FounderLine: Recent Episodes
FounderLine
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or Twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Chamath Palihapitiya of Social Capital answer viewer questions including:
- How much does investor diversity affect the performance of a fund? Do you see LPs seeking out more diverse venture teams?
- How do you stay motivated to keep reaching for the stars after all of your success? Do you treat entrepreneurship as a game? Or do you feel connected to entrepreneurship as a purpose?
- Why did you decide not to focus on investing in social websites when you have so much experience in that area?
- What are the mistakes you see startup CEOs making on a regular basis?
- Messaging seems to be a very active space right now, with Snapchat, Whatsapp, WeChat, Slack, etc. What do you see as the next evolution of messaging?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Mitch Zuklie of Orrick answer viewer questions including:
- I am starting a company and trying to choose between creating an LLC vs. a corporation. Can you please explain the pros/cons?
- What are some common patterns you've observed in the successful founders you have met throughout your life?
- You hear about startups getting tangled up fighting frivolous lawsuits, can't raise money because of the suit, and end up settling or shutting down. What can be done to protect your startup from shakedowns like this?
- There have been many stories of founder/CEOs who have been replaced by a so-called "professional CEO." In your experience, what are the main reasons this happens and how does this work out for the company?
- It seems that 3 possible funding mechanisms are equity, convertible debt and the YC SAFE. Can you talk about why you might chose one over the other?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Hiten Shah of Quick Sprout answer viewer questions including:
- What are some of the best techniques you've seen for growing traffic for consumer web sites and mobile apps?
- If your startup has to ask a founder to leave, what advice can you give about that?
- What's the most difficult situation you've experienced as a founder and how did you handle it?
- Who are your 3 favorite seed investors and why?
- What are the most common mistakes you see startup CEOs making?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Partners answer viewer questions including:
- What are the main things that you look at in a startup pitch and what is the biggest differentiator between a winning pitch and one that goes back in the stack?
- We're getting some advice that we should move our startup to San Francisco. Is that really necessary?
- Are there any recent noteworthy additions to the Bessemer Anti-Portfolio?
- What was the defining moment when you realized that your idea should be pursued, and what was that moment like for you?
- What is the craziest company that you've ever invested in, and how did it work out?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest James Joaquin of Obvious Ventures answer viewer questions including:
- Given the volatility in the stock markets right now, is there anything startups should be doing to weather the storm?
- What are some of the characteristics of the best CEOs you've ever worked with?
- When Obvious is considering an investment, how do you assess whether it's WorldPositive? What do you do if you think a company going to be a winner, but doesn’t meet your criteria?
- What is the most important founder attribute when you are considering to invest at your stage, and how does that change as the company grows bigger?
- How do you know if/when it's time to pivot?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Kent Goldman of Upside Partnership answer viewer questions including:
- If you're joining a startup of about 50 people, how can you really tell if they're doing well?
- I work for a ‘unicorn' company in SF. Are there ways a startup employee can cash out of some of their stock options without upsetting the company?
- Today's NY Times has an article about there being too much capital available right now. Do you anticipate a market correction? Do you think this would be a benefit?
- How much customer traction do you need to see to make an investment in a startup?
- I've been working for 3 years in a large tech company. I've been considering joining a startup vs. getting an MBA. Do investors value MBAs? What would you recommend I do?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Katherine Barr of MDV answer viewer questions including:
- Given rising valuations, do you think a market correction could have a positive impact if it normalized expectations in growth and hiring? What metrics are you looking at to stay ahead of a potential correction?
- How much time do you spend evaluating a company before you make an investment?
- What are the key attributes that get you interested in a company when you first hear about them?
- How do you decide if a company you’re thinking of investing in is going to be disruptive?
- How can I get the most out of the VC GP who sponsors the investment in my company?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Satish Dharmaraj of Redpoint Ventures answer viewer questions including:
- Zimbra was quite ahead of its time, integrating both cloud and mobile when mobile was still young and the cloud didn't yet exist. What was the process for coming up with the product? How did you describe Zimbra when pitching it to VCs?
- How does a seed stage company get noticed by an investor like you?
- What are the main advantages and disadvantages of an uncapped note versus a priced round?
- What are the characteristics of the most successful founders you've worked with? Any patterns?
