Three keys to a building a strong ecosystem for startups are: (1) entrepreneurs; (2) technology; and (3) investors.   For a long time, newer entrepreneurial communities have relied on the first two segments to attract the third.  We are now realizing that to sustain and grow a vibrant entrepreneurial community, we need to support all three.

Angel investors are typically very bright, successful entrepreneurs who want to give back after they cash out in one or two of their own ventures.  Although they understand how to build products and companies, they may not have a lot of experience in taxes, financing, and investment.  One of the big areas that can come back to bite them later is taxes.

My friend, Roger Glovsky, along with EKS&H, the Rocky Mountain Innosphere, and Impact Angel Group are trying to shine a light on tax issues that may be critical for angel investors to understand, such as 83(b) elections, tax qualified stock options, and trading equity for services.  In addition, they will talk about tax loopholes for investors, the Colorado enterprise tax zone credit, and tax deductible philanthropic funds to support Colorado startups.

If you are in the Fort Collins area next week, be sure to sign up for this special event (free!) on May 31 at the Rocky Mountain Innosphere.

For those of you who know me, I have always loved being a musician.  For a while, I thought that I would make my living as a drummer, but the world conspired against me.  That being said, I couldn’t be grateful enough that I ended up as a venture capitalist.

Last year, I spearheaded the Foundry Group “I’m a VC” Video.  It was as ton of fun and I’m certainly proud of it, but musically it’s a parody song and I don’t have the same emotional attachment that I do with the real music that I create, especially those songs that I co-write with my business partner Ryan McIntyre for our band Legitimate Front.

Completely separately, I’m on the Executive board of the National Venture Capital Association, where I’m the Chairperson of the 2013 annual meeting, now called VentureScape 2013.  (Plug:  Sign up for the event!).  When I was drafted to come up with a different format than past years I knew that I wanted “fun” to be part of the event.

We decided to throw a huge party the night before the main event and thanks to Silicon Valley Bank, we are going to have a great event that revolves around….. wait for it….  MUSIC!  For the first time ever VCs are going to get together with their favorite folks and listen to world class music headlined by Pat Monahan of Train fame!

As part of the new format of the event (it’s not just the party, either, check out the agenda!), Emily Mendell, V.P. of Communications at NVCA created some great videos to promote the event.  Today’s video:  VC Rockstar Dreams and it features the music of Legitimate Front!  I love that Ray Rothrock and Marc Cadieux, both of whom will be performing as well, were in the video as well.

This is probably the closest that I’ll ever come to making a real video of my music, but it was a wonderful experience.  Check it out for yourself below.  And oh, yeah…. Come to the event, May 14th at the Great American Music Hall!

Notes:  Yes, that is really me lying on the street outside in San Francisco.  And yes, I was told that a person once died in the exact spot that I “performed” in.  All for the love of art.  Special thanks to Long Haul Films for a GREAT job.

Given my background as a recovering lawyer, I’m often asked by portfolio companies, friends, other VCs, etc. for attorney referrals.  I don’t get asked too often on routine matters, but the really important “bet  the company” stuff where counsel selection is critical.  Fortunately, I’ve had the pleasure to work with a lot of good folks which soothes my inner zen master, as so many lawyers are average at best.

However, literally every discussion I have is similar to this:

Me: “Hey, you should check out X, Y and Z for what you need.”

Them: “I did, thanks for the recommendations.  They are all great, but X is $500 and hour, Y is $650 and hour and Z is $850 an hour.  Therefore we are going with X.”

Me: “You realize that hourly rate is largely irrelevant?”

Them: “Huh?”

And thus a discussion ensures on why hourly rates are largely irrelevant.  Why is this the case?  Simple math: Total Bill = Hourly Rate X Hours billed.

