Innovation farm and a pioneer’s spirit: all organization (and you) need to still have...
“Chief Digital Officer”, “Chief Transformation Officer” are new executive roles that organizations are currently injecting in their CxOs Level, smelling opportunities behind digital innovations. There is a catch though, and most of them will...
So A Big VC Fund Is Investing In Your Startup? 4 Practical Considerations
First of all -- congratulations. Getting a round together always takes work and a big VC fund is certainly a big validation. That said, it takes both awareness and execution to maximize the pros...
To Be Or Not To Be: Operator Vs Founder Vs Investor?
As an operator turned founder turned investor I get asked often the pros and cons of being each. I often respond with a sports analogy -- it isn’t mutually exclusive but do you enjoy...
COVID19 and Venture Capital
Venture Capital market analysis from the Great Recession to COVID19 When analyzing a startup, especially the ones at early-stage, investors focus on three main factors: team, market and product. Times of crisis don’t make an...
We Need A Lot More Than Data: How Startups Can Harness AI
You open your phone, take an eye exam, and find out your risk of Alzheimer’s 3-5 years ahead even though you have no symptoms. A doctor takes data (CT scans, genomic tests, blood labs, demographics...
Startup101: How Do I Divide Equity Among My Cofounders And Employees?
So you have just spent six months building a prototype with an early team, punting the question on how to divide the company. Now you are looking to raise external capital essentially forcing you...
8 questions about the digital transformation investors should get answers from every CEO
Hardly anything is as exciting as business. One of the most attractive aspects is certainly investing in young start-ups or established companies that are heading for new, digital horizons. It is not only an...
Fundraising During A Pandemic? 4 Ways For Startups To Be Most Effective
The fundamentals of pitching a startup during a pandemic are no different than pitching in normal times. In fact, there is a strong argument for looking at the crisis as an opportunity to start...
The Ins and Outs of Advisory Boards for Startups
As outside general counsel to dozens of startups in the technology, life sciences, medical device, clean energy and innovation economy, we are often asked about the utility and purpose of advisory boards. Setting up an...
The Problem and Opportunity of Organizational Debt
What is ‘Organizational (Org.) Debt’? As a rule, startups and companies in hypergrowth have two traits in common - high ambiguity and a fast pace. These are true regardless of product or industry category. While...
So You Want To Invest In Startups? 5 Ways Other Than Being A Full-Time...
Ever considered investing in startups but don’t want to be a full-time VC? There are other paths and this post will touch on the five main ones. 0) Definitions -- Before a deeper discussion we...
How to build a sales team in a startup?
Most businesses start off as a one man or woman band meaning as a founder you wear many hats and do whatever it takes to get your company off the ground. At some point during...
Will Robots Take Over Our Restaurants? A Startup View
Tau Ventures is an applied AI fund in Silicon Valley and food automation is one of our core focuses including an investment in Blendid. Our view in Nov 2019 was that capital is plentiful,...
Spotting The Wolf From The Sheep
If you have been in any industry long enough, one thing becomes clear. There are three main types of people in this world, the ones who are smart and resilient, the ones who are...
How to think about Disruption
Every startup is trying to disrupt. The common belief is that something can be created that will alter people’s behavior, change a market, and trigger new usage. Every startup is looking for that shift. Let’s...
Why Is That Entrepreneur Raising So Much More Than Me?
How much to raise is both an art and a science, a topic discussed at length in many other posts. What this article will focus on are the reasons specifically an entrepreneur similar to...
How To Pitch Your Early-Stage Healthcare Startup To A VC? The Three Main Challenges
Tau Ventures is a seed fund and digital health is half of our portfolio; our strong view is in healthcare market size is rarely a major issue. VC funding in a space is arguably...
What Do VCs Look For In Their Own Investors aka LPs?
If an entrepreneur is looking just for money they should probably raise from sources other than VC. What good VCs do is truly help a company -- in the early stages especially with product...
The Rise of Neobanks in India
an overview of the market with the different neo-banking fintech players in India Fintech startups in India raised a whopping $3.7 billion in 2019 alone, and for good reason. India has the highest adoption rate...
Do I Need A Technical Cofounder? A Guide For Startups
If you are asking the question then what you are fundamentally asking is about the kind of company you are building. Who is a cofounder anyways? This post will address this latter question, then...