'venture capital' Category
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So you want a job in Venture Capital?
April 13, 2017There seem to be an abundance of blog posts lately advising on how to get a job in venture capital. Or perhaps more have just come across my desk. One of the recent themes centers on the concept of drafting sample investment memos of potential startups to gain the attention of a VC fund by […]
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Emerging sectors in Japan: interview with FrenchWeb
April 7, 2017France’s tech media site FrenchWeb visited Slush Tokyo last week. Here’s an interview I gave them about Japanese innovation in IoT, AI, Fintech, and Agtech (in French). Also joining were: Benjamin Joffe of HAX, Jean-Dominique François of LaFrenchTech Japan, Vincent Bruneau and Steve Furukubo of Magency, Yan Fan of Code Chrysalis, and a demo with […]
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‘Empathy’ is jumping the shark
March 31, 2017One of the most powerful yet understated human emotions is under threat. Empathy is the capacity for understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. In contrast with its close cousin sympathy, empathy approaches a truer shared experience. It is more credible because the empathizer has […]
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You can’t manage what you can’t measure (or, How to enter the multiverse)
March 15, 2017I just read a sci-fi thriller about parallel universes that may be a candidate for this year’s summer reading list. Part of the plot invokes the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. In the past I’ve reflected on the impact of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in journalism, but this novel in combination with this excellent interview with Chris […]
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This week’s conferences on Mobile and Gaming trigger a nostalgic trip down memory lane
March 3, 2017[Note: this is the English version of yesterday’s piece I wrote for Japan’s publication, The Bridge. The Japanese version can be found here.] This week we have the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Both major technology conferences; both happening at the same time. So difficult to choose… […]
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One of the most basic errors in pitching a VC rears its head again
February 27, 2017A lot has been written on why entrepreneurs who are pitching for VC funding should aim for endorsed introductions rather than sending unsolicited emails as strangers. I’ve even crafted some guidelines for entrepreneurs in How To Pitch Me (connect via one of my portfolio companies, engage with me on my blog, approach me at a […]
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The disruption in mobile gaming monetization that few are talking about
February 21, 2017With GDC approaching next week, mobile gaming is on my mind. Truth be told, I was never much of a gamer myself, yet the industry has always fascinated me from an investment perspective. In 2016 we witnessed numerous noteworthy events in mobile gaming: the record-breaking success of Pokémon Go, the critically debated walking start to […]
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12 employee incentives for your startup which hardly cost a cent
February 13, 2017I like to preach that Silicon Valley no longer has a monopoly on tech innovation. Startup ecosystems around the world have emerged and have produced many game-changing innovations over the past couple decades. Yet in one area several of these communities (not all, but many) remain in the dark ages relative to North America: employee […]
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Act Globally, Eat Locally
February 1, 2017By 2050, we’ll need to find a way to feed 9.7 billion people. Current food production methods will not suffice. They’re too inefficient (it takes at least 9 calories of food production to produce 1 calorie of edible meat) and harmful to the environment (see Environmental impacts of farming). Many developed countries will even struggle […]
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A day without AI is like a day without wine
January 23, 2017As I mentioned in my predictions post, I believe 2017 will be a breakout year for deployment of Artificial Intelligence. By this I mean that AI companies will start to master the processes of expectation management and social engineering in order to bring AI across the chasm of consumer perception. Several VCs smarter than I […]
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More entertaining than nitrous oxide, but M&A was no laughing matter for AirGas
January 17, 2017Even those who may not get excited about the stodgy industrial gases business but with a passing interest in the topic of M&A may find this story intriguing. It gives a glimpse into two hostile takeover defenses: the poison pill and a staggered board. It’s also a tale that hits particularly close to home (if […]
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Experimenting vs Predicting
January 11, 2017I am more inclined to invest in entrepreneurs who excel at experimenting rather than excel at predicting. I acknowledge the irony of writing this on the heels of posting a series of tech predictions for 2017. Let me explain. The act of making predictions is fun… and invaluable. It’s a prerequisite that entrepreneurs form a […]