BLOG STARTUPS, VENTURE AND THE TECH BUSINESS
Posts Tagged ‘Entrepreneurs’
July 3 2009
by John Backus
Do Good Entrepreneurs Become Good CEOs? The 10X Challenge
My partner Scott Johnson wrote a thought provoking piece on what makes a good CEO. I wanted to share my thoughts on the “Moments of Truth” that an entrepreneur must navigate successfully to become a great CEO of a thriving business. Every entrepreneur who is fortunate enough to start a business which grows quickly faces ...
June 30 2009
by Scott Johnson
What makes a great early stage CEO?
About eight years ago I asked Charlie Lax (Grandbanks Capital), who is a very successful venture investor and colorful guy, “what is the primary thing you look for in a company.” He responded that assuming the company passes the standard screens (strong technology, large market, customers thirsting for it) the thing that makes him reach ...
June 24 2009
by John Backus
The Death of Newspapers: 5 Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
Declining circulation and declining advertising dollars in a down economy are accelerating the inevitable – the death of the local newspaper. Now I’m not saying that every newspaper will die, nor will they all fade away tomorrow. But when it looks like the New York Times may have to pay money to a buyer of ...
June 18 2009
by Thanasis Delistathis
Good time to start a business? History is on your side
While many facts and figures are all doom and gloom about the economy in general, it may be a good time to start a business if you have a good opportunity to make a difference. I saw a new study by the Kaufman Foundation (http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/the-economic-future-just-happened.aspx) that found that “more than half of the companies on ...
June 17 2009
by John Backus
So you want to be a VC? 5 ways to find a VC job
I don’t think a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask me if we are hiring at New Atlantic Ventures. (No, we are not!). Seems that everyone wants to be a VC these days. So I thought that I would share a few thoughts on why a job in the VC industry is so hard ...
June 15 2009
by John Backus
Coming soon: 1,000,000 iphone entrepreneurs
The smart phone as a platform is more important than the PC was as a platform. Why? Billions vs hundreds of millions. And those billions of smart phones (yes, soon every phone will be a “smart phone”) will be in hands and homes in every country of the world. Location aware through GPS. Aways connected ...
June 9 2009
by Todd Hixon
An “Inconvenient Truth”: Exceptional People Are Worth All That They Are Paid
We have entered into an era of reaction to the laissez-faire capitalism of the turn of the century, and particularly its excesses. President Obama is determined to create or preserve “middle class jobs” and redistribute income and probably wealth from the top 5 percent to everyone else. There is a lot of this that I agree ...
June 2 2009
by John Backus
Top 5 Reasons No VC Will Read Your Email
Top 5 Reasons No VC Will Read Your Email You start your email “Dear Investor.” At least pretend that you are only sending your idea to us! In the “to” filed, you copy include 100’s of VCs. Again, make us feel special. We are an early stage fund and you are trying to raise $50M. ...
June 1 2009
by Todd Hixon
The vital role of entrepreneurs and tech in the US economy
In this season when we hasten to bail out weak entities that are sinking, we need to keep in mind where the strength in our economy comes from. Trade patterns reveal competitive strength and weakness. While US trade balance overall is negative, the tech industry is the sector that shines. The following analysis, from The Economist ...
May 15 2009
by Scott Johnson
Why I Say “No” to a good opportunity
I have to say “no” very often to people I like with really good business opportunities. It is the nature of any buying job that you say “no” a lot more than “yes.” And often I can’t enumerate the reasons for my decision not to invest. I can list a few, but I try not ...
