Month: August 2018

Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel: Startup Mega-Rounds Are ‘Double-Edged Sword’ | Fortune

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Interesting interview.

I like this answer to this question.

Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel: Startup Mega-Rounds Are ‘Double-Edged Sword’ | Fortune:

Do you think your operating experience has made you a better investor?

TAVEL: Without a question. One, you have an immediate level of empathy for the founders because it’s so freaking hard. Two, I’m much more interested than I used to be in the thought process that got to the metric they’re focused on today because that reflects how they’re running their company.

It’s important to remember that no company that goes through hyper-growth is always up and to the right. There are always these moments where you’re asking, “Are we going to lose this?”

I remember by the end of my time at the Pinterest, I joked that I felt like one of these veterans that you see in World War II movies. They would be sitting there, smoking their cigarettes when a little bomb goes off. All the new recruits run for their guns or jump for cover, while the veterans are still smoking their cigarettes. By the end of your experience at a high-growth company, you’re the veteran smoking the cigarette. And that’s who you want on your board. You don’t want the person who is going to be jumping for their gun or running for cover when there’s a little bump in the road because there will always be bumps. You want the person who isn’t frazzled by it and is always focused on the long-term. You can get that from 20 years of being a venture investor or from a few years of being an operator.

Data Room Hacks

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

From time to time I get impressed by a startup and how they work during fundraising.

Fundraising is a process and anything the start-up can do that helps the VC move faster – both parties will greatly benefit.

First off – when a startup has a great data room things always go smoother.

Usually startups are using google drive or box or dropbox.

One nice hack we saw recently was using a google sheet to build the index to the data room with comments and links to the specific docs in the drive. Pure gold. Made it so much easier to work.

Another one that I am loving is the constantly evolving FAQ. The startup has taken all the questions they have been asked and put the question and answers in the doc. As we have been working on the deal they have added our questions with answers and we have seen new ones added as we go. Super helpful.

I know none of this is rocket science but sure makes it easier to get shit done.

Carry on.

Facebook Removing Onavo VPN From App Store After Apple Says It Violates Data Collection Policies – Mac Rumors

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

No company is perfect but out of the big ones – I still feel like Apple is trying the hardest around these types of issues.

Bravo.

Facebook Removing Onavo VPN From App Store After Apple Says It Violates Data Collection Policies – Mac Rumors:

Update: Apple provided the following statement on the removal of Onavo: We work hard to protect user privacy and data security throughout the Apple ecosystem. With the latest update to our guidelines, we made it explicitly clear that apps should not collect information about which other apps are installed on a user’s device for the purposes of analytics or advertising/marketing and must make it clear what user data will be collected and how it will be used.

Sea’s E-Commerce Success Will Depend on a Juggling Act – Bloomberg

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Great to see some writing that actually digs into the numbers and teases the truth apart. Versus a – SEA increased revenue post.

I am rooting for these guys – we need to take some pride in a homegrown player going all the way.

Trimming marketing costs while stoking revenue growth won’t come easy.

— Read on www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-08-22/sea-s-e-commerce-success-will-depend-on-a-juggling-act

PM Lee’s National Day Rally 2018 summarised into 14 things – Mothership.SG

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Lot of points in here – some more relevant to anyone in Singapore versus just locals or PR’s. 

I linked to this the other day – the China VS USA trade wars are kind of scary.

I think it is interesting that the PM also calls it out and highlights how bad it can be on places like Singapore as well.

Singapore is focused on the right stuff in my opinion.

Only time will tell.

PM Lee’s National Day Rally 2018 summarised into 14 things – Mothership.SG:

2. The all-around negative effects of the US trade wars Lee then turned his attention to the trade wars the US was engaged in with multiple countries, painting a rather stark picture.

He noted that many Americans had come to question globalisation, free trade and the free movement of people, harbouring the sentiment that other countries were taking advantage of them.

In attempting to make “rebalancing trade” a top priority, the US has engaged in unilaterally imposing tariffs on countries such as the EU, Canada, Mexico and most importantly, China.

Accordingly, these countries have retaliated in their own tit-for-tat moves which has resulted in damage to the global economic and business climate. Lee adds that Singapore will be hit by the collateral damage.

Beyond economics, the trade wars have also contributed to the rise in geopolitical tensions.

In particular, the tensions and rivalry between China and US is serious enough to potentially threaten the existing global international system.