VCs + Investors

REVEALED: The Secret Hangouts Of Silicon Valley VCs. 6 Practical Gadgets This VC Would Die Without. It's day six of our ten-day investor gift guide series.

We've asked ten venture capitalists and angel investors for their favorite apps, technology and gadgets. We'll be featuring one VC's list per day; at the end of the series we'll compile a master list of the coolest gift ideas. We asked Ben Lerer of Lerer Ventures and Thrillist to kick off the series. We've featured David Tisch of Techstars, Nikhil Kalghatgi of Softbank Capital, Rob Go of NextView Ventures and Richard Kerby of IVP. Peter Thiel To The New Yorker: “I Don’t Consider [The iPhone] To Be A Technological Breakthrough”

Peter Thiel is a grump, but a special kind of grump.

He is a dystopian utopian (if such a person can exist). The investor who wrote the first check for Facebook both believes in the power of technology to transform our lives, and is perennially disappointed by it. A lengthy profile in the November 28, 2011 edition of the New Yorker (summary here) states: “his main lament is that America—the country that invented the modern assembly line, the skyscraper, the airplane, and the personal computer—has lost its belief in the future.” Jack Dorsey in 140 Characters or Less. Mamoon Hamid On Why He Left USVP For Social+Capital - Venture Capital Dispatch.

Are Entrepreneurs Backing Themselves Into A Corner By Focusing On “Women Things”? The Billionaire King of Techtopia: Critical Eye. Perspectives: A Conversation with Jason Calacanis. Image provided by: Joi Jason Calacanis is an Internet entrepreneur and blogger, perhaps best known as the co-founder of WebLogs, Inc., which was acquired by Time Warner/AOL in 2005.

He began his entrepreneur career during the dot-com boom as the founder of Silicon Valley Reporter, a trade magazine covering New York’s Internet and new media industry. Jason is currently the CEO and Founder at Mahalo.com Inc., a human-based search engine and knowledge exchange that launched in 2007. He is also an angel investor with Gowalla Incorporated and founder of ThisWeekIn.com. He recently worked to create the first LAUNCH Conference, an event aimed at generating funding for new startups, products and services. Justin Bieber Invests In Venture Capital. Women in Venture Capital. A VC Firm That’s Pumping Up Startups…and Muscles? Roundtable: What is Your Best Advice for CEOs and Founders?

Lightbank Adds Former Playboy And NBC Exec Paul Lee As Partner. Lightbank, the investment fund of Groupon co-founders Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky, is announcing its first partner hire today—seasoned media and technology venture exec Paul H.

Lee. ​ Lee is joining Lightbank from Playboy Enterprises where he was Managing Director and Group Head of the company’s digital ventures group. Prior to joining Playboy, Lee was a Senior Vice President for the Peacock Equity Fund, the venture arm of NBC Universal in New York and was responsible for onvesting in emerging ad platforms including gaming and mobile/wireless advertising sectors. Wong Sees Venture Capital Shift to Mobile Applications. Venture Capitalist Reid Hoffman.

Foundry Group's Brad Feld on Zynga, Boulder, and TechStars. Peter Thiel: Tech Bubble? What Tech Bubble? There has been lots of chatter about a technology bubble in Silicon Valley.

LinkedIn’s initial public offering, Groupon’s upcoming I.P.O. and bloated start-up investments and valuations are bringing back painful memories of the dot-com bubble’s burst roughly a decade ago. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg NewsPeter Thiel says the technology industry is missing a key component for a bubble: the ability for the public to invest money. But this time there is no bubble, says Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder, early Facebook investor and hedge fund manager. Elite 8: Who to Watch for in Venture Capital - General Doriot - TrueBridge Capital Partners.

An Interview With NEA General Partner Scott Sandell. Scott Sandell, a partner at venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) , sits on the boards of Bloom Energy , Fisker Automotive, SolFocus , and Heliovolt . Those four firms have received a total approaching $2 billion in venture capital and loans over the last decade. With a crow's-nest seat at those firms, Sandell has some insights into the fuel cell , automotive, and solar markets, as well as the venture capital environment in general, which he shared with me in an interview earlier this week. "It's the most exciting time since I joined the industry in 1996," said Sandell. Ashton Kutcher: Actor with a deep insight into internet startups - The Economic Times.

Bostinnovation: Boston Innovation, Start-ups and Tech News. NYC Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson Is Rich and Grumpy. Last November, Fred Wilson had the privilege of sharing a stage with John Doerr, the wealthiest venture capitalist in the world, a man Amazon’s Jeff Bezos once called the "center of gravity in the Internet.

