Posts Tagged ‘vc’

5 Common Mistakes in Pitch Decks

by Scott Edward Walker on September 29th, 2010

Introduction

Pitch Deck

As a corporate lawyer for entrepreneurs, I am often asked to review “pitch decks” or “decks.”  A deck is a collection of PowerPoint slides created by founders to raise funds from investors.  The deck can be sent to investors as a stand-alone document (e.g., via email) or it can be used in conjunction with an in-person presentation.  I am generally happy to give my input with respect to decks — with the caveat that I’m a lawyer, not an investor.  That being said, here are five common mistakes that I often see:

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How Do I Swim Safely in the VC’s Option Pool?

by Scott Edward Walker on September 15th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my weekly “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs).  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version.  Please shoot me any questions you may have in the comments section – or feel free to call me directly at 415-979-9998.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: September 5th – 11th

by Scott Edward Walker on September 12th, 2010

I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, startup and corporate law issues, and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and two most popular blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.  Many thanks, Scott

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Dear Entrepreneurs: Choose Your Own Legal Counsel

by Scott Edward Walker on September 8th, 2010

Introduction

The purpose of this post is expand upon my answer to the question on Quora:

“What should you do as a startup when a Bay Area VC insists that you use their expensive legal counsel?”

Mark Suster, a VC at GRP Partners, has also written and spoken about how he likes to “share” his legal counsel with the startup in which he is investing.  My advice to entrepreneurs is clear: push back hard on this issue and choose your own strong, independent legal counsel – i.e., a law firm that’s going to work hard to protect you and watch your back.

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Walker Twitter Highlights: August 29th – September 4th

by Scott Edward Walker on September 5th, 2010

I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, startup and corporate law issues, and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and two most popular blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.  Many thanks, Scott

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How Do I Value My Startup?

by Scott Edward Walker on September 1st, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my weekly “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs).  Please shoot me any questions you may have in the comments section – or feel free to call me directly at 415-979-9998.  Many thanks, Scott

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Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed: John Doerr

by Scott Edward Walker on August 30th, 2010

To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our weekly series entitled “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.”  Each week, we post a short video clip of a successful entrepreneur, investor or business leader on a variety of topics to help entrepreneurs succeed.

This week, we present legendary investor John Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins.  Eric Schmidt calls John “one of Google’s best board members”; and Jeff Bezos noted that “Doerr (and Kleiner) is the center of gravity in the Internet.”  In this interesting, one-minute clip from 2005 (courtesy of Stanford University’s Entrepreneurship Corner), John discusses how to negotiate valuations with VC’s and related issues.  

I included this clip as a supplement to my blog post today on VentureBeat in which I advised entrepreneurs that: “[Y]ou need to get out there and effectively pitch a bunch of VC’s in your space and get them excited about your venture.  By doing so, you can, in effect, drive the market by creating a competitive environment and playing the VC’s off of each other.”  Many thanks, Scott

What Is a Liquidation Preference?

by Scott Edward Walker on August 25th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my weekly “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs).  Please shoot me any questions you may have in the comments section – or feel free to call me directly at 415-979-9998.  Many thanks, Scott

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“Ask the Business Attorney”: What Are the Most Common Mistakes Startups Make Dealing with VC’s?

by Scott Edward Walker on July 28th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat; below is a longer, more comprehensive version.  Please feel free to call me directly if you have any questions (415-979-9998).  Thanks, Scott

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Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed: Keith Rabois (of Slide)

by Scott Edward Walker on June 28th, 2010

To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our weekly series entitled “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.”  Each week, we post a short video presentation or interview of a successful entrepreneur, investor or business leader on a variety of topics to help entrepreneurs succeed.

This week, we present Keith Rabois, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for Slide and a very smart investor (courtesy of GigaOm TV).  In this interesting, 20-minute interview, Keith discusses, among other things: (i) the recent increases in the size of angel rounds, (ii) making investment decisions, (iii) how “cool” it is being a seed investor, (iv) the changing role of the VC, (v) how to choose the right investor and (vi) the excitement of being an entrepreneur.  I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks, Scott

“Ask the Business Attorney”: What’s Wrong with a Sole Proprietorship?

by Scott Edward Walker on June 23rd, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs); it is part 2 of 3 of my posts on choice of entity.  Last week (in part 1), I discussed what’s wrong with an LLC.  This week I address what’s wrong with a sole proprietorship; and next week I’ll address what’s wrong with a partnership.  Please shoot me any questions you may have in the comments section.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: June 13th – 19th

by Scott Edward Walker on June 20th, 2010

I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business and corporate law issues, and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and two most popular blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: May 23rd – 29th

by Scott Edward Walker on May 30th, 2010

I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business and corporate law issues, and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and my blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: May 2nd – 8th

by Scott Edward Walker on May 9th, 2010

To Our Clients & Friends:

I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share insightful articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business/corporate law issues and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and my blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: April 25th – May 1st

by Scott Edward Walker on May 2nd, 2010

To Our Clients & Friends:

I am using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share insightful articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business/corporate law issues and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and my blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: April 11th – 17th

by Scott Edward Walker on April 18th, 2010

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets.  If you’d like to see all of our tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: March 28th – April 3rd

by Scott Edward Walker on April 4th, 2010

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets.  If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott 

 

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Walker Twitter Highlights: February 21st – 27th

by Scott Edward Walker on February 28th, 2010

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets (via bit.ly).  If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: February 14th – 20th

by Scott Edward Walker on February 21st, 2010

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets.  If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott

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Walker Twitter Highlights: December 6th – 12th

by Scott Edward Walker on December 13th, 2009

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets.  If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post.  Many thanks, Scott

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