This blog post by Bill Burnham has generated a ton of buzz today, but it’s worth (briefly) chipping in about how the trend is playing out in the Seattle market. The quick summary of Bill’s point is this: “there is plenty of investment capital available for Consumer Internet companies that have demonstrated significant market traction continue…
We just announced that my friend and Founders’ Co-op business partner Andy Sack will be leading up a Seattle version of the awesome TechStars startup camp program next year. In a slight departure from the program structure in Boulder and Boston (where funding was provided primarily by angel investors), TechStars Seattle is being supported by continue…
My father-in-law – now retired – had two professional careers, spending his first 25 years as Naval officer, and another, equally long stint as a university professor and dean. He loved his time in the Navy, and it also offered a lasting benefit in the form of a military pension – what he likes to continue…
We just closed a new investment at Founders’ Co-op, and it’s an unusual one for us in several ways. For starters, it’s the first time we’ve invested alongside much larger venture capital firms – Seattle’s Ignition Partners and Madrona Venture Group led the round. In addition, the company – Appature – is much later-stage than continue…
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”– Shunryu Suzuki Just about every day – and sometimes several times a day – I get to hear an entrepreneur tell the story of their company: who they are, what they’re up to, why they’re excited about it. As I continue…
Andrew Chen, a Seattle native (more or less) who pulled up stakes for the Bay Area a few years ago, has a thought-provoking post up today on why he chose to move. His thesis is that Seattle is culturally focused on retail + SEO (e.g, Amazon, Expedia), while the Bay Area is more oriented to continue…
My recent conversations with several of our portfolio companies have reminded me of a Zen maxim that goes something like this… Before Enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. At Founders Co-op we focus on ideas that come out of the gate fast – they typically ship product, engage customers and continue…
Today we’re proud to announce a new member of the Founders Co-op family: Nearlyweds! In business since 2007, Nearlyweds! provides personal wedding websites for design-conscious couples. In a market littered with generic free offerings, Nearlyweds! has built a great premium business by focusing on the user experience, partnering with top invitation designers in the industry continue…
Andy and I spend a good amount of time talking about startup ideas we’d like to see at Founders Co-op. Sometimes we get so excited about an idea we start it ourselves, but that’s not something we can do every day. So I was inspired the other day to hear that Y Combinator had initiated continue…
I’m sitting in the Denver airport heading home (if the air travel gods allow it) from TechStars Boulder Demo Day 2009. I’ve been a fan of the organization since it started, not least because Brad Feld (a Judy’s Book investor and board member) is a prime mover behind the project. But this was my first continue…