“Brews and Views” With Authors Jason Mendelson & Brad Feld

Jason Mendelson and Brad Feld were the guest speakers at today’s “Brews and Views” out in Silicon Valley at law firm Dorsey & Whitney. Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson are the co-founders of the Foundry Group as well as co-authors of the book Venture Deals.

The event was a panel of sorts with Jason and Brad sitting in the front of a group of about 70 technology enthusiasts with lawyer Ted Hollifield asking them pre set questions as well as coordinating the ones coming in from the crowd.  Here is the event details:

In a time of volatile market forces, a shifting venture capital landscape and game-changing new technologies, entrepreneurs are reassessing and adapting their goals and strategies for raising money in today’s dynamic business environment.  Beyond negotiating tips and tricks, what forces and incentives do startup entrepreneurs really need to understand once they’ve landed and are assessing the sought-after term sheet?  Entrepreneurs will gain invaluable insights into the finely-nuanced forces and incentives rarely disclosed openly so they can expertly navigate getting the most from investors.

Please join Dorsey & Whitney in welcoming special guests Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson, co-founders and managing directors of early stage VC firm Foundry Group, and co-authors of the new book “Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist.”

Join us for an afternoon of lively point/counterpoint banter moderated by Dorsey’s lead business and technology practice partner Ted Hollifield, a VC lawyer and legal expert on term sheets, who will discuss with Brad and Jason What Really Matters section of their new “VC Deals” book.  These experts will offer invaluable insights that entrepreneurs need to know for negotiating and working with startup investors.  An open Q&A will also give attendees opportunity to ask their own questions from all three experts.

This late afternoon event includes tasty grub and arguably the valley’s best European-style microbrews provided by Devil’s Canyon Brewery Company in Belmont, as well as a chance to mix and mingle with other entrepreneurs, VC’s and professionals from around SF/Silicon Valley.

This was a solid event with lots of great information being shared by Jason and Brad.  Many of the “tips” shared by them were about how to deal with their VC colleagues at other firms and what to expect if your trying to raise money.

Jason Mendelson and Brad Feld taking questions from the group

50 Coffees: Dick Hardt

I have met up with Dick a few times in Vancouver and had the opportunity to see him speak.  So when we arrived down in San Francisco, he was one of the first people I reached out to as he has been living down here for quite some time.  Dick responded to my email and suggested we meet up soon as he was going back to British Columbia in the coming days.  So, Mike and I took the opportunity to meet with Dick and drove across town to meet him.

Dick Hardt is a seasoned entrepeneur with a few businesses under his belt.  He was the founder of Active State (which Sophos bought in 2003) and founder of Sxip Identity.  He also had a stint at Microsoft and has been doing some public speaking over the years.  (his most famous talk is here)

It was great to meet up with Dick to learn about his experiences in the US and how he had made his way through the VC landscape.

(50 Coffees)