Why Series A Graduation Is So Hard: Lessons from Paul Graham
Securing a Series A round has always been a major hurdle for startups, but recent data highlights just how difficult this milestone has become. Historically, roughly one in four startups…
“70-80% of Venture Capitalists Add Negative Value To Startups.” – Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla, the eponymous Founder of Silicon Valley VC firm Khosla Ventures, is known for his no-nonsense approach and frank delivery. In a quote that is a decade old but…
“Google’s funding round had red flags.” – Bill Gurley
Few Venture Capital firms are more elite than Benchmark, and few Venture Capitalists are more iconic than Bill Gurley. In a recent podcast, he illustrates why VCs must break their…
“I don’t look for companies. I look for Founders.” – Masayoshi Son
Softbank’s Masayoshi Son has been credited with the largest win (Alibaba) and loss (WeWork) in Venture Capital’s history. As he’s commonly referred to, “Masa” is reported to be a very…
“Owning 51% Gives Founders An Illusion Of Control.” – Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is one of the most beloved and recognized figures in the startup world. A former Macintosh “evangelist” and Steve Jobs’s right-hand man, he tried his hand at Venture…
How The Legendary VC Arthur Rock Evaluated Startup Founders
Arthur Rock’s name is tied to early Silicon Valley, that’s why he thrones among our collection of VC quotes. A decade before Don Valentine founded Sequoia Capital and Eugene Kleiner…
“I came up with Hotmail’s viral marketing idea.” – Tim Draper
The “D” in pioneer VC firm DFJ, Tim Draper attracted controversy when he claimed to be the inspiration behind Hotmail’s viral marketing strategy—a case study every respectable growth hacker knows…
“You can be thinking your shit smells like ice cream.” – Marc Andreessen
This flowery expression by elite Venture Capital firm Andreessen Horowitz’s Marc Andreessen illustrates how VCs value their portfolio companies.
“Investors tend to have a herd mentality.” – Jessica Livingston
Venture Capitalists come across thousands of business ideas every year. But how do they make their investment decisions? Do cognitive biases influence them, or is there something more systematic present?…
“The personal sacrifices of entrepreneurship are huge.” — Kevin O’Leary
Kevin O’Leary, best recognized for his role as an Investor on the hugely successful TV show “Shark Tank,” has earned his moniker ‘Mr. Wonderful’ for his candid and often brash…
“There’s no TAM, there’s no SAM, only early beachhead customers.” – Jim Goetz
Imagine discarding the traditional TAM SAM SOM approach to estimating a startup’s potential. Sounds audacious? Not to Jim Goetz, a legendary Venture Capitalist who’s backed major tech successes over the…
“You can have a great product, but a compelling story puts the company into motion.” – Ben Horowitz
Having experienced both sides of the equation as an entrepreneur and now as a leading Venture Capitalist, Ben Horowitz is perfectly positioned to share invaluable insights and advice on the…
“VC is about extracting enormous signal out of very little data.” — Nigel Morris
QED Investors’ co-Founder Nigel Morris had the rare privilege of entering Venture Capital after managing a $20 billion public company, Capital One. Comparing these two experiences, Morris confided that running…
“We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” – Peter Thiel
Few quotes capture the essence of Venture Capital better. A former PayPal co-Founder and one of the most successful Investors of his time, Peter Thiel has made a name for…
“Smart money is just dumb money that’s been through a crash.” – Naval Ravikant
In addition to his entrepreneurial and investment successes, AngelList co-Founder Naval Ravikant is known for his philosophical musings on life, wealth creation, and happiness, which he often shares through social…
“If you don’t have a Founder who can be CEO, sell your company–now.” – Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen, often considered one of the smartest VCs in Silicon Valley, is unequivocal on this question. In his “pmarca guide to startups” (Andreessen’s handle on Twitter is @pmarca), he covers…
“Feast is usually followed by famine, and we’ve had one heck of a feast.” – Mary Meeker
Given the recent jittery movements in financial markets, you’d be excused for believing this quote concerns a 2022 prediction. In reality, Mary Meeker, the Internet Queen who built a successful…
“The worst possible thing in the world is to have someone who doesn’t believe you.” – Elizabeth Holmes
When it is all over, and the whole truth is known, Theranos will undoubtedly join the great frauds of business history, competing with the likes of Enron and Worldcom. More…
“Smart idea, grounded on exhaustive research, followed by a big bet.” – Julian Robertson
There is no arguing Venture Capital is being transformed by a sweeping wave initiated by a handful of so-called cross-over funds, the most visible being Tiger Global—whose origins are tightly…
“You can’t get into the trap of paying for customer acquisition.” – Aileen Lee
If you google Aileen Lee, chances are you will find her sporting her famous cowboy hat in homage to the values (and the name) of the VC firm she founded…