From the Investors
Jason Lemkin of Storm Ventures reveals, ‘it’s really, really hard to raise a new fund and break into the industry’ and five more insights in “So We Raised a $180,000,000 Venture Fund. What I Learned.”
Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz highlights the point that ‘there are many things happening today in technology that feel gradual and disappointing, but will soon feel sudden and amazing’ in “Exponential Curves Feel Gradual and Then Sudden”
Leo Polovets of Susa Ventures responds to Mattermark CEO, Danielle Morrill’s tweet with an overview of how various types of shares and options work for employees in “Valuing Employee Options”
Chris O’Donnell of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures offers an inside look at his calendar and activities to display how he spends his time in “What the Heck Does a VC Do All Week Anyway?”
David Beisel of NextView Ventures provides a rubric for founders to optimize their chance of success when pitching any given venture firm in “VC Partner Sweet Spot: The Always-Sometimes-Never Rules for Pitching the Right Investor”
Frederik Arnander of Standout Capital introduces their Technology Impact concept, a three-step investment philosophy in “What Makes an Outstanding Investment?”
Ben Kosinski of Kosinski Ventures lists the things he’s learned since transitioning from a founder of a startup to an investor in startups in “36 Things I’ve Learned During My First Three Months Investing”
From the Operators
Serial Entrepreneur Elad Gil guides founders with a short form and long form format for communicating with investors in “Investor Update Emails”
Andrew Bosworth of Facebook tells his story that made him realize, ‘being kind is fundamentally about taking responsibility for your impact on the people around you’ in “Be Kind”
Karen Roter Davis of Urban Engines details why, ‘startups that use their early stage status to avoid communication, planning, and building solid foundations do so at their peril’ in “Three Sorry Excuses for Startups”
Jonnie Hallman of Cushion reflects on the philosophy of designers imitating and/or being inspired by each other, with his own story of someone copying his work in “Inspiration vs Imitation”
Julie Zhuo of Facebook says, ‘we are in a sweeping sea change of design in technology’ and outlines 10 predictions for the next 10 years in “The Future of Design in Technology”
Signe Brewster of Medium’s Backchannel features Melonee Wise of Fetch Robotics and how one failure led to her new company in “This Woman Makes Robots. And No One Is Going to Stop Her.”