Hello There Fred

Image by Randy Stewart via FlickrHello there Fred, long time no see.

Disappearing Into The Fire - The Berlin Edition
Financings Options: Venture Debt
Voice Texting
On Negotiations And "Middle Men"
Forced Email Bankruptcy
Transitions (continued)
The State Of Twitter
Syncing Up Your Credit Cards
Financing Options: Preferred Stock
Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Explicit Groups vs Implicit Groups
BillGuard
Bored Of Directors (continued)
The "Fred Wilson School Of Blogging"
Financing Options: Convertible Debt

FourSquare's New Round

The first place I heard about it was here.

@naveen Oh, very nice. Congrats on the new round!less than a minute ago via HootSuite Favorite Retweet ReplyJesse Chan-Norris
jcn

Then I went to the TechMeme site, pressed the F for find button and typed FourSquare. And I read up.

A Few More Events?

Internet Week: Day 4
Internet Week: Day 4: Hectic Socializing
Internet Week: Day 3: One Event
Internet Week: Day 3: Taking It Easy
Internet Week: Day 2
Have You Seen Brett Martin?
Internet Week: Some More Events I Am Looking Into
Internet Week: Day 1: Observations
Internet Week: Day 1
One Location, Camping Out
My Plan For Internet Week

I decided Thursday evening that Internet Week was over for me. But after taking Friday off, and now Saturday off, I might be up for a few more events. I was just looking at the site, and these events are of interest.

Social Media Sunday Funday at the Dead Poet Bar
June 12 02:00 PM — 07:00 PM
The Dead Poet Bar
450 Amsterdam Avenue
b/w 81st and 82nd

There's this other event Sunday evening that looks interesting, but might be by invitation only. This reminds me of the Time event Wednesday evening. I showed up and got told it was by invitation only. When you click on the event website, and it takes you to the Time website, that is a red flag.

Glass Half Full Phase

Image via Wikipedia

Fred Wilson: The Word Bubble: There will come a time when the environment we are in will be in the rear view mirror. And entrepreneurs should be crystal clear about that. This is a time to raise money and sock it away for a rainy day. Because it will rain. ...... deals are actually companies and most venture investments are held for five to seven years. I've likened them to marriages over the years. Don't let the lust for the deal lead to a bad marriage that you have to be in for the next decade. ...... we are in the glass is half full part of the cycle. Investors are focusing on the upside and ignoring the downside. That part of the investment cycle lasts for a while and then things change and investors focus on the downside and ignore the upside. Markets are defined by greed and fear. We are in the greed mode right now

I will have to agree. A lot of people sat on a lot of money for about two years. But money does not want to sit still. Money wants to grow. And right now it feels like the basketball that was held at the bottom of the pool was let go. It is not going to end at the surface. It will eventually. But first it will go into the air a little. We are in the air a little phase.

But this is no bubble. I don't see an imminent industry wide collapse. Going out of business also happens in the restaurant business, all the time, but that does not mean the restaurant business is going through a bubble.

Silicon Alley

Image via Wikipedia

New York Times: Manhattan’s Tech Start-Ups Settle in the Flatiron District and Chelsea: a decade after the dot-com crash stopped the rapid growth of the city’s booming Internet sector, a high-tech corridor has developed in the Flatiron district and neighboring Chelsea. ...... “Within five years, you’re going to have a true Silicon Alley. Every company that’s a tech start-up will be here.” ..... The older, small office buildings in the Flatiron district have attracted start-ups, while large companies like Google and IAC/InterActiveCorp have found homes in Chelsea. ..... It is no accident, for example, that General Assembly, a new educational institute, meeting place and co-working environment devoted to technology entrepreneurs, was established at 902 Broadway, at East 20th Street, in the middle of the Flatiron district. ...... a lot of young companies, a lot of designers and artists, and a lot of venture capitalists working in that neighborhood ..... “There’s a pretty exciting start-up scene now that there wasn’t in 2003 ..... the loftlike space that the Flatiron district offers, in relatively small footprints ...... a lot of buildings with high ceilings and natural light, overlooking Madison Square Park ..... “You get the amenities of a Midtown building but the flexibility of a loft in Brooklyn,” Mr. Kirven said. “Obviously without the Midtown rents, either.” ..... Prices are substantially lower than in Midtown and other prime office neighborhoods. ..... The Kaufman Organization has also helped Paperless Post, Break Media and Zemoga find space in the neighborhood. ...... “A lot of landlords are looking at 10-year leases,” Mr. Dunn said. “As a start-up, there’s no way to do that. Even a three-year lease was a scary thought.” ...... Union Square Ventures, First Round Capital and IA Ventures, have offices nearby. ...... If start-ups look to Flatiron for its small spaces, larger tech companies are choosing Chelsea for its sprawling floors. ....... “There’s a psychological barrier to going to a different floor to talk to somebody,” Mr. Nevill-Manning said. “Having 800 people on a single floor means we’re much more productive and much more creative as a result.” ....... public amenities ..... Hudson River Park, the High Line, Chelsea Piers and the concourse of Chelsea Market. ..... “From a recruiting point of view, a lot of those connections get made virtually,” Mr. Nevill-Manning said. “They know where to find us online.”