In all my years of auditing lawyer bills, it’s the hours that always stand out.  The hours, in any complex matter are what spiral out of control.  In these big issue situations (litigation, patent stuff, M&A, IPOs, etc.), the amount of hours that an efficient and creative lawyer will save you far, far outweigh whatever hourly rate they may charge.  In fact, the higher hourly rates seem to have little or no effect on overall lawyer bills as I look across multiple companies, it’s all about the knowledge, experience and efficiency.

One simple decision, for instance the decision to not file a particular motion, response, fight an irrelevant issue, etc., will impact the total fees way more than an hourly rate.

So when you are shopping, do your diligence on the creativity, efficiency and deep domain knowledge the lawyer has.  The amount of hours you will save far surpass any difference in rate.

(***Caveat:  This doesn’t pertain to simple matters like company formation, typical venture financings, etc.  Also, at some point hourly rates DO matter, but I’m thinking of a lawyer who is  $1000 an hour and I would stake my reputation that his overall bills are lower than any of his peers for similar matters.)

Of all the projects Startup Colorado initiated in its first year, one of the most successful was Startup Summer, a summer internship program that combined a ten-week internship at a Denver/Boulder startup with a series of evening events focused on teaching the student-participants the fundamentals of entrepreneurism.  Last year 18 students worked with 14 companies in a variety of roles, from web developer to marketer.

Startup Colorado is now accepting applications for the second year of the Startup Summer program, which will be open until March 1st.

The program includes:

• A paid ten-week internship with a Front Range startup; the internship will include frequent interaction with the company founders and management team
• The Startup Summer seminar series, featuring prominent entrepreneurs teaching classes on entrepreneurship
• A weekly social event with business leaders in the community
• A close-knit community with your peers in Startup Summer
• An opportunity to interact weekly with a personal mentor experienced in startups and entrepreneurship

Like last year, Startup Summer is looking for students at colleges or universities who are aspiring entrepreneurs and want to accelerate their development by getting plugged in to one of the hottest startup scenes in the nation.  Unlike last year when the program was limited to students in Colorado, we are opening the program up to any student actively enrolled at a four-year program in the United States.

If you are a student at a four-year college with a passion for entrepreneurship, or know a student who would be interested, you can get more details and apply to Startup Summer here.

What is old is new.  Entrepreneurs  are stil being asked to pay to pitch.  It’s WRONG.

Two and a half years ago, I wrote a post about a Boston group trying to charge entrepreneurs $4500 to pitch venture capitalists at an event.  Many in the startup community were appalled by this especially folks like Jason Calacanis who created the Open Angel Forum specifically to create an event where entrepreneurs could gain free access to investors.

To quote my partner Seth:

THERE IS NO CIRCUMSTANCE IN WHICH ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD PAY TO PITCH THEIR BUSINESS TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS.

PERIOD. END OF STORY.

Microsoft, who had been a sponsor of the Boston event, terminated their relationship after the pay-to-pitch arrangement was publicized.  I thought all of this activity would die, but it’s 24+ months later and it looks like the idea has been resurrected.  And it makes me just as sick today as it did then.

Venture Summit | West, being held February 13th is an event looking to make money off of entrepreneurs who need to raise money.  The price?  $1585.00.  I suppose the good news is that if you apply and don’t make the cut, they don’t charge you.  But $1600 bucks to pitch VCs?  This is completely backwards and distasteful. They also offer startups a ticket for $400 if they just want to come and network with the VCs at the event.

They are charging the VCs to attend ($500) and they have a bracket for “others” at ($700).  So at least the investors are not getting a free ride on the backs of the entrepreneurs, but can we finally be done with trying to make money off of startups that don’t have any cash?  Come on folks, create a business model where you can make some money but NOT charge the entrepreneurs.  My bet is that many of the VC attendees have no idea this is even going on.

Lastly, if you are trying to raise money, do you homework.  You have many other outlets to meet VCs, including OAF, and simply going to VC websites and finding email addresses.  There are events all over the place where you can network and / or pitch.  Even online.

I hope that companies aren’t taken in by their slick marketing materials.

