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The tough time laying future success
Today I was chatting to a friend about work. When I told him I manage Triple Point’s venture team and am the co-founder of Further, the fund administration software business, his reaction was instant: “That sounds intense. Two roles, how do you have the time?“. The answer, I found myself explaining, is that I’ve simply…
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The big burnout problem
Over Christmas, I found myself reflecting on the rising level of burnout across the developed world. What are we getting wrong at work? Sarah O’Connor at the FT wrote a great piece last month about rising stress and mental health issues at work. The article included a graph I found particularly thought-provoking: That a two-fold…
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Two things to avoid in a fund raise
This Christmas, I saw two mistakes made by fundraising founders. I often think about this, as a VC and a founder at the same time. Would I make this mistake? What can I do to stop myself making that mistake? Both mistakes are worth sharing, so you don’t accidentally make the same ones as well.…
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Capital Recalibrated: It’s for the best
The last 4 years have been venture capital’s silly season. Month after month, it became easier for founders to raise money for their businesses or properties they want to buy, as many businesses start in a house sometimes, and that’s why having a nice house is important for many people if this is your case…
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Don’t seek the ‘no’
In venture capital, it’s common for founders to want a ‘yes’ or a ‘quick no’ from VCs when fundraising. As a founder (and a VC too), I have come to disagree with this approach. Over time, I have seen the assumptions in this approach repeatedly proven wrong in reality. In fact, they actually disadvantage both…
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First time fund raise 101
I wrote this blog for ghost publication in Growth Business in March 2022. Teamwork is dream work. It’s a great time to be a startup – or is it? Only a few months ago we were celebrating a golden age of venture capital with $621bn pouring into startups around the world. Some commentators predicted 2022…
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Resting Bitch Face
This morning I bumped into an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while, and a fast-paced catch up ensued. After a few minutes, we had dispensed with niceties and were discussing the state of society (…naturally…). In particular, we both remarked how, as we’d moved from junior to mid level roles at work, our…
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MyFitnessPal – You *really* don’t know what will win
I had a quiet moment last week and got thinking about the deals we pass on at work that go on to do well. Kinda like the Bessemer Anti-Portfolio (https://www.bvp.com/anti-portfolio/). When we turn deals down, there is usually a solid reason: we weren’t sure about the team, we weren’t sold on the product, we weren’t…
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Cash is King: How founders should decide their cash runway
It’s the figure all early stage founders know. Current cash in the bank, divided by monthly cash burn, equals cash runway – or how long your company can survive before it needs further funding. And while many start-ups survive a bit longer than their cash runway suggests – usually with aggressive cost control – a…
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The law firm billable hour must die
Long blog post alert. TL;DR – law firms should just quote everyone fixed fees rather than billing by the hour. —— What must die for the legal industry to evolve? That is a key question on the lips of law firms worldwide. Put another way, “with technological change and fast-paced disruption all around us, what…