As the year winds down I’ve been reflecting on my favorite memories, mostly positive, but a few rants, too.
10. Istanbul with EBAN, where I was the master of ceremonies for their Gala Awards Dinner. EBAN, the European Business Angel Network, knows how to party! After the communal bus ride, (which always has a memorable new friend in store; I guess I should ride the bus here at home, too,) then we’re on a boat cruise up the Bosphorus to dinner in a ruin turned restaurant. What a thrill to have the spotlight for the 5 awards! Later John May whispered, “it’ll be hard to beat this gig!”
9. Ultimate exposure: Top 10 Lies Angels Tell. Guy Kawasaki put me up to it! Well, kinda. He wrote memorable top 10 lies of both VCs and entrepreneurs, so it felt like there was a gap in the fabric of early-stage investing I had to fill. My essay/rant was picked up at socalTECH where it ran ‘above the fold’ for 6 weeks, coverage to die for. Then the Canadians published it in their newsletter which travels to all four corners of the globe. Funny though, no one at Tech Coast Angels had a word to say about it.
8. Most overused term: pivot. Am I the last person on earth to hear this term? I heard it used by a
panel in Montreal at the Annual Canadian Angel Summit. It’s used to
describe the ‘transformation’ a startup often goes through as they
refine their strategy; hopefully before investors pour in their cash.
Now, it’s pivot, pivot, pivot everywhere I turn. What’s an overused
term’s half-life? I think we’ll be hearing this tossed around for a long
while.
7. Spin: too much good news.
Continue reading “Top Ten 2010” »
Top Ten 2010
By Frank | Filed in Commentary/OpinionAs the year winds down I’ve been reflecting on my favorite memories, mostly positive, but a few rants, too.
9. Ultimate exposure: Top 10 Lies Angels Tell. Guy Kawasaki put me up to it! Well, kinda. He wrote memorable top 10 lies of both VCs and entrepreneurs, so it felt like there was a gap in the fabric of early-stage investing I had to fill. My essay/rant was picked up at socalTECH where it ran ‘above the fold’ for 6 weeks, coverage to die for. Then the Canadians published it in their newsletter which travels to all four corners of the globe. Funny though, no one at Tech Coast Angels had a word to say about it.
8. Most overused term: pivot. Am I the last person on earth to hear this term? I heard it used by a
panel in Montreal at the Annual Canadian Angel Summit. It’s used to
describe the ‘transformation’ a startup often goes through as they
refine their strategy; hopefully before investors pour in their cash.
Now, it’s pivot, pivot, pivot everywhere I turn. What’s an overused
term’s half-life? I think we’ll be hearing this tossed around for a long
while.
7. Spin: too much good news.
Continue reading “Top Ten 2010” »