One of our portfolio companies, Sympoz has announced the launch of their programs targeting startup entrepreneurs.  Even better, the series stars some of my favorite people in startup land:  my partner Brad Feld, along with Brad Bernthal of the University of Colorado Law School and Mike Platt , partner at Cooley LLP.  We teach you everything that we know in this comprehensive video series.

Thinking about doing your first startup? Perhaps you’re a startup veteran, who has the bumps and bruises to prove it, looking to jump back in?

Let us help you maximize the opportunity and do it right.

Brad’s class, How To Light a Spark & Set Your Startup on Fire, is FREE for a limited time.  Brad has lived the startup story over and over. He offers straight-shooting advice: Does your idea have market potential? Is it the right idea for you? Brad’s raw and pragmatic advice will lead you to consider the competition, examine your motivation and be honest about your level of passion and commitment.

Brad Bernthal and I, who have for several years taught an oversubscribed course at the CU Boulder Law School, are joined by Mike in teaching, The Nuts and Bolts of Starting a Company. In this class, which includes over 4 hours of instruction for just $29.99, we join forces to teach you things your lawyer and venture capitalist may not want you to know. How to turn an idea into a company. Who to partner with. How to seek out money and what to do with it when you get it. You’ll learn what to put in your pitch deck, what not to say to a VC, and 15 common mistakes that will kill your startup before it gets off the ground.  And a lot, lot more…

For those of you who have read Venture Deals, consider this a great summary of some topics in the book, but more heavy on the business side of equation, with the benefits of interactivity between you and the instructors.

Sympoz classes are perfect for busy people; you can watch the professionally produced, HD videos anytime, anywhere on the planet, from any Internet-connected device, as often as you want. The Sympoz learning platform seamlessly blends discussions into the class experience, enabling you to ask questions of, and participate in conversations with your class community, including your instructors.

So, what are you waiting for? Join us in class!

I co-teach a class at the University of Colorado Law School called “VC 360.”  We have both MBA and JD candidates and the course deals with all things in the entrepreneurial / venture ecosystem.

Each year, we have a pitch day where one entrepreneur comes in and pitches me.  The students get to watch.  The entrepreneur and I get an hour together and then the students get to ask questions for 20 minutes.

This is a real pitch.  It’s not any different than if someone comes to our offices, but there is a “studio audience.”

So if you are interested in pitching Foundry Group and want to do something great for the Boulder education community, let me know.  I can only take one.  Priority will be given to ideas that fit within the Foundry Group investment themes and are understandable by students.  Also there is a bias toward local entrepreneurs to Colorado, as I hate making folks travel to see me.

The pitch date is 10/1 at 8am in Boulder.  Either email me or leave a comment and I’ll let you know.  Thanks for the consideration.

Every day I get many unsolicited emails asking for either my time or my checkbook.  Most of them make me feel like I’m on a mailing list, as they clearly are from folks whom have done little to no research on me or Foundry Group.  It’s not like I’m looking for entrepreneurs to do a lot of research on us and try to kiss my butt, rather it’s attractive when someone does their homework and understands why further conversation may be relevant.

So what should one do if cold contacting a VC?  I’ve always counseled entrepreneurs to try to personally connect to the VC.  Find a similarity in backgrounds, a common hobby, tell a good joke, etc.  Today, one such entrepreneur hit a home run in this respect and I’d like to share what he did correctly.

1. He acknowledged that he’s read Venture Deals and after reading an interview I did with the Berklee Music Business Journal, thought that I might make a good fit for his company that is loosely in the music ecosystem.

2. He didn’t just throw out the book and article, but referenced them.  Quote:

I read an interview you gave to the Berklee “Music Business Journal” in May in which you said,  ”I answer every email that says, “Dear Jason, I’m a former drummer and I’ve started this company.” Well, sad to say I’m only a piano player, however for one semester when I was at Michigan I had the key to the back door of Hill Auditorium, and used to sneak in in the middle of the night to play the concert grand on stage. (The security guard who caught me one night let me stay, so I must not have been completely terrible…?)

