Top 50 Venture Capital Blog Posts of 2009

Looking for venture capital? Or looking for great insights to grow your business?

Well, we've scoured a year's worth of great blog posts from hundreds of venture capitalists and industry experts, and are pleased to present you with our 50 favorite posts of 2009.

Some great information is included in these posts, and savvy entrepreneurs and investors will heed this advice.

And we'd love to hear your comments...what posts did we miss?

Enjoy!

 

 

1. Ed Sim (Dawntreader Ventures)

Inspirational video for entrepreneurs [1]       

"Without a bigger sense of purpose, it is hard to be an entrepreneur and stick through the inevitable tough times that will come your way."


2. Josh Kopelman (First Round Capital)

Board Transparency - and the Implicit Web [2]       

Discusses the repurcussions of accessible data and the necessity of transparency with your Board of Directors.


3. Jeremy Liew (Lightspeed Venture Partners)

Why the Economics of Social Gaming are So Attractive to Investors [3]            

Trend to watch for in 2010: Social Gaming, this article tells you why.


4. Seth Levine (Foundry Group)

Want more jobs? Support Entrepreneurship [4]       

Levine recommends taking the steps included in his blog article to boost the economy and create jobs.


5. Chistopher Allen (Alacrity Ventures)   

Community by the Numbers, Part III: Power Laws [5]       

What defines the success of a community and how can we predict this?


6. Fred Wilson (Union Square Ventures)

Some Thoughts on Email After Dealing with 500 Emails [6]       

An inside peak into VC email response.


7. Bill Gurley (Benchmark Capital)   

What is Really Happening to the Venture Capital Industry [7]           

VC Bill Gurley takes readers through an overview of the ups and downs of 2009.


8. Paul Graham (Y Combinator)   

Startups in 13 Sentences [8]       

If VC Paul Graham could tell startups 13 things, these would be them.


9. Dave Hornik (August Capital)   

Innovation Doesn't take a Vacation in an Economic Downturn [9]        

Innovation isn't dependent upon finance. 


10. Brad Feld (Foundry Group)   

VC Behavior in Board Meetings [10]       

Advice on putting the phone down, and paying attention at board meetings.


11. David McClure (Founders Fund)

Startup Metrics that Matter [11]       

This vlog teaches new entreprenuers what metrics really matter in the early stages of their development.


12. Erick Schonfeld (Techcrunch)   

Venture Funds Raise Only $1.6 billion in 3rd Quarter.  Most of That Went to Vinod Khosla [12]       

A quarterly overview on VC funds raised from Q3 2007 - Q3 2009.  $750 million of the $1.6 billion raised went to Khosla ventures.


13. MG Siegler (Techcrunch)   

The Cost of FriendFeed: Roughly $50 million in Cash and Stock [13]       

A successful exit for a small social media startup; FriendFeed was purchased in August 2009 for $50 million.  Highlights the payout for initial investors.


14. Steve Fredrick and Don Rainey (VentureBeat)   

Venture Capital 2009: The Year in Review [14]       

Highlights included 3 venture-backed IPOs in Q3 2009, an expanding start-up world and the reduced cash required to start companies.


15. Marc Andreessen (Andreessen Horowitz)

Introducing Our New Venture Capital Firm Andreessen Horowitz [15]       

Announcing a new $300 million fund for technology startups. Investing between $50,000 and $50 million, this blog post outlines EXACTLY Andreessen Horowitz's requirements.


16. Laura Grimmer (VentureBeat)

5 Ways VC firms Can Stop Shooting Themselves in the Foot [16]       

Excellent advice for VCs looking to grow their business and expand the pipeline of deals. 


17. Peter Rip (Crosslink Capital)

What's Broken - Venture Capital or Venture Perceptions? [17]       

Refutes the idea that venture capital is the worst place to be because the "old model doesn't work."


18. Rick Segal (JLA Ventures)

The "Take the Deal or Not" Debate [18]       

Questions every person should ask themselves before they take a deal with a venture capital firm.


19. Mike Hirshland (Polaris Venture Partners)   

More on the Founder/CEO Question [19]       

When should the founder step aside as CEO for the greater good of the company?


20. Jeff Bussgang (Flybridge Capital Partners)   

Should Entrepreneurs Be More Like Teenage Girls? [20]       

Recommendations for a growth mindset and success for reaching goals as an entrepreneur.


21. Tim Oren (Pacifica Fund)

Silicon Valley's Dirty Little Secret [21]       

What are the long term social and political impacts of Silicon Valley? Some insightful thoughts into Silicon Valley culture.


22. Eric Friedman (Union Square Ventures)   

99.99% (Or It's Totally Going to Happen But Isn't Signed Yet) [22]      

Until a contract is signed - it's not a done deal.


23. Mike Speiser (SutterHill Ventures)   

Better Incentives Can Improve Online Advertising [23]       

Publishers should incentivize advertisers to create good content.  Brings up the idea of ad content that enhances, rather than diminishes, user experience.


