BWE Special 03 - Startups and Investors: Insights from a recovering venture capitalist

Summary: A lot of entrepreneurs start off as startups, or go in the startup direction, and one of the main pain points of startups is getting investors interested in their business idea, and getting investments. There are many ways to do it, and getting investments is a full time job. So, how to do it properly, what are the main mistakes startups are making, and what are some of the best practices? In this special, my guest is Jonathan C. Baer, a "recovering venture capitalist", with over 32 years experience in Silicon Valley, and one of the co-authors of the new book Decoding Silicon Valley. Jon is a senior executive who brings a unique perspective to the world of startups. He has been both a venture capitalist as well as the founder and CEO of two venture backed companies, eBoomerang, an enterprise software company which was sold in 2006 and Artificial Muscle, Inc., a spinout from Stanford Research Institute (SRI). As a principal and founder of Threshold Ventures, Jon works with companies around the world, serving as an advisor/mentor, working on specific projects and when appropriate, taking on interim operating roles. He has worked with a wide range of software, telephony, hardware and services businesses. Earlier in his career Jon was a General Partner at Oscco Ventures, a Sand Hill Road early-stage venture capital firm which was one of the pioneering firms in Silicon Valley. He has invested in a range of companies including Landec, Peerless Systems, and Coinstar. Jon started his career at Exxon Enterprises where he was responsible for creating and managing new businesses for the corporation. He has also worked at Gartner Group and Prudential Securities, where he managed a portion of a $240 million fund. He has a BA in Biology and a BS in Engineering Science from Tufts University and as an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Jon has been an active angel investor and was on the Executive Council of Software Development Forum, where he is a frequent panelist and mentor to startup companies. Check out the book Decoding Silicon Valley: https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Silicon-Valley-Insiders-Guide/dp/0997362413/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531114660&sr=8-1&keywords=decoding+silicon+valley Check out our website: https://backwaterentrepreneur.com/ And if you want to see what I do, in the production of animation explainer videos, digital content and consulting, check out: https://solutiumexplainervideos.com/?utm_source=BWE&utm_medium=youtube