December 2011
1 post
The Path to Becoming a Venture Capitalist →
Rob Go of NextView Ventures just wrote a great post: So You Want to be a VC? where he describes what it’s like to be a VC, to the many people who tell him they want to get into VC. I thought…
Eliminating Gluteal Amnesia →
I’ve pretty much come to the realization that gluteal amnesia has been a major cause of leg problems during my running and cycling. All we have done all our lives is just sit around. Surely that is…
November 2011
3 posts
100 Up for Better Running →
Chris McDougall is the author of one of the most awesome running books ever, “Born to Run”. I’m a big propenent of running on the forefoot and I’m trying to perfect my running mechanics to make…
NYC Marathon 2011 11-6-11 Race Report →
This is a bit late but finally getting to this! To recap, the build to this NYC Marathon was only about 2 months. Very short, but I got there without too many problems in my muscles. NYC was very…
October 2011
4 posts
The 2 Month Build to NYC Marathon 2011 →
A little under 2 months ago, I posted that I got into the NYC Marathon and was going to attempt to get from zero fitness to marathon fitness in about half the time I would normally allocate to this…
Making Sure They Do What They Know and Stay True... →
Last week I met Gus Tai of Trinity Ventures for the first time. We had an interesting conversation about the people aspect in investments and it was enlightening to share our experiences on the…
Help with Board Meetings →
Recently an entrepeneur asked me about holding board meetings, and what kinds of things are discussed at them. I sent him these most excellent posts: Running More Effective Board Meetings at…
The Evolutionary Path of Data →
This week I was at 500startups meeting the new accelerator class. The subject of data came up once again and I thought I’d finally get to this post which I’ve been meaning to write for a while now.
September 2011
1 post
Alcatraz Invitational 2011: A New PR and GPS Fun →
Yesterday, I swam the Alcatraz Invitational 2011, one of the many Alcatraz swims that are held each year. This one is held by the South End Rowing Club and is a favorite. Alcatraz swims can…
August 2011
4 posts
Can Recruiters Work With Startups? →
Last week I had lunch with a prominent recruiter who was interested in working with startups. We had a great conversation about ideas and the issues, and at the end I told him I would poll my…
Combating the MIT Problem for Startups →
I was just reading Don Dodge’s post, How to get accepted at Stanford or Harvard, or how to get a job at Google or Facebook, which reminded me of the people who asked me about how to deal with the
Muscle Cramp Update →
In my experience, cramping is caused by at least 5 factors that i’ve encountered. these are: 1. Strength - lack of strength in your muscles means they are faster to tire and cramp up due to lack of…
Total Immersion: Training for Higher Tempos and... →
In this thread of the Total Immersion forums, I replied to Terry Laughlin’s post of: Sun Yang is the new TI poster boy. (No we are not claiming him as a TI swimmer, only as a demonstration that…
July 2011
2 posts
Staying Stealth →
When I started angel investing, staying stealth seemed to be partially in vogue. There were still a lot of entrepreneurs who wanted to stay stealth and they would ask me to sign an NDA before…
ASRSpeed.com: Ultimate Speed Training →
Once again, the book Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss has me trying one more new thing! For the last few months, I’ve been working on my strength through Russian techniques (see Deadlifting is…
June 2011
1 post
Deal Flow, Referrals, and Launch Capital's New... →
One of the things that is critical to being an effective investor is deal flow. When I began angel investing back in 2006, this was a problem for me as I was new to the community of investing and…
March 2011
3 posts
What I Really Mean By "Souring on Internet-Only... →
People who know me have heard me say in the last several months that I’ve “soured on internet deals.” Unfortunately, this has been misinterpreted as “Dave has stopped doing internet deals…
WorkersNow at their new SF Offices 3-16-11 →
They’ve moved and expanded! Real live foosball table from Activision days: Engineering fishbowl: Gritty view of San Francisco: …
The Dangers and Opportunities of Platforms →
Recently, we saw a flurry of discussion surrounding Apple and their new subscription bounty. So many cries of “foul!” and “unfair!” - it was evident that many people had never taken a deep look at…
February 2011
4 posts
Running Off the Edge of the Cliff →
Last week, I went out on the track to run a workout that combines 800s and 200s. The workout looked like this: 2x800 RI 1.5”
2x200 RI Jog 200
2x800 RI 1.5”
2x200 RI Jog 200
800 RI 1.5”
200 RI…
The Vitamins and Supplements I Take Every Day →
I thought I’d post all the pills, vitamins, and supplements I take every day. Here they are: Moxxor Omega-3s (4) - Highly concentrated Omega-3s with no fish burps, made from shellfish. …
Total Immersion: Single and Multiple Focal Points →
Total Immersion uses focal points and incessant drilling of focal points to imprint the correct movement habits for better swimming. In the last few months, I focused on these focal points: 1….
