I am not sure who to credit for this saying, but I love it: “pessimists sound smart, optimists make money.” Venture capital is an industry for optimists. It is about betting on the potential, on underdogs, on progress. We consider what a company can become, not simply what it is today. That requires a belief…More
Category Archives: Frameworks
Payback’s a gift
My framework for assessing CAC payback Payback is a _________ Each year, we meet hundreds of internet businesses that run the gamut from industry or vertical to product and business model — and just about everything in between. On the surface, these businesses might not have much in common; internally, we’ve converged around one single metric that’s…More
How Startups Disrupt Industries
Below is a great quote from Bryce Roberts’ blog that highlights one of the reasons I love startups — their innovative way of envisioning a new reality. “Startups don’t compete with airlines by purchasing a bunch of planes, hiring a bunch of pilots and locking up a bunch of terminals at airports. Startups compete with…More
Keeping it simple
As technology becomes increasingly complex, simplicity is becoming increasingly valuable. While people turn to technology to simplify their lives, the ability to take the complex, evolving, and limitless power of technology and shave it down to a simple action, function, or use is a true achievement. Ironically, it is the most user friendly, simplest technology…More
Talia Goldberg 