What should VCs do with zombie companies?

Inevitably, some of a VC’s portfolio companies will become “zombies”: not dead, but not growing. They have some technology and revenues, but morale is low. The CEO is hinting he’d like to get into VC or otherwise find a soft landing. Finding a buyer is difficult, because the company is not exciting to anyone, including...

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What is the Best CRM and Marketing Tech Platform for a New Private Equity/Venture Capital Fund?

One of the first decisions we had to make in setting up our new VC fund, Versatile Venture Capital, was our CRM and marketing technology infrastructure.   I’m very interested in the tech stack of private equity/VC firms, both to improve the efficiency of Versatile VC and also as a focus area for our investing. I...

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New video: How Private Equity and VC Investors Accelerate Portfolio Company Success

I just spoke at the London Business School Multiple:X conference Friday on How Private Equity and VC Investors Accelerate Portfolio Company Success, based on my Journal of Private Equity research study. I’ve embedded below my presentation and the video.  ...

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Launching a Portfolio Acceleration Platform at a Venture Capital or Private Equity Fund

I’ve recently advised a number of emerging private equity and VC funds who are wrestling with the question: What are the highest impact steps they can take to support their portfolio companies?  Almost every private equity and venture capital investor now advertises that they have a platform to support their portfolio companies. The popularity of...

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Venture capitalists eating our own dog food: Using AI and analytics to make better investments

Private equity and venture capital investors are copying our sisters in the hedge fund world: we’re trying to automate more of our job.  When I was single, I registered for (a lot of) dating websites. When I met my now-wife, I realized that any technology that can find me a spouse is a killer app....

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How to get superior returns in venture capital

A friend of mine interviewed for a job with massively successful hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen.  My friend sat in the conference room, and Cohen walked in. He looked at his resume, and asked just one question: “What’s your edge?”  My friend got the job because his answer was differentiated, credible, and backed up...

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