JoeVC

A photo tour of Tokyo’s mobile tech scene to accompany my...

Tue, 01 May 2012 08:42:47 -0400

A photo tour of Tokyo’s mobile tech scene to accompany my post in yesterday’s @SAI on trends in Japan - http://www.businessinsider.com/my-trip-to-japan-revealed-whats-next-for-mobile-tech-in-the-us-2012-4

Returning to NYC

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:24:06 -0500

Returning to NYC:

As I’ve discussed with many people, I am moving down to New York City, where I started my career out of Boston College. I worked in NYC for about seven years then moved back to Boston to join SoftBank Capital about six years ago.

As our fund has evolved, my responsibilities for our coverage in NY have increased significantly. I’m starting to spend too much time with the Delta Shuttle crew and too little with my family. I’m willing to expose the Yankees to my children if it means I can see them more often.

Our fund team has been split between Boston and NY since the start of SoftBank Capital in 1995. We are proud to invest in both markets and across the country. I look forward to joining my SoftBank colleagues in NY and will be back in Boston frequently.

This BBJ article has a few more details. Our full team and their roles are detailed here.

This is a VC 101 presentation I first gave a few years back,...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:56:06 -0500

This is a VC 101 presentation I first gave a few years back, which I updated slightly to reflect the evolution of startup resources.

BRYCE DOT VC: You're Doing It All Wrong

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:49:47 -0400

BRYCE DOT VC: You're Doing It All Wrong:

brycedotvc:

Close your eyes.

Imagine, if you will, a startup that meets the following criteria:

Their recruiting process is fundamentally flawed

Their operations are a mess

They make engineers pretty much do everything, which leaves almost no time for coding

They don’t (care) about charity or…

Crowdtwist raises $6M to take gamified loyalty big time

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:39:23 -0400

Crowdtwist raises $6M to take gamified loyalty big time:

We’re very excited to back this team!

Boston's Digital Showcase featured companies announced!

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:25:45 -0400

Boston's Digital Showcase featured companies announced!

I gave this presentation for a second year in a row at...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:35:31 -0400

I gave this presentation for a second year in a row at Cincinnati’s The Brandery, one of the country’s best incubators, which was co-founded by my friend @daveknox. As I told the great crowd of entrepreneurs, this is a boring topic, but an important one nonetheless.

I put this together for a class at my alma mater, BC. The format...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:04:00 -0400

I put this together for a class at my alma mater, BC.

The format was provided via the amazing Prezi.com.

bijan sabet: Latest tech things I'm playing with

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:13:40 -0400

bijan sabet: Latest tech things I'm playing with:

bijan:

Been playing around & researching a few tech things these days so I thought I’d write them down.

1. I bought a Kindle 3 a few weeks back. Actually I bought two of them. One for Lauren on her birthday and one for me. Lauren hates reading on her iPad. She thinks it’s too heavy and cumbersome. So…

Boston Digital Showcase: Connecting Boston’s Best Agencies, Startups & Investors

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:15:25 -0400

Boston Digital Showcase: Connecting Boston’s Best Agencies, Startups & Investors

Softbank Shifts Focus To Early Stage Companies, Renews Focus On New York Startups

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:47:46 -0400

Softbank Shifts Focus To Early Stage Companies, Renews Focus On New York Startups

bostonboogie: Christian breaks down some serious moves for...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:01:07 -0400

bostonboogie:

Christian breaks down some serious moves for @BostonBoogie.

Shared this iPad book with my son this morning. Magical is the...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:10:20 -0400

Shared this iPad book with my son this morning. Magical is the only way to describe it. Thanks for the heads up @nycsteady.

A Seed Strategy for LPs

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:18:44 -0400

I was speaking with a great entrepreneur recently about our seed strategy. We lead the majority of our seed investments with a goal of establishing a working relationship in which we can demonstrate our value and earn the opportunity to lead the Series A. To do so we spend as much time on these investments as we would with a larger round.

This strategy is shared by others, including many of the hiqh quality seed stage venture funds that have entered the market over the past few years. As the entrepreneur and I discussed, today’s best founders include many of these seed funds in their list of preferred partners.

Entrepreneurial interest in seed funds seems to outweigh that of LPs to invest in them. While progressive LPs are making bets in these funds, many avoid them in large part due to the inability to efficiently invest across the class.

However, LPs can apply VC seed strategy to fund investing. While VCs cannot efficiently bet entire funds on seed opportunities, we can allot a portion of our capital to this riskier asset class with a goal of getting in very early to the biggest winners. LPs don’t have pricing issues, but they are at risk of getting completely shut out if they do not commit to emerging managers that drive significant returns in their first fund.

So they can take one of the larger checks typically given to a larger fund and allot it to a handful of smaller, emerging seed funds in the anticipation of aligning themselves with a big winner or two. These funds would likely raise a larger pool of capital the next time around and enable early backers to get a bigger allotment in a top performing fund.

Born and raised in beautiful Manch Vegas in New Hampshire,...

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:33:59 -0400

Born and raised in beautiful Manch Vegas in New Hampshire, I’m obsessed with finding this shirt. Abercrombie & Fitch made it a few years back but it’s been discontinued.

Go Bruins! Even the ducklings are ready for Game 7....

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:14:42 -0400

Go Bruins! Even the ducklings are ready for Game 7. #softbankretreat (Taken with Instagram at Boston Public Garden)

Dawes’ Nothing Is Wrong released today. Best release...

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:51:54 -0400

Dawes’ Nothing Is Wrong released today. Best release I’ve heard in awhile.

“What’s that engraved on your iPad?…” -...

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:32:07 -0400

“What’s that engraved on your iPad?…” - http://bnter.com/convo/16717

How to Conduct References on Your Investors

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 06:25:00 -0400

When we are ready to make an investment proposal, we request a list of references. We also speak with off list contacts and ask permission to do so if those discussions could compromise the business.

Any responsible investor about to enter a long term relationship with a team will follow that protocol. They need to learn as much about that team as possible within a relatively short time frame.

Entrepreneurs who are entering the relationship should conduct the same diligence from their end. However, it is far less common for them to do so. Below are some steps I’d recommend to make sure you’re signing up with the right investor. If they are unwilling to reciprocate references, you have to question whether they’re the right partner.

1) When to Ask: Investors should not request references until they are very serious about making an investment, and entrepreneurs should similarly wait until discussions are at or nearing term sheet phase to do the same. Neither side should expect their contacts to conduct multiple reference calls with parties that are not serious about moving forward.

2) Who to Ask For: Look at an investor’s portfolio and send a list of companies you would like to speak that are tangential to your business. Be sure that the fund representatives leading the investment are involved with those companies. You should reference the lead investor as well as the overall fund. Ask for references that have been successful exits and failures. Everyone shows their true colors when times are tough.

3) Go Off List: Investors like to speak with references that are not provided directly by the management team, making them truly neutral. Entrepreneurs should do the same when possible. These personal references can be conducted earlier in the process to make sure it’s worth continuing the discussions.

4) Make the References Worthwhile: Target references that can be helpful to your business as a partner or customer. If you’re working with a fund based on their portfolio, be sure that you can leverage it.

At today’s Launch Conference, a startup named LifeProof...

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:49:45 -0500

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

At today’s Launch Conference, a startup named LifeProof dropped my iPhone in the water, took a video from the phone in the process, and it lived to show the tale. Above is the geeky video, and here is a link to pre-order their killer case: http://www.lifeproof.com/