follows the first list that I published back in 2018. Several…
We’ve reached the end of the 2010s, and with it we say goodbye to a transformative decade in the technology markets. And what a decade it was! One of the key characteristics that defined the decade was the ever quickening pace of technology adoption. As an example, while it took the landline phone almost 80 years to reach 80% penetration in the U.S. population, it took mobile phones less than 30 years, and will take smartphones only 15 years to reach this level. The result of this quickening adoption pace is that startups riding these waves can reach greater scale…
Purity of Motivation: How the Best Startup Founders Master Their Craft, and What You Can Learn from Them
When Michael Jordan signed his rookie contract with the Chicago Bulls, he insisted on a peculiar contract clause. Jordan requested to play offseason basketball whenever he wanted, against whomever he wanted. The Bulls opposed this clause, which became known as the “Love of the Game” clause, because they feared Jordan would injure himself. But Jordan insisted on it, knowing it would enable him able to gain an unfair competitive edge against his peers during the offseason.
Jordan’s offseason work ethic in the…
*Please click here for a new 2021 edition of Best Resources for Venture Capitalists
I’m often asked by new and aspiring VC’s, “What are the best resources to learn about being a VC?” I find this is actually a trick question, because VC is a “learn by doing” business. The best way to learn is to actually make investments, ideally alongside experienced, knowledgeable investors who can show you the ropes.
But given how difficult it is to get into the industry, there are many resources that can shed light on how this mysterious industry really works. Below is a rough…
A massive market opportunity is a pre-requisite for a great venture capital investment. Just as competitive surfers must ride big waves in order to prove themselves the best, the great entrepreneurs ride large market waves in order to build massive companies. Peter Thiel argues that the best companies often begin by dominating niche markets. This may be true, but they inevitably identify and capitalize on multi billion-dollar market opportunities in order to become sustainable billion-dollar companies. Nelson Mandela once said, “There is no passion to be found playing small”. So it is with life, and also with entrepreneurship.
By extension…
Raising a seed capital round is easier to do today than ever before. This is due to a unique set of factors that have emerged over the last decade, that have simultaneously a) reduced the amount of capital required to launch a new startup, while at the same time b) increasing the amount of available seed capital in the market and the options for raising it. …
