Words of Advice for Aspiring Fund Managers
I had the opportunity to speak with an aspiring venture capitalist today. He wanted to speak with me for general advice about how to start his own venture capital fund. I enjoy these calls because I like helping people and I’m able to establish a new relationship in the process. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to raise a fund and work behind the … Continue reading Words of Advice for Aspiring Fund Managers
The Rise of Digital Assets
Digital assets have steadily grown in popularity in the last 10 years. There are several different types of digital assets (i.e., cryptocurrencies) in circulation with the most popular being Bitcoin. Bitcoin was created to be a trustless, decentralized, peer-to-peer version of electronic cash that allows online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution (1). Proponents of … Continue reading The Rise of Digital Assets
The Game of “Life”
This past weekend my daughter and I went to Staples to pick up a few office supplies. We had already completely several errands before arriving at Staples, so I was determined to get in and out of the store quickly. When we entered the store, she asked me if she could take me to the aisle where the games were. I told her that we … Continue reading The Game of “Life”
Is Delayed Gratification Exclusively a First World Problem?
The subject of delayed gratification has come up in many of the things I’ve listened to and read in the last few days. Usually, when I repeatedly stumble upon the same information or piece of advice within a short period of time, I tend to think that maybe it’s something I should do some digging into. Delayed gratification is the practice of sacrificing something you … Continue reading Is Delayed Gratification Exclusively a First World Problem?
Work Journaling
Maintaining a work journal is an excellent way to track what you learn from your day-to-day experiences as a working professional. Continue reading Work Journaling
The Power of Negative Thinking
I just finished Annie Duke’s latest book, How to Decide. For those that don’t know who Annie Duke is, she rose to fame as a professional poker player in the United States having won over 4 million dollars during the course of her career. She stopped playing poker in 2012 and is now an author and successful consultant to businesses and entrepreneurs. The purpose of the book … Continue reading The Power of Negative Thinking
My Top 2 Tips for New Year Resolutions
At the start of every new year, I am inevitably asked by someone if I have a New Year’s resolution. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making New Year’s resolutions, I just don’t usually don’t make them. When it comes to setting goals at the onset of the new year (or any time for that matter) I think it’s far more productive to 1). focus … Continue reading My Top 2 Tips for New Year Resolutions
Information Gatherers vs. Information Analyzers
Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about how in today’s hyper-competitive business environment, those who win are only marginally better than their competitors. In this blog I want to describe what that marginal advantage is and how the “winners” in business maintain it. Prior to the invention of the internet, gathering information was a slower and more manual process. Now it seems we suffer from … Continue reading Information Gatherers vs. Information Analyzers
Crowdfunding
No matter who you are, if you want to invest in a publicly traded company it is relatively easy to do so. But what if you want to invest in a private company? Or, what if you’re a startup company needing to raise money but you’ve exhausted your network of friends and family members and you’re unable to raise capital from a bank or from … Continue reading Crowdfunding
Embracing Diversity in the Venture Capital Industry
I recently had a conversation with a (white male) VC fund manager (“VC” or “manager”) who had an impressive number of diverse founders in his portfolio. In the venture capital industry this is not very common, but sorely needed. When I congratulated him about the high-degree of diversity in his portfolio, he said “it wasn’t something they set out to do; it kind of just happened.” He … Continue reading Embracing Diversity in the Venture Capital Industry
TheJCurve 