News Innovation: Still Haven't Quite Gotten There... →
Over the last few months, I have been actively giving feedback to my buddies at the news.me team (see NYTimes: Betaworks and The Times Plan a Social News Service and Techcrunch: Exclusive: An…
October 2010
4 posts
Taking Your Pro Rata as Angel Investing Strategy →
In thinking about my angel investing strategy going forward, I started thinking about how venture funds always talk about taking their pro rata allocations in their winning companies, or even…
Talk About the Problem, Not Just the Solution →
When I meet with entrepreneurs, the conversation often goes like this: We start by talking about the startup idea or problem they are trying to solve. We spend about a minute on that and then we…
Warm Gun: Alternative Impressions →
I just got back from a whole day of hanging out at the Warm Gun: Designing Happiness Conference put on by Dave McClure and his crew at 500startups. Once again, it was a stellar event, gathering…
Total Immersion: The Alcatraz Swim with the... →
This morning I raced the Alcatraz: Swim with the Centurions Race which was an Alcatraz crossing that ends at Aquatic Park in San Francisco. I made it to the beach in 44:30. it was a mediocre time…
September 2010
5 posts
The Lack of Due Diligence is Appalling and Foolish →
There has been a disturbing trend I’ve noticed in early stage investing. That is when there are no professional investors (ie. venture fund) in the round, then I often find that I am the only guy…
What Startups Need Most Of Today →
What startups don’t need more of: 1. Funding - if you have a great idea and team, you should be able to find money. 2. Smart people - Universities like MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley and the like,…
High RPMs During Rest Intervals →
Last year, my coach M2 gave me a set of cycling workouts which changed subtly; knowing that I had progressed many years with him, he knew he could increase their difficulty. The rest intervals now…
YCombinator and Their Convertible Note →
These last two weeks were a whirlwind with YCombinator happening and then the subsequent meetings with their entrepreneurs afterwards. It was a great event and very tiring and brain draining with 36…
Pain in Training and Racing →
Last week I tweeted that to a friend whom I’ve been helping with her marathon training. It sparked a whole bunch of thoughts about pain and its role in training and racing that I’ve been…
August 2010
3 posts
Tough Economic Times Ahead and the Next Stage in... →
I just love the Stocktwits Macro Weekly. Gregor Macdonald of Abnormal Returns writes it and this week sums up some pretty important points. This last week the Federal Reserve finally gave in…
"There's Something F%$@#! Up About Every Early... →
“There’s something f%$@#! up about every early stage startup…” - Andy Weissman, @aweissman, betaworks About 2 years ago, Andy Weissman over at betaworks made that statement. I thought it was…
Time Diversification: Strategy for Investors →
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Robinson IV of RRE Ventures (twitter: @jdrive). In our conversation, he mentioned something I thought was super important, which was that successful…
July 2010
6 posts
Barefoot Running →
Earlier this year, I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and found it to be one of the most inspirational running books I’ve ever read. One of the most important points the book makes is…
Beginning Marathon Tips →
Twice this year I was asked for some tips by some people running their first marathons. This is what I sent them:
1. It is important that you run 3-4 times a week. 2 is the barest minimum and may…
Belly Breathing →
A long time ago in Bicycling magazine, I saw an unflattering side shot of Jan Ullrich at the Tour de France showing his belly jutting out. It was, however, an article on breathing from the diaphragm…
I Am Without My Normatec MVP UGH →
Last year, I got hold of a Normatec MVP and immediately fell in love with it. Going through Ironman training with it has been amazing; after my long rides/runs, I would use it for 30-45 minutes…
Internet Startup Bubble and The Supposed Super... →
OK I admit it. I’m reposting and expanding upon a comment I left on Paul Kedrosky’s blog post The Coming Super-Seed Crash. But whenever I write a lot, it just seems like such a shame to leave it…
Why I Hate Social Proof →
Just recently, the concept of social proof as a reason for investing has come up again. It first came up when I was giving the Angellist guys some feedback on their referral system. In their…
June 2010
7 posts
Total Immersion: Swimming Analysis with the GoPro... →
Two weeks ago I received my GoPro Video camera in the mail and was very excited to see if it could help me videotape my swimming at the pool. I bought both the standard lens and wide angle lens as…
Advisors for Early Stage Startups Presentation at... →
Today, I hopped on the Metro North to New Haven and met the summer startups in Yale’s summer incubator program which is put on by the Yale Entrepreneurship Institute (YEI). YEI’s mission is to…
Total Immersion: Retraining the Nervous System... →
These last few weeks I’ve been really focused on retraining my nervous system. Why? Because I was working with Coach Shinji and feeling good about my swimming…until I started doing some detail…
Mob.ly/Groupon Party in SF 6/3/10 →
Very excited for Goodrec/Mob.ly, who got acquired by Groupon just recently. We celebrated last Thursday at Bruno’s, a bar in the Mission: The upstairs party room can…
Grant Hackett and Ian Thrope Swimming Analysis →
TI coach Dave Cameron posted this amazing series of photos analyzing the freestyle stroke of Grant Hackett and Ian Thrope. Two things I wanted to point out which were very interesting to me: …
Forcing Incubator Companies to Get Paying... →
I had the pleasure of helping out at the Stanford d.school’s Launchpad class this last quarter. It was a graduate level class which was the first incubator class offered by the design school (a.k.a….
WorkerExpress in their offices in SF 6-3-10 →
Here’s the WorkerExpress team in their offices in SF. The building had some classic features in it, like this swank elevator complete with metal gate and art…
April 2010
1 post
Why Did I Buy an iPad? →
People keep asking me why I bought an iPad, and then what I think of it. Since there seem to be many who care, here’s why I just had to have one and my thoughts on it: 1. I’m an early adopter and…
March 2010
4 posts
Can't Escape Sex Appeal →
I’ve come to realize that startup investing is very much like my experience with online dating sites. Despite dating sites attempting to match people via their personalities, attributes, and…