I haven’t blogged in forever, but am obligated to post the following, which you’ll see all around the Foundry Group network today. We have some entertaining news to share with you today. We have recently registered with the SEC and are now considered Registered Investment Advisors. Did we do this so that we can have…
Every year, I mentor a company from the Techstars Boulder class. It’s been a great journey, because of that we’ve invested in great companies like Next Big Sound and PivotDesk. Those two companies represented radically different ends of the startup spectrum. NextBigSound was still finishing up college when they started Techstars, in fact, they were flying back and forth to…
My partner Brad recently released his latest book, Startup Boards – Getting the Most out of your Board of Directors. This is a great book for people looking for advice on how boards should operate in the very fluid world of startups. One of the areas that Brad focuses on are some of the legal…
A few days ago, Gil Dibner posted what he called a VC code of conduct. I read articles all the time where VC’s write about how venture capital “should work” and the vast majority of the time I either disagree or find them a waste of time. I feel that most of these articles are…
I co-teach a class at the University of Colorado Law School called “VC 360.” We have MBA, Engineering and JD candidates and the course deals with all things in the entrepreneurial / venture ecosystem. Each year, we have a pitch day where one entrepreneur comes in and pitches me. The students get to watch. The…
With the recently announced acquisition of our portfolio company MakerBot, the conversation invariably turns to “was this the best time for the company to sell?” It’s a question that is asked every time a company sells and it usually creates a lot of noise by people whose opinions are usually misinformed and even more so,…
At Foundry Group, we take a strong interest in the policy and legal ecosystem that affects the start up industry. We’ve been among the first to support initiatives like Startup Visa and patent reform and have been active in city, state and national politics in the hopes of keeping the U.S. the center of the…
Three keys to a building a strong ecosystem for startups are: (1) entrepreneurs; (2) technology; and (3) investors. For a long time, newer entrepreneurial communities have relied on the first two segments to attract the third. We are now realizing that to sustain and grow a vibrant entrepreneurial community, we need to support all three….
For those of you who know me, I have always loved being a musician. For a while, I thought that I would make my living as a drummer, but the world conspired against me. That being said, I couldn’t be grateful enough that I ended up as a venture capitalist. Last year, I spearheaded the…
Given my background as a recovering lawyer, I’m often asked by portfolio companies, friends, other VCs, etc. for attorney referrals. I don’t get asked too often on routine matters, but the really important “bet the company” stuff where counsel selection is critical. Fortunately, I’ve had the pleasure to work with a lot of good folks…