- It seems there are too many startups and not enough great employees to go around. Would a correction that culled some weaker start-ups be a net positive in the long run?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Josh Stein of DFJ answer viewer questions including:
- People talk about a valuation "bubble". What would it look like if this bubble pops, and how can we hedge against it?
- How quickly do you make a decision on an investment? What are the key things you look for? Is it team? Product? Something else?
- How do you envision deal terms changing for later stage investments due to the increase in non traditional investors (e.g mutual funds) with different risk tolerances and liquidity expectations?
- How does DFJ make a decision to invest in a revolutionary technologies that are aimed at the distant future like SpaceX, Planet Labs, Tesla, SolarCity…?
- I’m choosing between two startup jobs: one has a team I know well but I don’t really believe in the product, and the other where I believe in the product but don’t know the team. Do you have any advice?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity answer viewer questions including:
- What are some of the differences between starting a company today vs back in the 1990's, aside from lower cost of starting?
- You've been able to raise a lot of money from some great investors. What are the key reasons you're able to do that? Any insights for a first-time CEO?
- Ray Kurzweil and Andrew Ng are advancing AI with their work at Google Labs and Baidu Research Lab. What advantages do you have in advancing Virtual Reality in startups as opposed to joining a large company like Google or Baidu?
- We are deciding between taking money from a lead investor we don't like and waiting for the right investor to come along. Any advice for weighing the pros and cons?
- What are your thoughts on employee compensation? Do you do anything out of the ordinary for your teams?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Jason Calacanis of Inside answer viewer questions including:
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Some startups are hugely successful and others aren't able to raise money. What separates the companies that can raise more money from those who can't? Is it all about the metrics, the people, or...?
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Given your involvement in many different activities and now with the announcement of Jack Dorsey taking on two separate CEO roles, how do you successfully manage your time and be effective at multi stressful tasks?
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We've raised $700k and are not yet to the point where we can raise an A round. What are the best ways to position ourselves to raise $2-3 million given this situation?
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Where do resourceful, scrappy, first time founders go, if they happen to live in a less tech-forward location?
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How should a founder strike the right balance between bootstrapping a startup and raising money from investors who can add value not only in money, but also advice, mentorship and network?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Jessica Livingston of Y Combinator answer viewer questions including:
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What are some definitive steps that founders can take to define a lasting culture for their startups?
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If you were to name a few of the common attributes of the unicorns that have come through YC, what would they be?
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How do you keep an investor from poaching your startup's product/idea - developing it with another team?
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We are considering applying for YC. What are some of the things that stand out in the applications and make it more likely to get accepted?
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As a mom and startup founder myself, I'm wondering how to fit it all in...being a good employee, wife, mom, etc. Any tips?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Jason Lemkin of Storm Ventures answer viewer questions including:
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In your experience, is there a good/systematic approach that your product Dev team should take in determining how the product needs to evolve to match the needs of the larger enterprise?
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While founders would love to hire only A+ players, it's a tough market, so that's often easier said than done. What are some underrated characteristics in potential hires that you should consider when you can't hire the perfect candidate?
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How can Zenefits possibly be worth $4 billion after just 2 years?
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Do you have any advice for SaaS companies that are outside of the SF/SV vortex trying to get traction and raise money in a NorCal centric startup environment?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures answer viewer questions including:
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What are the key factors in your deciding to meet with an entrepreneur about their company? What are the key factors in your deciding to invest in that company?
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How does your firm handle a portfolio company that becomes somewhat successful, but is not a home run? How does that impact your investment in other companies in a similar space?
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Thank you, Kirsten, for your leadership as a woman in venture capital. Do you find the Silicon Valley community to be an "old boys network" where you are not taken seriously and/or have to work harder than the men?
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How much traction or sales growth is required in an e-commerce business before you'll decide to invest? Do you ever invest in an e-commerce idea that hasn't sold anything yet?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Mike Maples of FLOODGATE Fund answer viewer questions including:
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What are some of the mistakes you’ve learned from? Investments you shouldn't have made, or opportunities you've missed?
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Please share some unexpected characteristics you have observed in entrepreneurs that have gone on to have a high-level of success
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What impact does having two women partners in your firm have when analyzing female founders?
