May 2013
9 posts
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Checking it Off
Adrenaline. Miami, 2013.
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Telling a Story
My roommate in college went through the extremely bureaucratic process of designing her own major. After much research she chose to study: “The Narrative: The Art of Storytelling.” It was a combination of history, comparative literature, and social studies. Her goal was to map the way in which historians, technologists, and artists frame their impact. The types of impact she studied...
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What Eve Taught Me About Venture Capital
Eve Revisited
A few days ago I was invited to attend an event sponsored by The XX Project - a community for women who are leaders and mentors in their respective industries.
The XX Project invited Soledad O’Brien to interview Eve, Grammy winner, songwriter, female MC, actress — and most importantly, the first female rapper I was exposed to as a teenager.
I went to support the project, not...
Four More Years
Today my sister accepted her offer to be a part of Stanford’s Class of 2017. I am so excited for her.
Paradise, awaits.
April 2013
2 posts
A Sad Goodbye
Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, and often called the “most powerful pundit in America”, died yesterday at age 70. Three days ago, on April 2nd at 9:37 pm, he posted what would become his last column titled “A Leave of Presence.”
I have never heard the term – leave of presence – before, but it encapsulates all that I believe when it comes to leaving an indelible mark in...
March 2013
3 posts
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Just the Numbers
Will NYC ever compete with Silicon Valley as ‘the’ hub for technology? I get asked this question almost on a daily basis and although I think there are qualitative reasons to support NYC, the numbers provide a different story.
Dan Primack’s Term Sheet is one of my favorite morning emails. He is probably the most trusted source of daily venture capital and private equity...
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
– - St. Augustine
A good reminder to remember one of my 2013 resolutions: Travel. Travel when its unnecessary; Travel when its inconvenient; Travel where you feel most uncomfortable. See the world fearlessly this year.
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A New Parallel: Similarities between the mobile ad...
Before venture capital, I worked in the mobile advertising space. I started when mobile ad networks were at their peak (summer of 2010: post Admob and Quattro acquisition.) Many veterans will tell you that it was both an exciting and stressful time to be a close second to the Google’s and Apple’s of the world.
Today, more than two years later, I am seeing many similarities between...
January 2013
5 posts
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Follow Your Passion
This is the worst advice I have ever received. And I’ve found that a lot of people in their mid to late 20’s feel the same way.
Since the first day of college, passion was the law of the land. We were told to “Read!”, “Learn!”, “Explore!”. We had four years to run after what we found most inspiring. It sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? A four...
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Bessemer is Hiring!
Excited to announce that we are seeking a part-time programmer to do some software development work for the firm.
Details:
- You can be a young ambitious student or a programmer looking for extra work
- Spend as little as 5-10 hours per week and as many as 20 hours per week
- Able to learn new web APIs and run analyses on data sets
- The role could become full time if we find a good fit
...
“success does not always come easy. it may even elude you a few times, but if you...”
– Winston Churchill
“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the...”
– Roald Dahl
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Borrowing New Year Thoughts
From my favorite blog “Cupcakes and Cashmere” - making realistic resolutions.
“Light candles with dinner. Climb back into bed on the weekends without feeling guilty. Plan a vacation. Wear high heels to brunch with friends. Spend more time outside. Be nicer to myself. Eat breakfast for dinner. Rearrange furniture. Visit more museums. Host monthly game nights. Take cooking...
Happy New Year! (DJ Earworm, Thank You!) →
December 2012
4 posts
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Not So Fancy Economics
We have all been inundated with talk of the U.S. economic climate, especially with the impending ‘fiscal cliff’. Having had exposure to both public and private markets, I’ve been taught that an accurate picture of the economy has to come from both sides of the table – the government and the consumer. Below, I have outlined three simple factors that may help paint the current state of affairs. The...
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The City
There are many songs about New York and I’ve heard a lot of them. Yet, every time I hear Joe Purdy’s ‘The City’, it seems to encapsulate New York perfectly (the bad, the good, the ambiguous). The lyrics are below but you really have to listen to it to understand.
—-
The city keeps on going…on. Float down the river with my Iddy and Jay Get off the boat and...
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Now and Then: Why My Sunrise Doesn't Matter...
Several days ago, I took this awesome picture of the sunrise from my bedroom window but forgot to share it on Facebook or Twitter until today.
Before I pressed the share button, I felt like I was cheating my audience. The picture did not seem as valuable having been in my camera roll for so many days.
My hesitation surprised me. Why did instant footage, live data, or real-time coverage matter...
November 2012
2 posts
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Election Night
Last night at the nail salon, I happened to sit next to a middle-aged man who was getting a manicure. He seemed like a frequent client because the manicurist knew all about his upcoming surgery, thanksgiving trip to Colorado, and home in Long Island. Quickly, the conversation shifted to politics. He refused to tell her who he voted for but asked, “Do you think your man is going to win...
