From the Investors
Neill Occhiogrosso of Costanoa Venture Capital offers a cautionary statement about the far-reaching and often permanent implications of the decision to move downmarket in “The Law of Software Anti-Gravity”
Tomasz Tunguz of Redpoint Ventures explains why the highest correlated factor to post-money valuations for Series A SaaS companies isn’t revenue or revenue growth, but negative churn in “The Leading Predictor Of Series A Valuation For SaaS Companies”
Alex Lines and Nick Chirls of Notation Capital talk to Elizabeth Clarkson of Sapphire Ventures about her path to becoming an LP, what she looks at when considering investments, and why we’re starting to see the LP world become more open in “Origins” (podcast)
Suranga Chandratillake of Balderton Capital walks through the key areas in which your investor should support you, besides providing the capital you need to grow in “7 Benefits Your VC Should Provide”
Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz outlines the humorous way in which people react to new, life-changing products in “The Typical Path of How People Respond to Life-Changing Inventions”
Angela Tran Kingyens of Version One releases their original guide on marketplace companies as a series of slides in “Our Guide to Marketplaces”
From the Operators
Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré, formerly of Inbound.org, suggests some success metrics that make sense for the key players in your start-up phase company in “Why Every Team Needs Quantitative Goals”
Nick Mehta of Gainsight and David Yuan of Technology Crossover Ventures share six practical tips, from both a CEO and VC perspective, for navigating the new normal funding world in “A VC, a CEO and a Bubble Walk Into a Bar”
Sam Nelson of Mergr illustrates why the appetite for $1B+ acquisitions is simply not as strong amongst those that can afford to pony up for them as one would think in “For Unicorns Seeking an Exit, M&A Will Not Be Your Savior”
James Allworth of Medallia uses examples of Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon to show how starting with a beginner’s mindset is the key to dominating a new product category in “The Blessing of Failure”
Karen Roter Davis of Urban Engines reminds us of the benefits and pitfalls of a “data-driven” focus in “The View From the Data”
Garry Tan of Posthaven answers a founder’s question about what he should do with a business he started that has a few hundred users who are happy in “What To Do When You Just Start Making Something Useful”
“Like” Mattermark on Facebook
If you want to get a feed of must-read posts and product updates from our team, you can “like” Mattermark on Facebook.