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Your site says that you invest before traditional VCs are ready. This sounds risky. What secrets do you know about picking the winners early? What different methods do you use than traditional VCs?
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Our lead investor thinks it may be time to bring in a more experienced CEO and the founders don't agree. Any advice for how to handle this?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Patrick Chung of Xfund answer viewer questions including:
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As a startup I’m competing with Google for the valley’s top engineers and can’t give the benefits or pay that they do. What are some suggestions to help me convince people to work with me instead of for Google?
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Today Secret announced that they're shutting down. How does a company with lots of capital and millions of users fail? What lessons can be learned from their rise and fall?
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Startup hiring is so difficult. What advice do you give your companies and how do you personally help them out?
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What are the most important characteristics you look for in a founder before funding them? What are some signals you look for? How would a woman have an advantage or disadvantage?
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If someone wanted to pitch you about their company, what's the best way to gain an audience with you?
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Mike Cassidy of Google’s Project Loon answer viewer questions including:
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What are some best practices for CEOs working with a board member?
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A competitor has emerged from stealth development. They appear to be strong, and several months ahead of us. How should we respond? What are the top priorities?
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Do you think it's fair for founders to pay themselves a market salary or do you think that they should live on half salary or something similar?
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When your companies were acquired, did you go out to find the acquirers or did they come find you? Any advice for how a startup can make itself most desirable to acquirers?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Bill Trenchard of First Round Capital answer listener questions including:
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As an investor, how do you and First Round deal with something like YC Demo Day, where there are over 100 companies all at once? Do you divide them among partners? Focus on certain areas only?
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Pinterest has just announced a change to give employees 7 years, instead of the typical 90 days, in which to exercise any vested options. What does such a policy cost an employer? Will this position influence other companies?
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Do you believe Meerkat's success will diminish without the help of Twitter's social graph, and Periscope will dominate? Or maybe neither of them will succeed and we are just experiencing the peak of a hype cycle?
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As a startup founder/CEO, how did you structure your day? How did you make sure you were focusing on the right things every day?
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Do you believe that all original angels and early stage VC's should receive pro rata rights if they want them?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Dave McClure of 500 Startups answer listener questions including:
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So many people who worked at PayPal went off to found companies like Tesla, YouTube, LinkedIn, Yelp, Yammer and 500 Startups…how was Paypal able to hire such great people? What did you learn there?
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What benefits are typically offered to or expected by employees? Do the benefits change as a company grows and matures, or is an early stage company expected to offer benefits comparable to a mature one?
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What services do you provide your investments after you invest? With so many companies, how can you keep track?
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How is a seed financing different than a Series A? What happens to seed financing when Series A funding comes through?
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How do we get into 500 Startups? We've applied for the upcoming batch…any tips in improving our chances of getting in?
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest David Wu answer viewer questions including:
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What are the things I should do to help you decide to fund me? What are some of the things I shouldn't do? What materials should I show up with? What materials are a turn off?
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What unicorns did you miss out on? Why did you miss them? What are the investments you regret passing on?
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I've heard people say that they went with a VC that was a better match but not the VC with the best term sheet. What do they mean by this?
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How do new investors react to a CEO not drawing salary when self-funding, but then drawing a salary when new money arrives?
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How do convertible notes work? What are the advantages of them for me?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Russ Siegelman answer listener questions including:
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When you are angel investing, is there a valuation amount or structure (e.g. convertible debt vs. equity) that causes you to invest or not invest?
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Knowing what we know now about the social web, what things would you like to have seen Friendster do differently?
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What are some of the success stories from Startup Garage, either products or teams? What does Startup Garage do differently than Y Combinator?
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It seems that big companies like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. have huge resources but are out-innovated by smaller startups. How does that happen?
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Can you please share with us some insight into the decision process at a large VC like Kleiner-Perkins? For example, what are the steps, do the decisions have to be unanimous, what happens when there are disagreements about investing, etc.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Aydin Senkut of Felicis Ventures answer listener questions including:
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What strategies do you consider when a big established company (Apple/Facebook/Google) moves into your space and encroaches very closely on your niche market?
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What would you do if you met with the perfect team, fantastic recommendations, great experience, super smart... and you really want to work with them, but their product idea isn’t quite right? Would you pass?
