Comments on: Never Say “VC” http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc Design, Entrepreneurship, Economics and Software Sun, 20 May 2012 16:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: BmoreWire http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-619 BmoreWire Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:24:32 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-619 I couldn't agree with this more. Especially in Baltimore. You need to focus on creating value. What gets funding in NYC and Silicon Valley does not get funding in Baltimore. You need a game plan to proceed without VC and then if a VC shows it face somewhere down the road, lucky you.... But you don't need them to be successful, what you need is a product that creates value in a marketplace and a operating, sales, marketing, and financing plan that will build a long term business. If you have that and you do that and you build your business properly and patiently, exits and opportunities to quickly scale will appear. That said, it's always to have a handful of relationships to get some good buzz and PR in the angel community. I couldn't agree with this more. Especially in Baltimore. You need to focus on creating value. What gets funding in NYC and Silicon Valley does not get funding in Baltimore. You need a game plan to proceed without VC and then if a VC shows it face somewhere down the road, lucky you…. But you don't need them to be successful, what you need is a product that creates value in a marketplace and a operating, sales, marketing, and financing plan that will build a long term business. If you have that and you do that and you build your business properly and patiently, exits and opportunities to quickly scale will appear. That said, it's always to have a handful of relationships to get some good buzz and PR in the angel community.

]]> By: BmoreWire http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-531 BmoreWire Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:24:32 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-531 I couldn't agree with this more. Especially in Baltimore. You need to focus on creating value. What gets funding in NYC and Silicon Valley does not get funding in Baltimore. You need a game plan to proceed without VC and then if a VC shows it face somewhere down the road, lucky you.... But you don't need them to be successful, what you need is a product that creates value in a marketplace and a operating, sales, marketing, and financing plan that will build a long term business. If you have that and you do that and you build your business properly and patiently, exits and opportunities to quickly scale will appear. That said, it's always to have a handful of relationships to get some good buzz and PR in the angel community. I couldn't agree with this more. Especially in Baltimore. You need to focus on creating value. What gets funding in NYC and Silicon Valley does not get funding in Baltimore. You need a game plan to proceed without VC and then if a VC shows it face somewhere down the road, lucky you…. But you don't need them to be successful, what you need is a product that creates value in a marketplace and a operating, sales, marketing, and financing plan that will build a long term business. If you have that and you do that and you build your business properly and patiently, exits and opportunities to quickly scale will appear. That said, it's always to have a handful of relationships to get some good buzz and PR in the angel community.

]]> By: Jose G. Gonzalez http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-529 Jose G. Gonzalez Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:07:27 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-529 Great Reading !!<br>Please connect, tag & stalk me !<br>Thank you very much !<br>Jg Great Reading !!
Please connect, tag & stalk me !
Thank you very much !
Jg

]]> By: mytweetmark http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-527 mytweetmark Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:20:49 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-527 Thank you for this article. It was timely for me. I am currently building all of mytweetmark on my own time, hence no cost at all other than hosting and advertising. The progress has been awesome. Most of my time is spent in metrics, identifying log jam where traffic is stuck, because the business just got off the knees. Then I get to do quick iterations and watch the metrics again and again. My focus is to get traction. Again, thanks. Thank you for this article. It was timely for me. I am currently building all of mytweetmark on my own time, hence no cost at all other than hosting and advertising. The progress has been awesome. Most of my time is spent in metrics, identifying log jam where traffic is stuck, because the business just got off the knees. Then I get to do quick iterations and watch the metrics again and again. My focus is to get traction. Again, thanks.

]]> By: ladyleet http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-526 ladyleet Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:10:16 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-526 awesome post. good wakeup call for new startups who think ideas=money. build, get customers, generate revenue, and if you still need $, it will come. awesome post. good wakeup call for new startups who think ideas=money. build, get customers, generate revenue, and if you still need $, it will come.

]]> By: NorthMetroSBDC (NorthMetroSBDC) http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-518 NorthMetroSBDC (NorthMetroSBDC) Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:01:41 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-518 Why Entrepreneurs Should Stop Thinking about VC's and Instead Focus on Value - http://bit.ly/x7ICM RT davetroy RT cheeky_geeky Why Entrepreneurs Should Stop Thinking about VC’s and Instead Focus on Value – http://bit.ly/x7ICM RT davetroy RT cheeky_geeky

]]> By: cheeky_geeky (Dr. Mark Drapeau) http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-519 cheeky_geeky (Dr. Mark Drapeau) Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:57:02 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-519 Why Entrepreneurs Should Stop Thinking about VC's and Instead Focus on Value - http://bit.ly/x7ICM (RT <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/davetroy">@davetroy</a>) Why Entrepreneurs Should Stop Thinking about VC’s and Instead Focus on Value – http://bit.ly/x7ICM (RT @davetroy)

]]> By: davetroy (Dave Troy) http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-517 davetroy (Dave Troy) Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:40:54 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-517 Why Entrepreneurs Should Stop Thinking about VC's and Instead Focus on Value - http://bit.ly/x7ICM - from my blog! Why Entrepreneurs Should Stop Thinking about VC’s and Instead Focus on Value – http://bit.ly/x7ICM – from my blog!

]]> By: nivi http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-524 nivi Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:13:34 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-524 We usually tell very early stage companies with no product, traction, or track record to look for:<br><br>1. Family and Relationship Investors: People who already know you and are willing to bet on you, based on your history together.<br><br>2. Idea Investors: People who believe there’s a big opportunity to serve the customer because they understand the customer as well as you do.<br><br>3. Once Removed Investors: These investors trust or regularly co-invest with the investors above.<br><br>Once you get some traction, start talking to dedicated seed stage funds, multi-stage investors who do a lot of seed stage investments, angels, angel groups, etc. You can also jump straight to this set of investors if you have a significant track record or a mind-blowing product (you probably don't).<br><br>More details here: <a href="http://venturehacks.com/articles/idea-investors" rel="nofollow">http://venturehacks.com/articles/idea-investors</a> We usually tell very early stage companies with no product, traction, or track record to look for:

1. Family and Relationship Investors: People who already know you and are willing to bet on you, based on your history together.

2. Idea Investors: People who believe there’s a big opportunity to serve the customer because they understand the customer as well as you do.

3. Once Removed Investors: These investors trust or regularly co-invest with the investors above.

Once you get some traction, start talking to dedicated seed stage funds, multi-stage investors who do a lot of seed stage investments, angels, angel groups, etc. You can also jump straight to this set of investors if you have a significant track record or a mind-blowing product (you probably don't).

More details here: http://venturehacks.com/articles/idea-investors

]]> By: Nicholas Tolson http://davetroy.com/posts/why-you-should-never-say-vc#comment-520 Nicholas Tolson Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:19:18 +0000 http://davetroy.com/?p=710#comment-520 Great post, Dave. If you build it (well), they (investors) will come. :) Great post, Dave. If you build it (well), they (investors) will come. :)

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