Archive for April, 2010

ListenDownloadSubscribe via iTunesLaurie Lumenti Garty
Silicon Valley Bank‘s Laurie Lumenti Garty is a great supporter of Angel Capital Association. We’re both on a committee that’s planning the Annual Summit in San Francisco, May 5-7.
Now if I can just get home from Istanbul…
Show #285 (1:02:33) Listen
Meet me in:
Austin: April 21 at the Texas Entrepreneur Funding Symposium.
UCSF: May 4th I’ll speak at the Entrepreneurs’ Discussion Series at noon.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeirer HanssonI’ve learned to like Brad Feld’s book recommendations. He’s got me reading spy novels again. So when he blathered on about Rework, I had to see for myself. At first flip through the pages I was disappointed to see such short chapters; it looked like a general business guide. I set it aside. But then I had to pack something for Spring Break to New York, I gave it another look and I’m glad I did.
Coincidentally, I’m working with one of the UCIrvine teams in the Business Plan Competition, for the 3rd year in a row, if memory serves. My contribution will kick in when we get past the next round and create the PowerPoint pitch, but first they have to write a business plan. Couldn’t I just play along and offer some encouragement, some pearls of wisdom? No, because no one reads business plans, especially angels, even less so VCs, I imagine. Who has the time? And the other problem with plans, they’re artificial, academic mad dreamings of the future. But these were just my irreverent conclusions, until I read Jason Fried and David Heinemeirer Hansson’s early on chapter, Planning is Guessing.
Now I’ve learned I’m not alone. “Plans are inconsistent with improvisation.”

Continue reading “Business Plans vs. Winging It” »

ListenDownloadSubscribe via iTunesAri Korhonen
A finalist last year for EBAN’s Business Angel of the Year Award, Ari Korhonen runs Lagoon Capital. Sounds kind of tropical, but although Ari’s investment company is surrounded by 188,000 lakes, it’s not tropical, it’s in Finland. For warmer temperatures he’s off to Istanbul where he and I are panelists at EBAN’s Annual Congress where we’ll gather with angels from Mumbai and Istanbul to discuss: A look back at the last investment year.
Since it’s Europe, there’s probably some government involvement, so what’s the role Veraventure is playing to stimulate early-stage investing?
Show #283 (28:49) Listen
Ari Korhonen lives in the land of 188,000 lakes
Meet me in:
Istanbul: April 15-16 at EBAN’s 2010 Congress.
Austin: April 21 at the Texas Entrepreneur Funding Symposium.
San Francisco: May 5-6-7 at the Angel Capital Association’s Annual Summit