Legendary NYC’s VC Fred Wilson talks to InSITE
In what metformin side effects appetite has become InSITE’s ‘State of the Union’ speaker event, last Monday over 50 fellows had the privilege to hear and talk to Fred Wilson, one of New York’s most-prominent venture capitalists, who regularly blogs on the popular ‘AVC: musings of a VC in NY’ –mostly about investing and technology. Fred, a graduate from MIT and MBA at Wharton, began his career in venture capital in the mid-‘80’s. In 2004, he co-founded Union Square Ventures and has made successful investments in companies such as Del.icio.us, Twitter, Zynga and Foursquare, among many others. He mostly...
Read MoreThe Startup Elevator Pitch
Over the last couple of years I’ve attended dozens of tech startup events and heard probably a couple hundred project pitches. Some were part of formal presentations to large groups while others were just quick informal pitches over a handshake and a beer. The ideas that stand out are not always the most novel ideas, they are the ones that are clearly conveyed. I have found that there are four common components of an effective elevator pitch. Paint the Picture One of the best ways to start your elevator pitch is by describing who the product or service is for. In consumer facing...
Read MoreLeadership Lunch with Chris Dixon
Anyone recruiting references the “airport test.” That is, if you were stuck in an airport with this candidate, could you sit at a bar without it getting awkward? Well, as if any confirmation was needed, Chris Dixon (@cdixon) passes this test easily. Recently, six InSITE fellows, including myself, had the unique privilege of talking tech, startups, hiring and venture capital with Chris in his company Hunch’s office. Chris shed some light on a number of topics including how successful entrepreneurs have to be aggressive and have meaningful opinions, which means potentially coming...
Read MoreJason Finger Sits Down with InSITE
Jason Finger, Founder and, until February 2010, CEO of Seamlessweb; recently named Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Bessemer Venture Partners; and, most importantly, NYU JD/MBA ’99, sat down with InSITE last Wednesday night. As I’m sure anyone who has met him will quickly attest, Jason is a profoundly nice guy, and was willing to speak with us on a wide range of topics from his time in a law firm to founding a remarkable company to turning down his first exit opportunity. Jason first discussed his background and how starting out working at a law firm and seeing the inefficiencies...
Read MoreA Conversation with InSITE Co-Founder Kevin Keller
An engineer by training, Kevin Keller realized in law school at NYU that his interest lay in how companies generate revenue with their technology. Alex Cohen, a Columbia Law student with similar interests, approached him and together they founded InSITE. Through InSITE, Kevin learned how to help companies develop compelling ways to describe their plans for monetizing growth, a skill that has helped to shape his career. After graduation, he did tech deals at Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto. From there, he left to work in-house—first at Micron, then for Microsoft and now as the lead in-house...
Read MoreAdvice from the Closing of TableXChange
I recently interviewed Will Geronimo, one of the co-founders of TableXChange, a Spring 2008 InSITE company. TableXChange.com served as the first and only online marketplace to buy and sell reservations to the hottest restaurants in New York City, San Francisco, and The Hamptons. As the economy worsened, however, even the best restaurants in these areas, which once boasted 30+ day waiting lists, began to have empty tables and the niche filled by ancillary services like TableXChange was no longer necessary. Here are some highlights from my interview with Will: OH: Tell me about how and why...
Read More