Way To Go Christina

Christina Cacioppo Fan Club, sign here.
Christina Cacioppo, pride of Columbus, Ohio.

Is It About Women?

This Week In Venture Capital: Gotham Gal

I have had one very brief conversation with the Gotham Gal and she blew me out of the water. I do read her husband's blog near daily. And I do follow her daughters on Tumblr. Almost every time I see something from them, I tend to reblog it. This crew is good.

The Gotham Gal
The Wilsons Were In Cairo Recently

Fred Wilson: Mark Suster Interviews The Gotham Gal

StartUp Week: Develop, Design, Pitch

StartUp Week At NYU April 6-15
2,000 Squats
Getting To Meet Mark Suster In Person
Meeting Brad Feld
StartUp Week: Job Fair: Fish Market

They shifted the venue from the first floor to the fifth floor. The food part was a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting. But after the first speaker was done, it was food time. After all three speakers got done, I went ahead and ate some more. I did not have dinner later.

During the first break Holly sitting across the table remarked: "You look happy."

"I am a happy person," I said taking in what I thought was a compliment to my general demeanor.

"I think it's the food," she cut me short.

Two AVC MeetUps Two Days In A Row

Image by placenamehere via FlickrAVC MeetUp Tomorrow

I thought I was headed to an AVC MeetUp tonight. I thought so yesterday. I still think so. But then I have an email this morning about an AVC MeetUp that is scheduled for a different day - tomorrow - and a different venue, although still near Union Square.

I did some digging. I have come to find out there are two AVC MeetUps two days in a row, and I don't think Fred Wilson is coming to either of them, which I believe is fine. The guy puts plenty of time churning out blog posts, and reading every single comment left at his blog.

So here's the update.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 7:00 PM

Olives @ W Hotel - Union Square
201 Park Ave. South
(@ 17th St.)
Gramercy

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 8:00 PM

Smyth Tribeca
85 W Broadway (Chambers St 1/2/3)
New York, NY 10007

AVC MeetUp Tomorrow

I think I RSVPd for the AVC MeetUp last week. I am going. It's tomorrow. Fred Wilson might or might not be there. The venue has to be right for him to show up. The MeetUp has to have its own separate space, perhaps the basement, perhaps a room. You can't just host it at an open bar where 20 different crowds are mixing up with each other and expect Fred Wilson to show up.

What Disqus Can Learn From Boxee

Image via CrunchBaseBoxee is the big dog. It's not Apple TV, it's not Google TV. Wordpress beats Blogger. When you think check in, you are more likely to think FourSquare than Facebook. There is something about the nimble startup that is focused on one mission.

Facebook just threw a big one in the direction of Disqus, a service I love.

Bloggers' Block For Fred Wilson: 10 Blocks Of Emergency

Image via WikipediaI learned the top VC blogger in the world has hit some kind of a bloggers' block. That is an emergency situation, people. I am declaring an emergency for 10 blocks in every direction from Union Square. All startups in the vicinity, please take note.

You are being urged to participate in the comments section here. If you don't, the emergency is not going to be lifted. And you are going to be deprived of your daily staple of blog posts from Fred Wilson. Think about that.