24. Matt McCall (DFJ Portage Venture Partners)   

Do You Need to Be in the Valley? [24]       

Addresses the age old question of whether entreprenuers in the tech space need to be in Silicon Valley to succeed.


25. Stu Phillips (Ridgelift Ventures)   

Venture Capital - Time for V3.0 [25]       

Stu Phillips raises an important point - VC2.0 which began with the Internet and resulting bubble - is out. A new system needs to be created.


26. Jason Caplain (Southern Capitol Ventures)   

Include Sales in your Strategy [26]      

Entreprenuers need to connect with their buyers early on; sales is an integral part of EVERY company.


27. Jason Mendelson (Foundry Group)   

Senator Dodd - Making it harder for small businesses to get funded [27]       

A VC outlook on the legislation changes proposed that will alter the ability for companies to get financed.


28. Nic Brisbourne (Esprit Capital Partners)   

Financial Forecasts in a Business Plan [28]       

"Any business plan that has financial forecasts under year 1, year 2, etc. rather than 2009, 2010, etc. is too early stage for us." Brisbourne urges entrepreneurs to be precise in their projections and have a definitive timeline for revenue.


29. Albert Wenger (Union Square Ventures)   

Hiring: Lack of Diversity Becomes Self-reinforcing [29]       

Historical hiring practices may affect the ability to bring on diverse, younger talent.


30. David B. Lerner (Totius Group, Columbia Venture Lab)

Getting from Zero to One in Your Startup: Founder Compensation Should be Slim to None [30]       

An important point for every founder to konw - your investment is on the back end - not from annual salary.


31. Larry Cheng (Fidelity Ventures)   

Succeeding with a Potential Single Point of Failure [31]       

Two success stories of companies who exited in spite of single point of failure possibilities.


32. Raj Kapoor (Mayfield Fund)   

Prediction: Social Nets Will Make More Money Off-site vs On-site their Websites [32]       

Interesting take on how social networks will continue to monetize.


33. Will Price (Hummer Winblad)   

Now [33]      

The importance of being present in the moment AND enjoying it.


34. Howard Morgan (First Round Capital)   

UNI- Acquired Tastes in Food and Investing [34]      

Morgan talks about business plans that excite him as a potential user - not as an investor.


35. Mark Suster (GRP Partners)   

How to (re)Approach People (Advice on the Eve of LeWeb) [35]       

"Business etiquette tips for dealing with VCs and Corporates at Conferences"


36. Christine Herron (First Round Capital)   

What's the Secret Success of Mint.com? The Real Numbers Behind Aaron Patzer's Growth Strategy [36]     

How much does it take to get started? When should you raise money? Interview with Mint.com CEO opens up and answers these questions.


37. Fred Destin (Atlas Ventures)   

The Arrogant VC: A View from the Trenches (full length version) [37]       

Destin posts the answers to "tell me why VCs are disliked by entrepreneurs"


38. Rob Day (@Ventures)   

Conventional Wisdom and Cleantech Venture Capital [38]       

Day clears up what Cleantech is, and in which firms "Cleantech VCS" invest.


39. David Feinleib (Mohr Davidow Ventures)   

When You Are the Product [39]       

A reminder that, regardless of the technology or device, when pitching investors you are pitching yourself.


40. Bijan Sabet (Spark Capital)   

Creating an Operating Plan for 2010 [40]       

Advice for any year really, on creating an operating plan that works.


41. Phillippe Botteri (Bessemer Venture Partners)   

Impact of the Recession on SaaS Sales & Marketing Productivity [41]       

How has the recession affected SaaS? Not much.


42. Andrew Parker (Union Square Ventures)   

For-Pay Content [42]       

How does Microsoft's Bing plan to compete? By paying customers not to compete.


43. Mark Peter Davis (DFJ Gotham Ventures)   

Bootstrapping vs. Venture Funding [43]       

The pros and cons of two finance methods for startups.


44. Allen Morgan (Mayfield Fund)   

Co-Founders vs. Early Employees [44]       

Quick thoughts on the differences between the co-founders and early employees.


45. James Chen (CXO Ventures)   

Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds [45]       

This lesson applies to both business and government: Don't bite the hand that feeds you.


46. David Aronoff (Flybridge Capital Partners)   

Failure Modes [46]       

Why do companies fail?


47. Max Bleyleben (Kennet Partners)   

The Hunt for Growth Is On [47]       

Tech success is creeping into Europe and other markets as the US emerges from recession.


48. Jason Ball (Qualcomm Ventures Europe)   

Pitch your startup: VCIC 2009 [48]       

2009 awards have been given, but 2010 awards are just around the corner.


49. Don Rainey (Grotech Ventures)   

The 7 Troublemakers you meet in a Startup [49]   

7 personality archetypes an entrepreneur can expect to meet when starting a company.


50. Peter Haas (Founder, AIDG)

In Social Enterprise, Force Yourself to be an Entrepreneur First [50]       

Ten rules for starting an international service organization.