I am going to add all of the topics that I intend to write about to the table of contents so that everyone can see what's coming down the pipe.  The list will inevitably change as I think of more topics.

If you want to suggest other topics at any point just comment on this post.

Best,
Mark

Comments

[chris]

Hi Mark.
I appreciate the brevity and the richness of your posts, which I came across on Silicone Alley.
My question is:
Do you have any comment on how important it is for an entrepreneur to personally be a "hacker"?
I can't write code, so I can't act like an expert, but my success will depend on how well I can choose developers and communicate my vision to them.
Do VCs see the absence of this skill as a liability?

[Mark Davis]

Chris,

My post titled 'Enlisting Your Complements' should address this. Let me know if there are gaps that you want more color on.

Mark

[Remko]

Hello Mark,

Does location of the VC make any difference? For example: I am in the Netherlands and you're in the greater NY area then could there be a match?

Remko

[sap]

Hi Mark
Your most recent post about Leveraging the Existing Value Chain and an older one about Addressable market got me thinking about another scenario that would be a helpful topic.

When you are not going after an existing market, how does one deal with the issue of addressable market and market size in a pitch? Is it ok to be 'light' on this if you can justify why the product you are creating is adddressing a problem that is not apparant right now but is about to reveal itself in a few months... Cheers.

[Gerardo Saporosi]

Hi Mark

I am involved in some internet deals in Argentina. You are in the website of my company as a recommended blog.
Also I am the author of three books on entrepreneurship and business strategy and a lecturer in the MBA of UB at Buenos Aires.
I am planning a business trip to New York in April. I would like to meet you there, could it be possible?
All the best
Gerardo Saporosi
President FRANCHISING GROUP
http://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardosaporosi

[Mark]

I owe a few of you a response.

Remko - location does make a difference. See my post titled 'The Importance Of Geography'. Also, I have added your suggested post topic to my list - keep an eye out for a post in a few months.

Gerardo - I would be happy to meet - contact me via LinkedIn and we can go from there.

Mark

[Max Mishkin]

what is the best email address to contact you these days?

[Petrillo]

I like to wear ruffled tuxedo shirts when I pick up women...good or bad strategy?

[Leon]

Mark,

Thank you for speaking about all the wonderful topics. We are going to present in an all-partner meeting soon in a big/top venture capital firm. Can you talk more about how to prepare for this meeting and avoid the common mistakes by entrepreneurs? I read through the posts on your website but couldn't find much information about it. (while this is probably our last hurdle before getting a term sheet!)

Thanks,
Leon

[Mark]

Leon - that's a great idea. I have added it to my list.

-Mark

[George Plymale]

Hi Mark, thanks for your excellent information and thoughts.

We are currently starting a very unique company and we're struggling with really tacking down solid information on total addressable market in terms of advertising earning potential. This is a secondary source of revenue, but in terms of monetization of the site I would hate to exclude it from the earning potential figures. As for viewership we have a vast target market that I've stripped down through some studies that we've found so we don't sound so over the top, however we're quite excited as it is a disruptive tech with exciting potential.

It seems at the moment that there are no solid models or data to follow in order to calculate advertisement earnings based around user-base estimations and such. We simply want to be as prepared and solid as possible for any angels or VCs with whom we work as it is too easy to pull figures out wishful thinking vs. being grounded in real figures.

Also, could I please add you to my LinkedIn network?

Kindest regards,

-George

[Leon]

Mark,

Thank you for writing about the All-Partner Meeting! We were very successful in that meeting and have got our first term sheet! Do you have any advice about how to negotiate the term sheet? How can we encourage the other VCs to move faster and provide competing offers?

Thanks,
Leon

[David Blankley]

Mark,

What are reasonable salary expectations for a management team? How do VCs approach this issue?

Thanks,
Dave

[MK]

A summary of VC or investment math and deal terms will be a good topic for a few friends of mine that are starting their business but have no clue about share issuance, valuation, T&C of a term sheet, etc.

[Boris]

Mark,
Your outline is excellent and needed. As a startup I've done long term research and never seen information you've presented in one place with a pretty good content. I have a proposition: make me your example. I have very unique software package, business plan, financials but haven't tryed find an investor.
borisp@comcast.net