Like David Noel?

Twitter thinks I am like David Noel? Why would Twitter think that? I'd not have thought that myself.

Fred Wilson, Soraya Darabi: Both Crazy About Music

Image via CrunchBaseFred Wilson
Soraya Darabi

Fred Wilson is the most talked about VC at this blog, and Soraya Darabi is probably the most talked about tech entrepreneur at this blog. It just happened to be that way.

Both are crazy about music.

Both are avid New Yorkers. You have to be one to know one.

A Rationale Or Two For Blogging

Image via WikipediaFred Wilson: Do You Ever Get Bored Of Blogging?

I left this paragraph as a comment in reply to this blog post by Fred.

You have said a few times that you could not do your work without your blog. That is the best rationale I have seen for your daily blogging. True for me as well. My blogging is integral to my work. I am early stage, so I am even more dependent. Blogging is also like working out for the mind. It feels like doing push ups and is great fun. Blogging is one of my favorite things to do online. I would be a less intense consumer of content if I had not been an avid blogger.

A MeetUp Pivot

Image via CrunchBase

New York Observer: Screw Meetup: Organizers Up In Arms Over Redesign: In the new redesign, ordinary users can arrange for events, leading some to declare that organizers have been downgraded to moderators..... less than 1 percent of organizers active on Meetup have complained or commented on the redesign .... a simple solution. “If they don’t like users organizing events, they can just turn it off. It's a feature organizers have full control over.” .... "As we see how people are using the new tools we will keep iterating to simplify and improve the experience."

People love the Facebook newsfeed today. It is central to the Facebook experience. But when Facebook first introduced it, there was major ruckus. It is inertia. People dislike change. They are used to doing things one way. They would like to keep doing things the same way.

Immensely Excited

Image via WikipediaI am so very immensely excited with my startup.

Some people complain of the work environment of a big corporation, start a company, and their behavior will tell you they long for the big corporation.

You have to be excited, you have to stay excited. You have to get excited when you hit a wall, you have to stay excited when you get over it. Why would you get excited when you hit a wall? Because, well, what were you expecting? If you did not expect to hit walls, you were not expecting right.

At this stage with my startup it feels like I am getting to watch the formation of the DNA. It is an amazing feeling. I have a small team. We are making steady progress.

Soon I expect to speed things up.

I am really liking it that we could launch for very little. I am really liking it that we will start generating revenues almost right away. I am really liking that. I am liking the immense human component of my business model. Suddenly I will get to party with a purpose. The more people you talk to, the better you get at it.

Union Square Ventures: You Love Me, You Love Me Not

Image via CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBaseUnion Square Ventures has an impressive portfolio. If you are fascinated by web tech like I am, you would be impressed by what they got. They are into Twitter, FourSquare, Zynga. USV constantly looks for companies that will perhaps come up with the next big thing in tech.

With my FinTech startup, I have made it absolutely clear we are not trying to come up with the next big thing in tech. We are not a web tech startup. Instead we will constantly be surveying the scene for new developments in tech to see what we can put to the service of microfinance.

That would be a good reason for USV to not come for us.

A Moment Of Despair

http://bit.ly/fintech

During the wee hours of Friday morning when the rest of the world was asleep I sent out an email to Fred Wilson. I felt ready. I was proud to have a deck that had only three slides. Not only that, the email had no attachment. Instead it was a Google Doc web address, one simple line. T-h-i-s will impress AVC, I thought.

Instead I got put into place. We don't invest in companies pre-incorporation, but I'd be glad to have a Skype conversation with you, he said.

250K Or 500K: How Much To Raise?

Image via WikipediaI am in mind to raise 250K from Union Square Ventures. That would be my first choice. I can guarantee you I can get Fred Wilson to give me 15 minutes of his time any day for me to able to pitch him. That much I know. But the deal is up in the air. I am not going to assume it will happen. That part is not in my control. What is in my control is I am going to leave no stone unturned to get him. My part is in my control.

Serenity Prayer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Another idea that is being floated by some people on my team is that I raise 500K, but without giving equity. It would be like I get 500K, and in my next round - which could happen in as little as six months - I give that money a 600K valuation. I would be very open to that.