Comments on: The Ether and the Scrum

By: JDC

JDC — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:24:50 +0000

Good post – i see it as a communication challenge. Each pitch is a learning experience – narrowing down the randomness of VC response is an art, yes (because humans are hard to read) but clearly persistence and the systematic assessment of your messaging is a counter-weight to success being just 'art'.

The other point is that 'thinking someone loves you' or for that matter hates you, is the origin of much of the emotional roller-coaster. A mentor once told me: "a little introspection is healthy, too much is self indulgence" – and that was in grad school…

By: Mohan

Mohan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:35:15 +0000

Passion is the only thing that sees you through this kind of uncertainty.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:02:55 +0000

Start up life about the furthest thing from a 'battle' I can think of, I've seen more convincing battles fought in a bathtub with rubber duckies.

By: edunetsys

edunetsys — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:52:25 +0000

A failed entrepreneur is in much better position to guide the budding entrepreneurs.

By: heykeenan

heykeenan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:30:38 +0000

It's like dating in college. One night you go out and every hot chick is all over you and your like, "I'm the man". The next week, your buddies dog won't even take a milkbone from you.

I completely agree it is more art than science, and their are no guarantees when subjectivity and money play together.

By: KevinVogelsang

KevinVogelsang — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:24:41 +0000

A great perspective on the erratic and varied nature of humans. People lie. People change their mind. Some people try to test you. Some how things come together.

The Art of being an Entrepreneur is another aspect that comes out in these words. Being analytical in business gets harped upon. It has its place. But when it comes to getting things done, particularly on the entrepreneurial road, I tend to find more Art. (This comes from an MIT Engineer by the way.)

I also always appreciate Anti-Portfolios. I found Bessemer Ventures's to be particularly amusing.

By: Tess

Tess — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:23:25 +0000

Now imagine this is the first time you set out to raise capital. So it wasn't Halloween that frightened me? Living beyond the scrum! Thanks for the insight.

By: Toby

Toby — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:42:46 +0000

That's a great email. Thanks for sharing. I am an experienced entrepreneur in the middle of the scrum myself (in fact I'm in discussions with Ryan & Seth at your firm, among others). The truth of start-up life is that it is a constant battle, there are ecstatic highs and vicious lows. I like VCs who don't try to smooth it all over, but recognize the reality of that battle. In particular, I love the creed of Quest VP ; it recognizes that so much of the determinant of success is the entrepreneur's fortitude in the battle. As an entrepreneur, you have to embrace the battle and love it. It's the only way to live. It's great to hear about it from another entrepreneur's prespective. To whomever it is: good luck!!!