Note: The full article on this topic first appeared on Mashable. You can read it here. If you are the founder of a tech startup, it’s likely that at some point you will need to pitch a venture capital firm…
I’ve always loved the Star Trek communicator – direct contact between individuals seamlessly enabled by the ship’s communication system. Now the real world can use this same functionality communicating hands free with an idea we love, OnBeep. Yesterday, OnBeep announced…
Kevin Kinsella, founder of Avalon Ventures, along with other VCs of respective firms, recently shared traits they believed to be vital to successful founding teams. Although the VCs came from different firms, all put an emphasis on the importance…
There are several conversations currently on what VCs could do better in our relationships with future and current founders. Brad Feld posted about an entrepreneur’s frustration with a VC’s conflicting actions before, and then during, fundraising. Bijan Sabet challenged that…
Will It Work? Can I Win? Is it Worth It? I first heard these three questions from Dick Hale, a former colleague and mentor of mine. Dick is a look-you-in-the-eye, firm-handshake, straight-talking kind of guy who cut his teeth as…
This week we’ve outlined a four-part series on how to build your board. While entrepreneurs are their own breed of lone wolf by necessity, the wise decision is not always to go it alone. In fact, as seasoned investor and…
This post is for entrepreneurs as part of a series of observations and tips on building an effective board. This is Part 4. There are many different ways to run a board meeting, and it’s important to choose a style…
This post is for entrepreneurs as part of a series of observations and tips on building an effective board. This is Part 3. You should expect the same from an investor whether or not he is a member of your…
This post is for entrepreneurs as part of a series of observations and tips on building an effective board. This is Part 2. Some of the first—and most important—decisions you will make when raising venture capital involve negotiating the size…
This post is for entrepreneurs as part of a series of observations and tips on building an effective board. This is Part 1. About two hours into a recent board meeting, I was fried. My eyes were glazed and I…
Today, there are millions of businesses using hosted services such as Google Apps, Dropbox and SalesForce. Unfortunately, most of these businesses incorrectly assume that the software vendor is actively protecting their data. While the top Software as a Service (SaaS)…
When Andy Palmer and Sunil Dhaliwal, two trusted colleagues of ours, separately introduced us to the founding team at Conjur after saying, “You must meet these guys; they are amazing,” we took notice. After meeting Elizabeth Lawler and Kevin Gilpin and hearing…
The advent and growing adoption of connected devices is rapidly changing the mindset and expectations of consumers. The promise of the Internet of Everything fundamentally lies in connecting people, objects, data, and processes in new (and often previously unimaginable) ways.…
Avalon Ventures is a seed and early stage technology-focused venture fund with an emphasis on information technology and life sciences. Quite often we are asked to define our early stage investment focus. There is no one-size-fits-all definition of what “early…