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How to Pitch to a VC
I recently wrote a guest blog post for Women 2.0 - an organization I really respect for the work they have done for female entrepreneurs. I remember first hearing about them when they helped co-host the Stanford Women in Business conference back in 2008. They have continued to influence the technology scene in the valley and are hosting a Pitch NYC competition in New York this month. Click here...
October 2012
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September 2012
2 posts
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Music: Still No Clear Winner – And That’s Okay!
Markets like the music market are often ripe for disruption when they have remained stagnant for several years. Though iTunes single-song disruption and device innovation pulled consumers away from repetitive album purchase cycles, piracy remains the number one threat for the music industry.
Innovation is a product often found in what I like to call the “sweet spot” - that AHA moment...
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Why I Gave Up Birchbox
I am a beauty product addict which is why when Birchbox started – I was in consumer heaven. Samples every month? Yes! How can I sign up?
Not only was I a big fan, it was all I talked about with my friends and family. I probably gifted it to three people as birthday presents as well. Receiving a pink box Month 1 and 2 was a veritable pleasure, but with time the lust period wavered. I no longer...
August 2012
6 posts
“Live your life like Jay-Z at Glastonbury.”
– http://jasonhirschhorn.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/08/jay-z-is-a-model-for-entrepreneurs.html
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The Pervasiveness of Facebook
I went to a Coldplay concert two weekends ago and left with two key revelations.
(1) I underestimated the power of live music. Coldplay, in particular, is incredible.
(2) The pervasiveness of Facebook is indubitable.
I’m sure you are all tired of hearing about Facebook. It’s $100 Billion valuation, its less-than-stellar IPO, and alas, its pervasiveness. I live in the tech world so this is usual...
New York Mosaics from Discarded MetroCards →
Uniquely NYC…
“We think we live in the world. We think we live in a set of circumstances, but...”
– Lynne Twist, The Soul of Money
For The Truly Geeky →
A digital media company that boasts interactive video technology. You have to see for yourself to realize how amazing it is (click on the link for a preview.) This is the future of advertising. Taking ‘personalization’ to a whole new level.
July 2012
9 posts
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Yelp & Foursquare: Bolstering the Consumer...
I am a huge foodie and New York has only worsened my obsession with trying out new restaurants and coffee shops.
I’ve always had a structured routine when it comes to choosing restaurants. I usually scour blogs or magazines or reference back to my long google doc on referrals from friends and family (I told you I was obsessed!) After I pick 2-3 restaurants from the list (with little prior...
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Five Things {July 16th - July 20th}
{Goodbyes & Rooftops with a great group of people. BVP has become family.}
{The little things. A good cup of coffee, great music, and an unbelievable book make my commute special.}
{It is rare that one cooks in NYC. Made brunch for the family this weekend. Lots of eggs, spices and smiles.}
{I spent July 4th in Florida. Lots of sun, breakfast in bed, and time with my sister.}
{We...
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Show & Tell: The Story Behind The Startup...
Last week I was graciously invited by Sloane Barbour to speak at the Tech in Motion panel sponsored by Jobspring Partners and MeetupNY to talk about how to build a business off of a tech platform. 130 people attended. I spoke alongside two incredibly talented executives: Andy Parsons, Co-Founder and CTO at Happify and Aleksandr Yampolskiy, CTO of Cinchcast and BlogTalkRadio.
Three leading NYC...
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June 2012
4 posts
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“At 22, you pretty much are guaranteed to have a chip on your shoulder and...”
– “A chip on your shoulder” - Nabeel Hyatt
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Five Things {June 4th - June 8th}
{I spent Tuesday afternoon at the WeWork Labs office with teams of entrepreneurs. We talked about everything from equity/cash splits for developers to sales cycles. WeWork is an incredible asset to the NYC startup community.}
{Free coffee in this fabulous WeWork mug. Clever isn’t it?}
{One of my favorite parts of the week was catching up with my college roommate and best friend who...
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Five Things {May 28th - June 1st}
{I went to Paris over Memorial Day Weekend with two of my best friends. I had been to Paris 3 times before but this time was like no other. We were on a budget and discovered the city on foot. Every nook and corner took my breath away. This particular shot is the Louvre from inside the Jardin Des Tuileries.}
{This was our first meal in Paris after we landed. I have never had such unbelievable...
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Hosting Office Hours - Help Now, Think Later
It has been an interesting month for women in tech amidst the KPCB allegations and the consistent stream of posts and tweets on the lack of female entrepreneurs (despite an increase in the amount of female-led startups.)
I’ve personally spent a lot of time thinking about the gender gap within technology from both ends of the spectrum, startups and venture and have found that we are plagued...
May 2012
12 posts
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Five Things {May 21st - May 25th}
One of my favorite blogs is Emily Schuman’s Cupcakes and Cashmere. I visit it 2-3 times a day. Emily invented the “Five Things” post and I’m inspired to do the same on this blog.
{Grand Central still takes my breath away. 2 times a day. Every day.}
{This week in the tech world, few people talked of much else. I love this shot of Zuck looking slightly uncomfortable.}
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