FounderLine

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Russ Siegelman answer listener questions including:

- When you are angel investing, is there a valuation amount or structure (e.g. convertible debt vs. equity) that causes you to invest or not invest?

- Knowing what we know now about the social web, what things would you like to have seen Friendster do differently?

- What are some of the success stories from Startup Garage, either products or teams? What does Startup Garage do differently than Y Combinator?

- It seems that big companies like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. have huge resources but are out-innovated by smaller startups. How does that happen?

- Can you please share with us some insight into the decision process at a large VC like Kleiner-Perkins? For example, what are the steps, do the decisions have to be unanimous, what happens when there are disagreements about investing, etc.

In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Aydin Senkut of Felicis Ventures answer listener questions including:

- What strategies do you consider when a big established company (Apple/Facebook/Google) moves into your space and encroaches very closely on your niche market?

- What would you do if you met with the perfect team, fantastic recommendations, great experience, super smart... and you really want to work with them, but their product idea isn’t quite right?  Would you pass? 

- Do you attend demo days (like YC or TechStars) and if so, how do you decide which companies to focus on after 2.5 minutes?

- If I'm the founder of a YC company, what's the best way to get your attention at or after Demo Day?

- When you receive a company intro via email, what is the one critical thing that makes you say "I want to talk to this founder" vs. ignoring it?

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Manu Kumar of K9 Ventures answer listener questions including:

- Describe an instance where you had to be persistent to get a deal done or hire someone. How did you balance being persistent and not being pain in the neck at the same time?

- Every investor says the best way to reach them is through their network. What is the best way a founder with engineering background who does not have a network, start building their network that will vouch for them?

- Why do you require your founders to be technical as opposed to having a mix of business and technical?  Are there any drawbacks to having an all technical team?

- It seems that seed stage investors have different perspectives on taking board seats. Can you please share you thoughts on this topic?

- What is your stance on startups offering early exercise (83B) to their employees?

In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Ann Miura-Ko of FLOODGATE answer listener questions including:

- How does a CEO balance his/her time given the several responsibilities/opportunities?

- FLOODGATE seems to focus on business plans through referals that you trust.  Why is that? How can somebody with a great product idea and great credentials get noticed?

- If the company that I'm working at does a bridge loan, what does it mean? Do they have to tell their employees when they do a bridge loan?

- I am having a disagreement with one of my investors over where to take our company (strategy-wise). Any suggestions on how to best navigate this?

- What is the #1 reason startups fail? How do you avoid that issue?

In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses the concerns of student entrepreneurs.

In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Heidi Roizen of DFJ answer listener questions including:

- What tools are there for women entrepreneurs? What tools are missing that would help most? How can we get more women founders in Silicon Valley?

- How important is the state of incorporation? There seems to be an investor preference for Delaware. Is that generally preferred or are there other good choices?

- I'm a designer at a public Internet company and would like to become a startup founder. What advice would you give me for finding the right idea and partners to work with?

- How does DFJ make investment decisions? Do all of you have to agree to invest in a company?

- I've noticed is that all these Venture Capital companies have all their details online but no email address to contact them. How do they get to know the viable start ups on the market?

In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses structuring a partnership between a start-up and a larger company

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Jeff Clavier of SoftTech VC answer listener questions including:

 - What can you build into your company (e.g. policies, culture) to support failing quickly and cheaply in order to make course corrections as quickly as possible?

 - What is the best way to get to know an investor before making a decision about accepting an investment?

 - I'm a female startup founder and I'm finding it hard to tell if VCs aren't taking us seriously because I'm a woman, our idea is bad, or something else. What advice would you give me?

 - How do most acquisitions happen? Is it the acquirer who approaches the startup or vice versa?

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest John Lilly of Greylock Partners answer listener questions including:

In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses acquisitions

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest Karl Jacob of Hangtime answer listener questions including:

In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses setting up initial terms for founders.

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and his guest, angel investor Mark Goines, answer listener questions including:

In the "Ask The Lawyer" segment, Mitch Zuklie of Orrick discusses making board meetings productive.

FounderLine host Joe Beninato and guest David Hornik of August Capital answer listener questions including: