I had a conversation recently about the investing business with Katina Stefanova, who recently left Bridgewater, the largest hedge fund in the world. I’ve always had great respect for Bridgewater, which unlike most investing organizations realizes just how critical processes and culture are to investing success. Katina served as a Senior Executive and Management Committee...
[Continue Reading]How startups are disrupting financial technology
I participated in the Milken Institute Global Conference last week, for the first time. It was very worthwhile, a chance to connect primarily with other investors (mostly public markets/private equity), and a range of other people (media, tech, academics, etc.) I definitely recommend attending if you have the chance. I spoke on a panel about Disruptive...
[Continue Reading]Why some investors are happy with lousy returns
My recent post on “Asset Management is a Peculiar Industry Ripe for Disruption” got one of the most interesting reactions I’ve received. Among the more thoughtful respondents was Terri Chernick, Chief Investment Officer, The Koffler Group. We had an email conversation about the rationality, or lack of rationality, of professional investors. Anyone who calls me a...
[Continue Reading]Where are the deals? How VCs source winning companies
You’ve probably read dozens of articles about how to raise capital from venture capitalists. However, as a VC, we have the opposite problem: how do we originate companies in which to invest? It might appear that origination is becoming much easier because of new tools like AngelList and the SEC moving toward adoption of rules that will...
[Continue Reading]Recruiting Hacks: How to Woo, Win and Recruit the High Performers
I finally got around to posting the video from a Founder Institute class I taught earlier this year onRecruiting Hacks: How to Woo, Win and Recruit the High Performers . Although I focused on recruiting technical talent, my points are applicable to recruiting in general. Feedback always welcome! I’ve also attached below the extended slide deck....
[Continue Reading]Build Your Startup on a Vacant Domain Name
This is part 2 of a 2-part series on domain names and startups; part 1 was “Should a Startup Spend VC Funding on a Domain Name?”. I’ve written in the past about how to identify a great startup opportunity. Let me propose a path few take: find an under-monetized domain name and start a business...
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