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Don't you do the same thing when you get emails offering you amazing business opportunities? As a general rule, no VC firm will respond to a cold email. You n

by pg 15y ago

Don't you do the same thing when you get emails offering you amazing business opportunities? As a general rule, no VC firm will respond to a cold email. You need an intro from someone they know. Your best bet is to try to get an intro from someone at a company they've invested in.

Kavan 15y ago
As a SV outsider who recently spent a month there, I totally agree. The only way to get meetings is through your network. Start with people you meet at events and then add to it (co working spaces like www.rocket-space.com are great for this). Eventually you'll be speaking to company founders and they can refer you. Remember that the quality of the referral is also important, so if you have only met someone for 5 mins and then ask them to refer you, their referral email will be rather weak. Spend the time building the relationship and getting them excited about your product. Then when the time comes you will get a solid referral and a near certain meeting.
wavephorm 15y ago
They have a form right on their site for submitting business plans. http://a16z.com/about/contact-us/ http://a16z.com/about/contact-us/
- pg 15y ago
  Even if a VC offered an email address to send business plans to, I'd try to get an intro instead. (Also, the instructions on the form say it is for "other inquiries." You're supposed to send business plans to one of the email addresses on the right. So if you used the form that may be why you didn't hear back.)
  - wavephorm 15y ago
    Yes as I said I emailed them. I sent everything, my business plan, my site, everything. Now maybe they didn't like my application. Maybe it was no good. But from my perspective, the only interaction I have with this VC is being stonewalled by them after spending time applying and dropping (what I believe) to be a great oppurtunity right in their laps.
    - webwright 15y ago
      VCs have a fund (basically a big finite amount of cash). They can make X investments with that cash. They also have a very finite # of hours they can invest to help their companies. The best ones (like these guys) are literally buried in highly qualified deal flow. That means entrepreneurs coming in with great references, working in great markets, often with traction. They have no shortage of deal flow. On the other side of the marketplace, there are literally zillions of entrepreneurs who want their money. All that said, it'd be nice if they had an auto-responder on the site saying, "We try to look over all of these, but can't offer a reply unless something REALLY catches our eye," to set expectations accordingly.
  - Hitchhiker 15y ago
    Let me be a little less polite than PG VC public e-mail addresses == /dev/null .. they exist purely to appease the raging masses of entrepreneurs hanging outside their walls, reading Venturebeat ( fill in another 10 top " blogs " of your choice ) more than mails from their mum. Cold calling any of them will not work. Heck even intros from the highest level are not treated that nicely if you're a first time guy. Best place to be in, acquire unfair advantages like a yC tag and learn everything you can from insiders. Make a product that even in its most seed form shows a pathway to an entire industry. Get traction. "If you're in a fair fight, you didn't plan it properly." - Nick Lappos, Chief R&D Pilot, Sikorsky Aircraft
    - samstave 15y ago
      >VC public e-mail addresses == /dev/null .. they exist purely to appease the raging masses of entrepreneurs hanging outside their walls, reading Venturebeat ( fill in another 10 top " blogs " of your choice ) more than mails from their mum. Doesn't this sound like an opportunity then? Why have a blackhole at all? Why be so un-innovative? Sure, it will cost you money - but if you claim that this is the reason for NOT doing it - you admit that innovation is not your goal, but profit only, thus it will go against so many supposed charters of VCs out there... Let's be honest here. What is the bottom line? Either VCs only want a "sure thing" or they actually want to foster innovation and progress, and receive profit as a result. If you are in the former, not the latter, then - sorry - but I have no respect for you. Regardless of your success. Paradigm shift, we need it.
      - Hitchhiker 15y ago
