Finding the Money

·  Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers

Description: Khosla never intended to be a VC and still doesn't consider himself to be a venture capitalists. He considers himself a venture assistant. Has little interest in business, other than its necessity for economics and its power to change the world. Khosla loves technology and believes that it drives most of the change that happens in the world.

You need too little money

·  Frank Levinson

·  Finisar Corporation

Description: Number 8 in Frank Levinson's Top 10 Things You Must Have to Start a Business. You need "too little" money. Using the famous coconuts from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" as an example, Frank Levinson explains how innovation is born out of necessity.

How do venture capitalists decide what to invest in, and why?

·  Steve Jurvetson

·  Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Description: Jurvetson explains that VC firms are supposed to think first about maximizing investment return for investors--but they also have a perfect opportunity to change the world through entrepreneurs. When DFJ evaluates an opportunity, they look at whether it: extends lives, makes a sustainable planet, gets better energy with renewables...even narrowing the rich/poor gap. "There?????????s a lot of big societal goals that could be our attractors if you will, and when we see a technology that's got everything we love, and oh by the way it?????????s low power-consumption and it's a renewable with manufacturing process...that's even better."

"...we've never had to sit down and list...the ways we want entrepreneurs to change the world...it's been much more reactive."

Funding Choices

·  Guy Kawasaki

·  Garage Technology Ventures

Description: Guy talks about two examples of early-stage funding, bootstrapping and venture capital, and the benefits and drawbacks of both. Ultimately, he believes that too much money is worse than not enough money, and that both methods can be successful of a smart approach is taken with the funds that are received.

How to Negotiate Valuations

·  John Doerr

·  Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Description: John offers advice on pursuing initial VC funding, including how many firms to approach, how to evaluate the firms, and what kinds of questions to ask. He also reminds us to treat all negotiations with respect and fairness.