The other side of Paul Graham's Coin: Ideas on the kind of VC we'd like to get funded by

http://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/2008/07/the-other-side.html

by ceonyc • 18 years ago

38 10 18 years ago

gm2• 18 years ago

Nice post, but rather inconsequential: Who needs who more, after all? VCs get to choose, right? They are the ones with the money. Companies go after the VCs not the other way around. VCs are the ones with their staff filtering phone calls, not the other way around.

This post strikes me as "in a perfect world, [...]". Rather inconsequential.

Here's mine: In a perfect world, Ferraris would cost $3000 USD, but only I'd be able to buy one. Yeah, whatever.

edw519• 18 years ago

VCs get to choose, right?

Not necessarily.

You bring up a great point. Instead of building a startup that can attract VC attention, why not focus instead on building a startup that VCs will fight over. That's how we should all be thinking.

gm2• 18 years ago

If the point is to get funding, yes, I suppose. Don't you build startups to be useful, though?

I do think you have a point, though, if, if your building your company, you set it up to be so profitable, VCs will fight to get in on the action. All startups should do that, given that businesses DO exist to make a profit (and a great many people forget that fact, profit is the difference between a business a hobby), so your point is well-taken.

ideas1012• 18 years ago

if the product is good then VCs will line-up ... also startups are cheap to start so a good product will be your own PR machine.

SwellJoe• 18 years ago

Not necessarily. Some of the best businesses in the valley were turned down by several VCs before getting funded. Many VCs are like sheep..."good" or "bad" is irrelevant, as long as others want in on the deal.

I know several companies that I know are going to be great businesses, but haven't had an easy time raising money because of lack of skills in other areas. The presentation is at least as important as the product, because getting past stage one requires a good presentation. There are lots of PowerPoint-fu masters in the valley who've been funded numerous times, and have yet to build a business.

ideas1012• 18 years ago

one more: someone who has experience as a startup entrepreneur so that he/she understands and feels the pain & gain in sync.

ScottWhigham• 18 years ago

For already successful companies seeking funding, it's all asking/understanding "What do you bring to the table other than your money?" Joe Blow's $250,000 isn't as valuable as Mark Cuban's $250,000 investment for the reasons in that article.

bprater• 18 years ago

Wow, that took me way to long to figure out what that post was about.

I was looking for big projects that needed to be funded by a VC, when I finally got it that someone is looking for a VC to fund them. Yeeks. (Note to self: read slower!)

It's not really the other side of Paul's coin folks. Totally different concept.

cmos• 18 years ago

I'm not getting it. The relationship needs not be 'chummy'. Certainly you need to have a functional working relationship with an investor, but it's usually always best to keep the personal relationship at an arm's length as they don't have your best interests at heart, and vice versa. If your both lucky you'll always want to travel the same path.

The trick is, (usually) in their contracts they can often do what they want with your precious company (i.e. opt to put it up for sale to break even on their investment X years after the investment), and they won't give a damm that you went to a few ballgames together.

You are both using each other beneficially, often there is a lot of money involved, and they are far better at negotiating investment agreements than you are. I would not complicate that relationship anymore than it has to be.

dmix• 18 years ago

I think this poster is somewhat Naive.

It ones thing to sell your vision and philosophy to a VC. But to ask them to be fun, principled, and the whole firm thing...

"I'd like to be able to walk into my VC's office and have just about anyone there be interested in talking to me--and not have to feel like I'm waiting for just one person."

It sounds more like hes looking for someone to pat him on the back then an investor.

The VCs job is to get a return on his investment and in the process help you get to that position. At the end of the day its about business regardless if your "vision" and "passion" is about helping people find their calling or whatever his intentions are.

How about a list of things you'd expect from a VC in terms of the business, not personality or character? The only one I saw was "knowledge in our market".

The other side of Paul Graham's Coin: Ideas on the kind of VC we'd like to get funded by

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