        Sam, I noticed your later comment. My apologies if I peeved you off. Perhaps, you are correct, I do not have the expertise to have a POV. Just a minor correction, I do not have an MBA and or the admin with the description you gave. That's rather demeaning to the women who may be reading this list. Just another coder in a team of four trying to figure things out. You've correctly identified err.. my virtues[1].. guilty as charged. Take it easy mate. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Wall#Virtues_of_a_programmer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Wall#Virtues_of_a_program...
- DevX101 15y ago
  That's a filter for plans they don't want to read, not a submission form.
  - wavephorm 15y ago
    That's my point. If a VC can't even be bothered to look through or respond to opportunites that show up on their doorstep, how exactly can they be in a position to find or help startups? There wasn't even anything in the article about helping or working with startups. It's ONLY about getting the foot in the door and just letting YC do the filtering.
    - Shenglong 15y ago
      I think you're missing the point entirely. Yes, there's a chance that one of the people who cold emails them is good - but really, what are the odds? With introductions, the referrer stakes his or her reputation on the referee. Make too many bad recommendations, and that cuts out a bad lead. The most successful organizations I know recruit through internal contacts - and it just makes sense from a VC's perspective to do the same. It's about the best allocation of time vs good finds, rather than just finding every good opportunity.
- bfe 15y ago
  From what I've heard about a different VC firm, even though they have a business plan submission form, they literally never contact people who submit through it, and rely exclusively on personal introductions. They also made the point that they know lots of people and anyone should be able to network their way into a personal introduction, a trivially easy task compared with many other tasks needed for forming a startup, so they actively use that as a filter.
- siong1987 15y ago
  See, the form is used to submit your business plan. If your email is something along the following line like: "Hi, I have an 'amazing' opportunity for you to invest 'early' in a new startup. I am willing to meet at time XXX or you can call me at XXX." It is very likely that you will get ignored. In fact, I did send an email with a rough business plan about my previous startup to the above email before. And, someone from a16z replied me telling me that they were not interested in the market that I was in then. Why don't you try to send an email with a real/concrete proposal about your startup/idea? It is more likely that you will get a reply from them in this way.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
dan_manges 15y ago
Regarding vendors or business opportunities, I usually respond and politely tell the person that I'm not interested. It only takes a few seconds.
samstave 15y ago
>Don't you do the same thing when you get emails offering you amazing business opportunities? Isn't this the exact business that VCs are in? Identifying amazing offers? You make the claim as if VCs are not in the business of looking for amazing deals, vs everyone else who is in infinite other businesses... Yeah, there is the rule that intros are best - but still, why try to architect vision and innovation out of the VC market?
- west1737 15y ago
  Yea, but everyone thinks they have an "amazing idea". That just comes with the territory of being an entrepreneur. If you can't get out there and convince others of your idea (via intros, YC, products, whatever...), then you'll most likely have trouble executing on even the best idea.
  - samstave 15y ago
    That wasnt the gist of his argument though. He was talking about how they (VCs) are not in the business of vetting ideas - but pursuing sure things. Yet all the rhetoric around the VC industry says otherwise.
    - bfe 15y ago
      It really just boils down to, networking your way into a strong personal introduction is a trivial task compared with one hundred other far more challenging aspects of launching a successful startup, and every VC in the world knows this and uses it as a filter, because it's true and it works, so there's absolutely no reason they would or should deviate from this logic.
      - samstave 15y ago
        I understand that - except the point is that it is not marketed as such. That is my point.