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Do you attend demo days (like YC or TechStars) and if so, how do you decide which companies to focus on after 2.5 minutes?
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If I'm the founder of a YC company, what's the best way to get your attention at or after Demo Day?
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When you receive a company intro via email, what is the one critical thing that makes you say "I want to talk to this founder" vs. ignoring it?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Manu Kumar of K9 Ventures answer listener questions including:
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Describe an instance where you had to be persistent to get a deal done or hire someone. How did you balance being persistent and not being pain in the neck at the same time?
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Every investor says the best way to reach them is through their network. What is the best way a founder with engineering background who does not have a network, start building their network that will vouch for them?
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Why do you require your founders to be technical as opposed to having a mix of business and technical? Are there any drawbacks to having an all technical team?
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It seems that seed stage investors have different perspectives on taking board seats. Can you please share you thoughts on this topic?
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What is your stance on startups offering early exercise (83B) to their employees?
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Ann Miura-Ko of FLOODGATE answer listener questions including:
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How does a CEO balance his/her time given the several responsibilities/opportunities?
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FLOODGATE seems to focus on business plans through referals that you trust. Why is that? How can somebody with a great product idea and great credentials get noticed?
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If the company that I'm working at does a bridge loan, what does it mean? Do they have to tell their employees when they do a bridge loan?
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I am having a disagreement with one of my investors over where to take our company (strategy-wise). Any suggestions on how to best navigate this?
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What is the #1 reason startups fail? How do you avoid that issue?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses the concerns of student entrepreneurs.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Heidi Roizen of DFJ answer listener questions including:
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What tools are there for women entrepreneurs? What tools are missing that would help most? How can we get more women founders in Silicon Valley?
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How important is the state of incorporation? There seems to be an investor preference for Delaware. Is that generally preferred or are there other good choices?
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I'm a designer at a public Internet company and would like to become a startup founder. What advice would you give me for finding the right idea and partners to work with?
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How does DFJ make investment decisions? Do all of you have to agree to invest in a company?
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I've noticed is that all these Venture Capital companies have all their details online but no email address to contact them. How do they get to know the viable start ups on the market?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses structuring a partnership between a start-up and a larger company
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Jeff Clavier of SoftTech VC answer listener questions including:
- What can you build into your company (e.g. policies, culture) to support failing quickly and cheaply in order to make course corrections as quickly as possible?
- What is the best way to get to know an investor before making a decision about accepting an investment?
- I'm a female startup founder and I'm finding it hard to tell if VCs aren't taking us seriously because I'm a woman, our idea is bad, or something else. What advice would you give me?
- How do most acquisitions happen? Is it the acquirer who approaches the startup or vice versa?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest John Lilly of Greylock Partners answer listener questions including:
- After a startup like Tumblr or Instagram is acquired, do you still stay involved and help the founders?
- How many startup pitches do you receive every day and how many of those do you respond to?
- When Greylock makes an investment, does the decision have to be unanimous? What if one of more partners disagree?
- When you're deciding how to invest, what are the relative importances of the problem space, the founders, and the team?
- I'm a successful entrepreneur interested in moving to the VC side. What's the best way to do this?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses acquisitions
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Karl Jacob of Hangtime answer listener questions including:
- How many angel investments do you make each year and what are the deciding factors when you make those investments?
- We've raised $1 million in seed funding, but are running low on cash and having trouble raising more money. Any advice on the best way to do this?
- What are some of the lessons learned at Hangtime in becoming a viral social app? How do you take a social mobile company to profitability?
- What's the most difficult situation you've ever faced as a founder/CEO and how did you manage it?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses setting up initial terms for founders.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and his guest, angel investor Mark Goines, answer listener questions including:
- Founders may find themselves self-funding the business from personal savings and drawing no salary during early days. If the business makes it to a professional funding round, are there ways for the founders to fairly recover some or all of their investment?
- Angels seem to take a lot of risk. Why do they do it?
- What's happening in the education startup space?
- What is the #1 reason you've seen companies fail? Is it founders disagreeing? Lack of product/market fit? Inability to raise money?