" Next to this titan of Silicon Valley, Wilson, who co-founded the venture capital firm Union Square Ventures in 2004, was "a puppy," as the panel’s moderator put it. NYC Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson Is Rich and Grumpy. Lynn Tilton: The Wild Woman of Wall Street - Jenna Goudreau - The Other Half. The Top 30 Most Respected Venture Capitalists (infographic) A guide for Entrepreneurs There is a lot of content created by the Venture Capital community that has helped countless entrepreneurs.

In fact, one of my favorites is How Andreessen Horowitz Evaluates CEOs. I recently stumbled upon the article again and it reminded me of an article I’ve been meaning to write for my entrepreneurial friends. The Complete Midas List. Team: Ben Choi, Principal. Canaan Strings Together Some Good News, Just as the Pressure Mounts on VC Model. Luke Timmerman3/24/11.

LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman explains the brave new world of data. The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies. Larry Marcus. Larry was named to Billboard’s Power100: most powerful people in music for 2012.

His focus is digital media and consumer services as a Managing Director at Walden Venture Capital, a San Francisco based venture capital firm that targets Sprout Stage investments in the digital media and cloud services industries. Gore’s Investment Firm Said to Start $500 Million Asian Fund. Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management LLP, which buys shares of companies it deems socially responsible, aims to start a $500 million fund to invest in Asia, said two people briefed on the plan.

The fund may start by July, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. It will buy shares of Asian companies that adhere to Generation’s investment guidelines of focusing on “economic, social and environmental” sustainability, while eschewing “short-term” profit goals. Generation is looking to invest in countries including China and India as Asia’s growth, and the region’s demands for natural resources, increasingly affect the world economy. The firm, which targets pension funds and wealthy clients, closed its main global equity fund in 2008 to new money after assets rose to about $5 billion. Why Andreessen Horowitz Models Itself After A Hollywood Talent Agency - Venture Capital Dispatch.

Looking for a Ride to SXSW? Get on the Startup Bus. Why hop a plane to SXSW this year when you can get on a bus? Okay, let's rephrase that - why hop a plane when you can get on a bus with 20-something other folks, drive across country, and try to formulate a viable startup idea along the way? Nokia recruits Silicon Valley developers, says good things are coming.

Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, dedicated a new office building in Silicon Valley today, and its leaders promised that good things are coming soon. Stephen Elop, the former Microsoft executive who in September was appointed chief executive of Nokia, is planning to make a major announcement during a speech to investors in London on Feb. 11. As its rivals move fast in the growing market for smartphones and tablets, Nokia doesn’t want anyone to forget that it’s still the biggest player and isn’t going away. VC’s Are Not Your Friends. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is not understanding the relationship they have with their investors. At times they confuse VC’s with their friends. Lets Go to LunchAt Rocket Science our video game company was struggling. The 30 Most Respected VCs, By The Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC] Entrepreneurs The fundemental Raw Material for VCs - Hari Anil - SiliconIndia Magazine.

New Warriors owner steps back from Kleiner Perkins - The Term Sheet: Fortune's deals blog. Shasta Ventures. The Most-Read Blogs By Venture Capitalists - Venture Capital Dispatch. BIZARRE PHOTOS: Katy Perry Hanging Out With Facebook Employees. 18 Zombie Venture Capital Firms - Maureen Farrell - Scaling Up. Daniel Gregory; investor had eye for talent, knack for success. As cofounder of the venture capital firm Greylock Partners, which helped launch companies that defined the business community in Boston and the Route 128 corridor, Daniel Gregory had an eye for spotting talented people with good ideas.

The secret, he said, lay in rigorous study, not magic or luck. 100 VCs You Should Follow on Twitter (Global VC Twitter Directory) Ventures: Mike Dauber. Tilton’s Salacious Style Turning Heads and Deals. Bringing Back the Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capitalists - Nicole Perlroth - Everything Ventured. Vindo Khosla is a legend in the... News Release « Bridgescale. Dayforce’s On-Demand Solution Offers Companies an Immediate Improvement in Operational Efficiency. Illuminate Ventures - New Thinking in Venture Capital. Illuminate Ventures is an early stage VC firm led by a team of experienced investors with significant operating and investment track records.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the firm targets North American-based high growth, ”lean startups” in the high-tech landscape, with a particular focus on Enterprise cloud computing. William Draper, Venture Capitalist & Author of "The Startup Game" at Kellogg Auditorium, Silicon Valley Bank, 1/20/2011.