by pg 15y ago

Kavan 15y ago

As a SV outsider who recently spent a month there, I totally agree. The only way to get meetings is through your network. Start with people you meet at events and then add to it (co working spaces like www.rocket-space.com are great for this). Eventually you'll be speaking to company founders and they can refer you. Remember that the quality of the referral is also important, so if you have only met someone for 5 mins and then ask them to refer you, their referral email will be rather weak. Spend the time building the relationship and getting them excited about your product. Then when the time comes you will get a solid referral and a near certain meeting.

wavephorm 15y ago

They have a form right on their site for submitting business plans. http://a16z.com/about/contact-us/ http://a16z.com/about/contact-us/

pg 15y ago
Even if a VC offered an email address to send business plans to, I'd try to get an intro instead. (Also, the instructions on the form say it is for "other inquiries." You're supposed to send business plans to one of the email addresses on the right. So if you used the form that may be why you didn't hear back.)
- wavephorm 15y ago
  Yes as I said I emailed them. I sent everything, my business plan, my site, everything. Now maybe they didn't like my application. Maybe it was no good. But from my perspective, the only interaction I have with this VC is being stonewalled by them after spending time applying and dropping (what I believe) to be a great oppurtunity right in their laps.
  - webwright 15y ago
    VCs have a fund (basically a big finite amount of cash). They can make X investments with that cash. They also have a very finite # of hours they can invest to help their companies. The best ones (like these guys) are literally buried in highly qualified deal flow. That means entrepreneurs coming in with great references, working in great markets, often with traction. They have no shortage of deal flow. On the other side of the marketplace, there are literally zillions of entrepreneurs who want their money. All that said, it'd be nice if they had an auto-responder on the site saying, "We try to look over all of these, but can't offer a reply unless something REALLY catches our eye," to set expectations accordingly.
- Hitchhiker 15y ago
  Let me be a little less polite than PG VC public e-mail addresses == /dev/null .. they exist purely to appease the raging masses of entrepreneurs hanging outside their walls, reading Venturebeat ( fill in another 10 top " blogs " of your choice ) more than mails from their mum. Cold calling any of them will not work. Heck even intros from the highest level are not treated that nicely if you're a first time guy. Best place to be in, acquire unfair advantages like a yC tag and learn everything you can from insiders. Make a product that even in its most seed form shows a pathway to an entire industry. Get traction. "If you're in a fair fight, you didn't plan it properly." - Nick Lappos, Chief R&D Pilot, Sikorsky Aircraft
  - samstave 15y ago
    >VC public e-mail addresses == /dev/null .. they exist purely to appease the raging masses of entrepreneurs hanging outside their walls, reading Venturebeat ( fill in another 10 top " blogs " of your choice ) more than mails from their mum. Doesn't this sound like an opportunity then? Why have a blackhole at all? Why be so un-innovative? Sure, it will cost you money - but if you claim that this is the reason for NOT doing it - you admit that innovation is not your goal, but profit only, thus it will go against so many supposed charters of VCs out there... Let's be honest here. What is the bottom line? Either VCs only want a "sure thing" or they actually want to foster innovation and progress, and receive profit as a result. If you are in the former, not the latter, then - sorry - but I have no respect for you. Regardless of your success. Paradigm shift, we need it.
    - Hitchhiker 15y ago
      Sam, I noticed your later comment. My apologies if I peeved you off. Perhaps, you are correct, I do not have the expertise to have a POV. Just a minor correction, I do not have an MBA and or the admin with the description you gave. That's rather demeaning to the women who may be reading this list. Just another coder in a team of four trying to figure things out. You've correctly identified err.. my virtues[1].. guilty as charged. Take it easy mate. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Wall#Virtues_of_a_programmer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Wall#Virtues_of_a_program...
DevX101 15y ago
That's a filter for plans they don't want to read, not a submission form.
- wavephorm 15y ago
  That's my point. If a VC can't even be bothered to look through or respond to opportunites that show up on their doorstep, how exactly can they be in a position to find or help startups? There wasn't even anything in the article about helping or working with startups. It's ONLY about getting the foot in the door and just letting YC do the filtering.
  - Shenglong 15y ago
    I think you're missing the point entirely. Yes, there's a chance that one of the people who cold emails them is good - but really, what are the odds? With introductions, the referrer stakes his or her reputation on the referee. Make too many bad recommendations, and that cuts out a bad lead. The most successful organizations I know recruit through internal contacts - and it just makes sense from a VC's perspective to do the same. It's about the best allocation of time vs good finds, rather than just finding every good opportunity.
bfe 15y ago
From what I've heard about a different VC firm, even though they have a business plan submission form, they literally never contact people who submit through it, and rely exclusively on personal introductions. They also made the point that they know lots of people and anyone should be able to network their way into a personal introduction, a trivially easy task compared with many other tasks needed for forming a startup, so they actively use that as a filter.
siong1987 15y ago
See, the form is used to submit your business plan. If your email is something along the following line like: "Hi, I have an 'amazing' opportunity for you to invest 'early' in a new startup. I am willing to meet at time XXX or you can call me at XXX." It is very likely that you will get ignored. In fact, I did send an email with a rough business plan about my previous startup to the above email before. And, someone from a16z replied me telling me that they were not interested in the market that I was in then. Why don't you try to send an email with a real/concrete proposal about your startup/idea? It is more likely that you will get a reply from them in this way.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]

dan_manges 15y ago

Regarding vendors or business opportunities, I usually respond and politely tell the person that I'm not interested. It only takes a few seconds.

samstave 15y ago

>Don't you do the same thing when you get emails offering you amazing business opportunities? Isn't this the exact business that VCs are in? Identifying amazing offers? You make the claim as if VCs are not in the business of looking for amazing deals, vs everyone else who is in infinite other businesses... Yeah, there is the rule that intros are best - but still, why try to architect vision and innovation out of the VC market?

west1737 15y ago
Yea, but everyone thinks they have an "amazing idea". That just comes with the territory of being an entrepreneur. If you can't get out there and convince others of your idea (via intros, YC, products, whatever...), then you'll most likely have trouble executing on even the best idea.
- samstave 15y ago
  That wasnt the gist of his argument though. He was talking about how they (VCs) are not in the business of vetting ideas - but pursuing sure things. Yet all the rhetoric around the VC industry says otherwise.
  - bfe 15y ago
    It really just boils down to, networking your way into a strong personal introduction is a trivial task compared with one hundred other far more challenging aspects of launching a successful startup, and every VC in the world knows this and uses it as a filter, because it's true and it works, so there's absolutely no reason they would or should deviate from this logic.
    - samstave 15y ago
      I understand that - except the point is that it is not marketed as such. That is my point.