For the second year in a row I had the pleasure of talking with Pat Brown, CEO and founder of Impossible Foods (I.F.). Impossible Foods started roughly seven years ago and makes meat using plants. The principle ingredient that Impossible Foods uses to do what they do – “Heme.” In simple terms, “heme is what makes meat taste like meat.” Heme is found in both … Continue reading Redefining the Definition of “Meat”
I recently reviewed a new book called The Startup MixTape written by a friend of mine, Elliott Adams. The book provides a comprehensive approach to the methods entrepreneurs use to start and grow successful companies. In my opinion, this book is perfect for anyone who is looking for an all-in-one summary of the steps involved with getting a new company off the ground. The book … Continue reading Book Review: The Startup MixTape
When Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the 2016 Olympics for the 100-meter sprint he did so at a time of 9.81 seconds. Justin Gatlin came in second at 9.89 seconds and the eighth-place finisher came in at 10.06 seconds. Usain Bolt is widely considered the best sprinter in the world, and justifiably so. He’s the first athlete to win gold in the 100-meter … Continue reading Gaining The Marginal Advantage in Today’s Competitive Environment
Overall, the VC market is experiencing significant growth. In the last two years, deal value has reached a combined $160 billion value. This number will likely increase as the results for the fourth quarter are not yet included. While valuations have increased across the board, pricing for companies in Series A rounds remains relatively tame compared to later stage funding rounds where median valuations have … Continue reading Current Environment in VC (brief)
I had the opportunity to guest lecture to the Student Investment Fund class at Oklahoma State University this week. I was there to talk to the students about the venture capital industry and what I do as a partner at Spur Capital. I prepared a list of topics to discuss just in case the students were disengaged, but I was pleasantly surprised by their keen … Continue reading Give Back by Talking to Others About What You Do
My partners and I just completed a two-day marketing trip to the East Coast to meet with prospective investors in New York City and Boston. The meetings went well, however what I want to write about is not the meetings but about some of the travel obstacles we encountered on this particular trip. I am a very positive person, but when it comes to travel … Continue reading The Best Tip to Remember for Business Travelers
In the last several weeks I have spent a lot of time thinking about the current environment of the venture capital industry. At a high level it may seem like an inefficient market because the flow of information is quasi-directional and there are only a handful of firms capable of tracking it. Be that as it may, those of us who rely on this information … Continue reading My Perspective on Hot Topics in Venture Capital, Part 3 – Valuations and Exits
I recently attended a conference for one of our fund managers and the keynote speaker was none other than Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and Co-Chair and Trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. For the 0.0001% of you who may not know who Bill Gates is, he co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen and the two of them grew it to become … Continue reading Expanding Your Frame of Mind and Thinking Bigger
One of the skills I’m trying to hone are my critical thinking skills. I majored in civil engineering and have been formally trained on the process of solving complex problems. When I worked as an engineer, the problems I was solving needed to have a definitive answer. Otherwise, there could be catastrophic failure. But now that I work with venture capital firms, the process of … Continue reading Improving Your Critical Thinking Skills Will Make You a Better Leader
When I was in the seventh grade I had just started to develop an interest in sports and decided I needed to find a sport to play. I had never played organized sports before, so I decided I would keep an open mind and just start trying things out. The first sport I attempted to play was baseball. I had never played before so naturally … Continue reading How Saying “No” Makes You and Everyone Around You Better