3. Then he went the extra mile and made a parody of our I’m a VC video.

It’s a must watch, especially the end, where he cons a family member to renact our shower scene.  (If you haven’t seen our video, it’s here).

4. After the attention-grabbing intro, he listed 5 bullet points of what he is working on including traction numbers.

5. Then he dove a bit more deeply into the market and then closed with letting me know that I’m the first guy he is contacting.

How on earth could I not take a meeting?  He’s got a good sense of humor, he’s clearly done his homework and he’s put some effort into the email.  I haven’t even had the call yet, but I’m looking forward to meeting him.

Yes, it’s a sample size of one, but he did a great job.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about lawyer attendance at board meetings.  Normally, most venture-focused law firms attend board meetings free of charge.  And like most things in life, people value things by how much they pay for them.  (If you don’t believe me, check out the healthcare and education industries, to name a few).

This isn’t to mean that I don’t value counsel’s opinions on the company, rather, many times I feel badly for the attorney who is sitting in an hours long board meeting while I know (from my past life) that they have many other clients needing their help, all along the while they are bored and sneaking in peeks of their Blackberry*

It’s time to be more considerate to our lawyers who are already volunteering their time.  Effective immediately, I’m going to recommend to all the companies that I’m involved with to take the following approach to board meeting agendas.

1. Start with a 5-15 minute overview of the company.  This is a quick status update, quick financial update, the “good, bad and ugly” and what agenda topics the CEO wants to talk about with the board.  This will give the lawyer (and the board) a backdrop to which have all other conversations;

2. Then immediately jump into the administrative stuff like option grants, approvals, etc.  If there are any legal issues out there, discuss them upfront;

3. Then let the lawyer go if he / she wants.  If they want to stick around, by all means they are invited to, but if they have better things to do, then so be it.  We get it.  It’s not a secret that we aren’t their  only client.  If we were, we wouldn’t want them as our lawyer; and

4. Business / strategy part of the board section.  If any legal issues come up, we can loop back in the lawyer later.

Note that with the quick hit summary upfront, a properly skilled and attentive lawyer may determine that they should stick around for other parts of the discussion.  That is absolutely cool.  Also, on some of my boards, the lawyers have become valuable business advisors, so this idea might not actually change the way they do business, but for the majority of folks I think this will have a positive impact.

I’ve done this recently at a couple of board meetings and each time, the lawyer has sent me a thank you note.  And my belief is that most of the good lawyer folks out there will remember who treats their time with respect and when push comes to shove will try extra hard for the clients they like the most.  In short, everyone wins.

(*  Yes, Blackberry.  Still not sure how y’all deal with that crummy piece of hardware, but good luck with that).

The 4^th annual CU New Venture Challenge has come and gone and the student entrepreneurs have only gotten more impressive.  Now in its fourth year, over 40 companies entered the competition with six of these teams moving to the finals. One of the finalists received a grant from the Department of Energy and many of the finalists were operating companies.  I’m proud of how the CU NVC has evolved from a business plan competition into business creation competition.

The winner this year was Rideorama.   Rideorama is a marketplace for carpooling to and from Denver International Airport.  If you need a ride, you can post a ride request to Rideorama so drivers can find you or search Rideorama to find drivers.  If you are driving, you can search Rideorama to find passengers or post a ride offer so passengers can find you.  Drivers offset their costs and passengers get cheap, direct travel.  This team of entrepreneurs includes two students from CU and their friends that moved to Boulder to start this business.  Their simple, innovative solution has the potential to solve the annoying problem of finding someone to take you to the airport.

The Rideorama team also demoed their product at Boulder Beta during Boulder Startup Week.  Their passion for this business showed in their presentation again as they won the people’s choice award at this event as well.

Try out Rideorama the next time you need to get to or from Denver International Airport and give these guys feedback to help them improve their website.  I know they would greatly appreciate it.

If you want to know more about the team and their service, check out the short profile the Colorado Daily did on Rideorama earlier this month.