Category: Business
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Is ESG Investing Bullsh*t?
Did you hear the news? Fossil fuels and deep sea oil rigs are all the rage these days when it comes to ESG investing. Forget doubling down on electric vehicles, renewable energy, solar etc… All we have to do to save the world is invest in Environmentally, Socially, Governance responsible companies…like Exxon. It looks like […]
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The Dangers of Fanatically Combatting Climate Change: A VC’s Perspective
The world is going to hell in a handbasket. Temperatures are rising, extreme weather events too, and we all know what will happen if warming exceeds the 1.5C “safe-ish” threshold set by innumerable climate experts to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Thankfully, although much of the world has simply failed to react and […]
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A Controversial Climate Tech Investment Thesis
It is common knowledge these days that climate change is real and that the dangerously fast warming threatening our world is due to greenhouse gas emissions – man made emissions… and yes Fox News, that is in fact a fact. The signs are all around us. Thankfully, the world is FINALLY waking up to the […]
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The Pros and Cons of Investing via an Angel Syndicate / SPV
Investing in startups is an outlier sport. You’re either average – which generally means below the public markets – or you’re extraordinary. You either invest in the great companies that make up 95% of venture returns, or you don’t. The problem is, to get into the very best companies – the Googles, the Airbnbs, the […]
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Positioning Your Startup to Conquer Your Archenemy: The Ultimate Branding Exercise
I was recently advising a client in an incredibly competitive industry – think hundreds of millions raised, huge players in every major market, multi-billion dollar valuations… Suffice it to say, it’s a pretty crowded space they’re trying to break into. To make matters worse, they weren’t all that differentiated… their USP was weak. Which was […]
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How to Build Your Startup’s Roadmap: From Idea to IPO and Beyond!
If you are reading this, you’re probably a startup founder. And if you’re a founder, you probably have big hopes and dreams – aspirations of what you want your business to be and what you want to create in the world. Whether it is a pure profit play like the next photo sharing app or […]
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The 82 Startup, Venture Capital and Fundraising Terms Every Founder and Investor Should Know
Welcome to Startupland, the world of wild rides, IPOs and exits, heartbreak and highly caffeinated coding frenzies, all while struggling to stay alive, build a business, beat the competition and be able to afford more than Ramen. Amidst all of this chaos, this is probably your first startup rodeo and you’re learning everything as you […]
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Understanding the Economics of Venture Capital
If you are reading this blog, you know that venture capital is a power law game. Venture investors invest in ten companies hoping one returns the losses of the other nine many times over. And they have to because so many startups and small businesses fail. But to really understand the implications and motivations of […]
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The “Asshole Test” Hack to Win at Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is one of my favorite promotional strategies. Nothing beats a tried and true recommendation from someone you know, like and respect. And that’s what influencers are – at least the ones that don’t whore themselves out to the highest bidder and flaunt any and every product on Instagram… The truth about influencer marketing […]
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The 89 Business Terms Every Startup Founder and CEO Should Know
Starting a business can be incredibly overwhelming. There’s so much to do, so much to learn and every day seems to hold new challenges that you and you alone need to solve in order to survive. It’s a steep learning curve.That is why I put together this glossary of the most common business terms and […]
