Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

Go after monolithic markets

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Alex Taussig

One of the great things about moving from one place to another is all the free stuff people leave behind. A few weeks ago, Highland shuffled out of its decade-long digs on Route 2W in Lexington, MA and headed over … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Technology | 2 Comments

Peter Thiel and the definite future

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Alex Taussig

I attended a discussion with Peter Thiel yesterday at Harvard Business School. This is my second time hearing Peter speak in the last 12 months, and I find his brand of intellectual honesty quite refreshing in the age of politicized, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Technology | 7 Comments

“Strategic” customers are a myth.

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Alex Taussig

Lots of small companies will do anything to sign up a big customer. Startups often make concessions of two varieties: We’ll give you more stuff (read: features/support). You give us less stuff (read: money). Often, when we meet companies who … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship | 4 Comments

interview to venture: Episode 2, Bit9

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Alex Taussig

Last time on interview to venture, I sat down with Boris Revsin, co-founder & CEO of CampusLIVE. Boris is a first-time CEO in his 20’s and is building a consumer internet company that is transforming the way college kids interact … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Interview, Software, Technology | Leave a comment

How to build a sales-driven financial model (a.k.a. The post I ALMOST wrote)

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Alex Taussig

We’ve all had it happen. One evening, you sit down at your dining room table to write a killer blog post. You fire up your Mac Book Pro, brew some herbal tea, and put WordPress.com into “quiet mode.” With a … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Venture capital | Leave a comment

Focus, focus, focus.

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Alex Taussig

Last week, my friends at OpenView Labs published an interview of me and a few other VCs (Phin Barnes, Brad Feld, and Rob Go). Each of us was asked the same two questions. You can read the full article here, … Continue reading →

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Are you practicing too much?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Alex Taussig

Practice makes perfect. Whether memorizing lines for a play, learning to play a rockin’ guitar solo, or pitching your company, practice is an important part of getting your message across. Everyone knows this, so everyone practices as much as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship | 1 Comment

The puzzle piece that doesn’t exist.

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Alex Taussig

(Warning: this post gets a bit “meta.”) After 10 years of iTunes usage, I finally shelled out $17.99 to buy my first audiobook: Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw. With Gladwell seemingly whispering in my ear in his unmistakable tenor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Venture capital | 2 Comments

But, does it scale?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Alex Taussig

Venture capitalists can ask a bunch of dumb questions. Well, maybe “dumb” is the wrong word; “repetitive” is probably more accurate. How many times do you have to explain how you acquire users, how big your market is, or what … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Software, Technology | 4 Comments

interview to venture: Episode 1, CampusLIVE

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Alex Taussig

This week, I took a break from the written word and videotaped myself interviewing Boris Revsin, CEO and co-founder of one of Highland’s newest portfolio companies: CampusLIVE. I’ll be doing more of this in coming weeks, so stay tuned for … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Interview | 1 Comment