We love what we do, so ClearCreek writes and publishes pieces for a somewhat irregular blog about emerging companies and the capital markets. Or we did for a while anyway, then we did less, and apparently we stopped entirely. But we kept the old posts below. Any errors are ours exclusively while the occasional sharp insight is probably borrowed. We hope you find them of interest, and we always welcome feedback.
There has been considerable press on the impact of venture industry consolidation for early-stage companies. Less attention has been paid to the shifting dynamics between venture firms and their limited partners, and within venture syndicates…
Read MoreWith the traditional venture model under assault, there is an increased focus on seed-stage funding. Back in September we noted the attempt to create a standardized Series A term sheet. Now there is similar stakeholder interest…
Read MoreThree young guns – and not a detained Nigerian prince among them – are currently offering investors a chance to invest cash now in return for a percent of future income. One, a 26-year-old Stanford grad, has even priced it out: 6% of future income for…
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Read MoreWith many small businesses losing their lines of credit, coupled with the demise in small business lending from commercial banks, alternate sources of capital such as purchase-order financing are on the rise,…
Read MoreNew research from my alma mater suggests that preparation for a career in venture capital might include a lot of time watching the WB network. In the brief paper, the author’s note that given the low industry barriers to entry, established venture firms form cliques…
Read MorePerhaps the most amusing and unscripted nugget to emerge from the Apple aura is the reissue of a 1985 interview with a 29-year-old Steve Jobs. In, um, Playboy magazine. It’s refreshing to revisit the early incarnation of Apple…
Read MoreWith venture funding down and the market for IPOs still anemic — just eight venture-backed companies so far this year, compared to an annual average of 64 from 2003-2007 — emerging companies hoping for an exit are increasingly…
Read MoreAn online brouhaha broke out over angel groups that charge startups to pitch potential investors. Led by media entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, and with an echo from Fred Wilson, soon a full chorus…
Read MoreIt is basketball season, and an intriguing white paper looks at the Venture industry and suggests a strategy to rebound to premium returns. The authors note recent conflicting trends of larger fund sizes…
Read MoreAn enterprising job coach collected actual questions from interviews at Google. My personal favorite: “Explain the significance…
Read MoreThe demise of the IPO market has left many venture-backed companies in their own version of existential purgatory. The scarcity of realized exits is particularly hard on company founders…
Read MoreAnd further on the topic of increased liquidity, the always-observant Mark Suster has a terrific piece on why company founders should be able to take some equity off the table once their firm has reached reasonable milestones. His point is simple, but often overlooked:…
Read MoreLastly, in my first nod to venture celebrity gossip, read about the night Brad Feld almost went to jail. And it wasn’t even for his self-regretful investment in…
Read MoreThe predictable pendulum swing of harsher terms during a buyer’s market lead to a lively online discussion on the future of the term sheet. A dialogue between influential bloggers — entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike…
Read MoreInvesting locally is a mantra of many venture firms. The desire to conveniently monitor, interact, and network with their portfolio companies has lead to some long return trips for out-of-town entrepreneurs. Now a recent working paper suggests…
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