http://www.ovp.com Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:26:22 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.ovp.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.ovp.com http://www.ovp.com/content/view/419/174/ I'm in the middle of a book that is fascinating, and troubling. It is One Second After by William Forstchen. The plot centers on an attack on the United States using just three EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) nuclear weapons exploded in space over the country. There is no blast. There is no fallout. But the EMP essentially fries all the electronics in the country and takes society back to pre-industrial revolution times in a matter of seconds. Speaking as someone who once sold electronic design automation (EDA) systems to the military for rad-hard applications, this is not science fiction. Blog - Entrepreneurship Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:57:37 +0100 http://www.ovp.com/content/view/415/174/ You may have seen reporting on a recent Q3 Venture Capital Outlook Survey commissioned by the Washington Technology Industry Association. In it, there are some worried comments by our local peer group about the current state of the economy, notice of shifting to later stage investments, and a general no-change expectation about deal quality and quantity. I'm here to tell you that the survey results are wrong! Blog - Industry Analysis Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:00:12 +0100 http://www.ovp.com/content/view/413/174/ Here is a surefire bet: Gather together a bunch of entrepreneurs to talk about venture capitalists, and before long the conversation will turn to the issue of control. Here's the common refrain: If we take VC money, the next thing you know, they'll be in control, and we'll be out on our ear. Now, try the reverse. Gather a bunch of VCs, and before long you'll hear something like this: If we invest in them and we don't have the ability to take control, these young hotshots may run right over the edge of the cliff and take all our money with them. The problem, of course, stems from the following: Entrepreneurs often have mixed goals in starting a business. They want to deliver on a product vision, want to grow a major enterprise and make money, and also want to be the boss. Venture capitalists have only one goal: To make money for their investors and themselves. Sometimes, if the company gets off track and management doesn't seem able to fix it quickly, VCs want to bring in people who they believe can. Blog - Entrepreneurship Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:19:17 +0100 http://www.ovp.com/content/view/411/174/ We've seen all sorts of presentations from startups over the years. But none as succinct, yet as effective as one we saw a few days ago. The Seattle company in question is one that pitched us a few years ago. At the time, we loved the team, but thought they seemed to be remarkably unfocused. So, rather than have our money burned in a bumping into trees exercise, we passed. Now they were back - with laser focus - and it showed. Before the presentation started, the CEO told us he only brought seven slides. And oh, by the way, they were all in 30 point type! My immediate reaction was, This guy must have his stuff together! Rather than death by PowerPoint, he was planning to subject us to a real discussion, where the knowledge of the management team was the foundation, not the slides. And the goal was interaction with potential investors, not to baffle us with BS. Blog - Trends Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:23:04 +0100