Job creation is political topic #1, so we have a particular interest in portfolio companies like Identified and TheResumator, which help match employers and job seekers. Identified launched its public beta last month. Effectively, Identified gives you a score for your desirability as an employee. It’s similar in principle to Klout. Identified uses three attributes...
[Continue Reading]Our Lending Library Principles, and overdelivering on an assignment
One of the first steps I took when I joined ff Venture Capital was to launch a lending library (the original social media). It’s a very cheap employee benefit and more important, a way to promote a culture of both learning and knowledge-sharing. I think every company would benefit by having a small lending library....
[Continue Reading]I’m joining ff Venture Capital
I am delighted to announce that I’m joining ff Venture Capital as a Partner. Official blog post and more details here. In addition, Michael Yavonditte, CEO of Hashable, is joining as a Venture Partner. Since 1999, ff has made over 100 investments in over 35 companies, and from the beginning has been highly focused on...
[Continue Reading]Venture Capitalists and the Upside-Down Pyramid
In response to my post on VC’s increasing use of operationally focused team members, HBS professor Noam Wasserman sent me an excerpt of his dissertation on ‘The Venture Capitalist as Entrepreneur: The Characteristics and Dynamics Within VC Firms’. A key point he makes in this paper is that, “Most strikingly, a large percentage of the...
[Continue Reading]Earn More Consulting Revenue from Expert Networks
A number of friends have asked me how to increase the amount of money they’re earning as consultants from the major expert networks, eg., Atheneum Partners, AlphaSights, Dialectica, CAPVision, Coleman Research Group, GLG, Guidepoint, Insight Alpha, Lynk Global, Maven Research, Kingfish Group (specialize in private equity), Primary Insight, ProSapient, and Third Bridge. Here are some...
[Continue Reading]The Speed of Trust Review
A while ago I read Stephen M.R. Covey’s book, The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything . As you would guess, Stephen M.R. is the son of Dr. Stephen R. Covey, who wrote the extremely influential book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The heritage shows. Speed of Trust is written...
[Continue Reading]



