coleslawfail

9 ms·

1.
by coleslawfail 11y ago
If only the Onion knew the Valley, this would be a great headline: Vinod Khosla: Be Wary of “Stupid Advice” that's like saying: Donald Trump: Be Wary of "Gold Diggers"
2.
by coleslawfail 11y ago
How long ago? He's been at this almost 30 years. He doesn't need the money. Now it's all about him. Martin's Beach is the symptom of the disease.
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by coleslawfail 11y ago
90% of the time Vinod Khosla pulls numbers out of his ass. It's amazing really how much this guy subs the press. He acts as the entrepreneur's friend when the truth in the Valley is the exact opposite. Beware.
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by coleslawfail 12y ago
Repeating as public service announcement of what folks in the know tell each other: Vinod has a very negative reputation in the Valley. He used to be known as the biggest anti-founder VC when he was at Kleiner. He'd come in, use shar
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by coleslawfail 12y ago
It's exactly the principle. If VK won, many many others would push for the same and soon it's no longer one little beach but many, many miles.
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by coleslawfail 12y ago
No one here is evil. VCs have a very important role to play in the startup ecosystem. Their job is to produce significant returns to their LPs. If you can't deliver that, then you shouldn't have taken their money.
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by coleslawfail 12y ago
It should. He pushes around the little people. That's first time founders and especially those not connected in the Valley.
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by coleslawfail 12y ago
This is the time I need to pop up every so often. Vinod has a very negative reputation in the Valley. He used to be known as the biggest anti-founder VC when he was at Kleiner. He'd come in, use sharp elbows to push founders around a
9.
by coleslawfail 13y ago
You do realize that Vinod has been at this for a long time. And his bad reputation is based on that long history. So why make definitive claims based on six months of data? Moreover, above you justify the insane terms for those founders. Yo
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Keith, you are either getting false information from your partners or willfully misleading here. I prefer the former interpretation since I know for a fact this behavior exists at KV and specifically with Vinod leading the push. That's
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
With how much liquity floats around today, there's no such thing as too risky. No, Vinod jumps in early exactly to maximize leverage and over the founders and other investors. Why not simply treat them like any other seed? Then leverag
12.
by coleslawfail 13y ago
Or in the case of "experiments" KV insists on two seats and takes the option pool from founders at the seed stage. I get why you are presenting the rosiest picture, but at least be honest that Bad Vinod exists and is pernicious fo
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
And control provisions? Jack was never going to see Bad Vinod. And he was never going to give up enough equity/control to let Vinod's ego run wild.
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
And as someone knows the word has gotten out about Vinod must actively combat that reputation. I wish you luck. Good Vinod can be as fine a partner as any, I'm sure. It's just the history of Bad Vinod, and how he has treated found
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Nice dodge on the questions. I freely admit he does well BT his LPs. The problem is Bad Vinod has consistently screwed with founders. Good Vinod is likely a product of all of those terrible outcomes.
16.
by coleslawfail 13y ago
If that's the best you got, you've proved my point. Square I address below. Vinod gave the best valuation exactly because it was Jack. That's hardly founder friendly when you have no choice. Jawbone is another fun data point.
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Heh, seriously? I'm sure the valuation he gave Jack has nothing at all to do with it. Jack didnt need Vinod, big difference. Square would be Square without Vinod.
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Nope, he hasn't except to know who to mess with. New founders get Bad Vinod. Experienced founders get Good Vinod.
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
WTF and Khosla go hand in hand. Again, he can negotiate any way he pleases. Just don't pretend and market yourself as some great friend to founders. He's decidedly not.
20.
by coleslawfail 13y ago
Some of those have already exited and for barely getting their money back. Square is the outlier. But Dorsey was proven by that point. His success certainly isn't Khosla. Again, don't just look at KV. Khosla has been at this for a
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Final tally - 51 votes here to the contrary. Those who know avoid Khosla. For all you new founders, tread lightly.
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Thank you for saying this publicly. If more did the bubble around his persona would quickly pop. I'd have no problem if all he did was negotiate good terms. He certainly owes his LPs that. The problem I have is presents the persona as
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
The hostility comes from the large gap between his public persona and what people actually know. That annoys me, yes. He's not a guy that accomplished people actively seek out. You can judge him solely based on his portfolio. You dont
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
As my note below implies, there's a big difference between a lead investor and a follow on. If he were a go-to VC, we'd see it in his portfolio. Vinod's been at this far long enough to judge his results. He gets his ROI but a
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Also, was KV your lead investor?
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
His investment thesis is high-growth startups. Funny enough, that's YC too. What you are leaving out is his thesis assumes overwhelming control. That thesis is not in a founder's best interests. It's far better to raise less.
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Glad you have had a positive experience. I wish you the best in building your company. Can you comment on why so few YC companies have raised from them? My comments have received a total of 53 points. KV has tried suing thefunded. And big,
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
Of course, then there's insisting on 50% equity plus an options pool that comes from founder shares at the seed stage...
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
I didn't say he's a bad VC. I'm sure his LPs love him. He's just not who he markets himself as. It's not about you and your company. It's about him. As for YC, they have what, 400 companies? For a guy who is su
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by coleslawfail 13y ago
38 points - so far - from those 7 comments. I'm simply saying what many, many people already know to be true. But again, judge his portfolio for yourself. For a guy who says he's founder friendly where's the first generation

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