Whether on the first fund or the sixteenth, defining a compelling investment thesis can be one of the hardest tasks that VCs will have to face. …

As an investor and business owner, I have spent my fair share of time negotiating and have come across all sorts of negotiation styles. …

Finding compensation benchmarks for startup CEOs is a tricky business. When we were conducting research into standards and trends regarding cash and equity compensation for early-stage life science and biotech CEOs, we discovered that most of the data is buried in gated — and very expensive — reports. …

Earlier this month we sat down with Evan Kelso, CEO of Xenocor, to learn more about how he leads and operates this medical device startup. Here are some of Evan’s thoughts on laparoscopy, Salt Lake City, staying lean, and spreading aloha. _______________________________________________________________ 1. What drove you to join Xenocor? Xenocor’s…

This month, we celebrate both Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, so it’s a natural time to be thinking about gender equality and diversity. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionately negative impact on women in the workforce, it’s also the perfect moment to…

Having appropriate legal guidance is critical for helping entrepreneurs navigate the many relationships and strategies involved in running a successful business. Knowing when to engage an attorney and how to find a lawyer who fits your needs, wants, and budget can be challenging. There are a lot of great attorneys…

VCs will include intellectual property questions in their due diligence when considering investments and you want to be sure that you are ready. Why does protecting IP matter in seed stage or early-stage companies? IP protection shows your investors that you not only focus on the product that you’re building…

In the daily grind of captaining an early-stage company, it’s easy for CEOs and founders to get lost in the numbers. After all, they’ve been told they can’t manage what they can’t measure. So, budgets, projections, sales, key performance indicators, and burn rate swirl around in their brains as they…

An investor in search of the right venture capital firm is the Goldilocks of the 21st century. As they sit in on pitch meetings and dive into the fund documents, everything seems to fall into place. …