- Do you have any advice on the best way to find the right investors for my startup?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses making board meetings productive.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest David Hornik of August Capital answer listener questions including:
- What are the most important ("Top 5"?) Key Performance Indicators for a consumer eCommerce company?
- What is the biggest investment mistake you've ever made, either putting money in or missing an opportunity?
- I'm an experienced founder looking at moving to the VC side. Any advice for how to go about that process?
- What percentage of deals come in your door with a women as CEO?
- How much of your investment decision is product vs. team vs. market?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Marie Ekeland of Elaia Partners & France Digitale answer listener questions including:
- How did you (Marie) discover Criteo and what led to you investing?
- I am looking for a technical cofounder in Paris. Any suggestions on how to find the right person?
- What improvements to the French startup ecosystem would you recommend? Any changes in governmental rules?
- How can we get more women founders? What can VCs do to help increase the number of women founders?
- What are your thoughts about the importance of an advisory board, how to pick who should be on it, and how to compensate them?
In the "Ask the Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses US companies and foreign employees.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Roberto Bonanzinga of Balderton Capital broadcast from London, answering listener questions including:
- What advantages are there to starting up a company in England--or Europe--as opposed to the US? Legal, regulatory, financial, resources…
- How different is it working in a European startup vs a Silicon Valley startup? In the US, it is our perception that Europeans have a bit more work/life balance, and I'm wondering if that is true with startups.
- There seems to be little collaboration between the US startup community and the European startup community. Why is that? What can be done to change that?
- If I am looking to join a startup in Europe, what are some of the hottest, most rapidly growing companies right now?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses the top considerations for U.S. companies doing business in Europe.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Josh Elman of Greylock Partners answer listener questions including:
- What are the verticals you are most interested in exploring from an investment standpoint?
- How does having a strong product background help you in picking a company to invest in?
- What do you consider the ideal founding team in terms of engineers, designers, business people, etc.
- When you start a company, what is the ideal time to bring in a product manager? How much of a role should the product manager have?
- How do you keep the pace of innovation after a startup is acquired by another company?
In the "Ask the Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses how best to work with consultants.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Ariel Poler answer listener questions including:
- How do angel investors find investments?
- What about launching a company into a space where there have been multiple entrants but no successes?
- What about some of the online services like Kickstarter and Indiegogo? Are those a viable way to launch a product?
- At the very early stages of our company, should we do a convertible note or an equity round?
- What target IRR do investors look for when looking at an opportunity to invest? Does that number differ inversely with the assessed likelihood of the company being successful?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses corporate structures.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Robert Stephens, founder of The Geek Squad and former CTO of Best Buy, answer listener questions including:
- How do you split time between technology and business? Are you more passionate about technology or the business problem you are trying to solve?
- How did you select your executive team and what did you offer them to get them to come on board?
- What technological waves do you see impacting Silicon Valley over the next five years that a new startup could take advantage of?
- What are some of the things that venture capitalists can do to increase the number of women founders?
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Geoff Ralston of Y Combinator and Imagine K12 answer listener questions including:
- Why haven't we seen any big exits yet in Education Tech?
- How will broadband penetration affect MOOCs, especially in developing world?
- How can an entrepreneur with a great idea but without a Silicon Valley network and qualifications get funding?
- What is it like for a startup to be acquired by a large conpany?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses acquisition escrow.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Greg Sands of Costanoa Venture Capital answer listener questions including:
- Is it better to build a large user base, even though users are non-paying, or to charge customers, though it slows user base growth?
- What is the process of an IPO, and why might a company delay IPO?
- How do you determine the right price for the product/service you're offering?
- When should you avoid an incubator?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses participating preferred stock.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Paul Martino of Bullpen Capital answer listener questions including:
- How can a startup know when to pivot...and what to pivot to?
- For two cofounders, how should equity be divided, and what controls should be put in place?
- Is there a rule of thumb for offers made to non-founder early executives?
- Do you think there's a bubble in consumer mobile?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses the pros/cons of raising capital using convertible debt vs equity.
FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Saar Gur of CRV answer listener questions including:
- How is a business idea validated?
- How can you determine the potential of a business idea?
- What qualities should I look for in the founders of a company I might join?
In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick comments on situations in which a CEO can be removed by the Board.