Next Coast VenturesNext Coast Ventures
Our motto is “for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs,” so we have created a series on the journeys of our founders. We know that not one journey is like the other. Therefore, here is another in our ‘A-typical’ Entrepreneurial Journey series. Founder Spotlight: Darren Nix, founder and president at Steadily Steadily, was created by industry experts to […]
A short, two question quiz might just save five years of your life (and a hell of a lot of pain).
Our motto is “for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs,” so we have created a series on the journeys of our founders. We know that not one journey is like the other. Therefore, here is another in our ‘A-typical’ Entrepreneurial Journey series.
An unusual way to get feedback might be the secret to unlocking your entrepreneurial dreams.
The world is filled with blog posts and clickbait that will tell you the seven hacks you need to do to become super successful, wealthy, and powerful and to climb the corporate ladder. These drive me nuts for multiple reasons! It seems so easy – like any other “hack” – and for the most part provides very little in terms of actionable, specific ideas that you can actually put into place.
Our motto is “for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs,” so we have created a series on the journeys of our founders. We know that not one journey is like the other. Therefore, here is another in our ‘A-typical’ Entrepreneurial Journey series.
The greatest part of my day job as a venture capitalist is the inspiration I draw from watching amazing Founders take a crazy concept, work tirelessly, and sacrifice a ton with the sole purpose of turning a dream into a reality. I recognize how hard the entrepreneurial journey is – and I know full well of the ups and downs that the job brings.
Q3 2020–We’ve been busy, to say the least! From team expansions to completing over five new investments to watching our portfolio companies hit the headlines, we are excited to share with you what Next Coast has been up to. Here’s your Quarterly Dose of ATXnology from Next Coast Ventures where we recap what articles, projects and industry news caught our eye these past few months.
Enjoy, y’all!
We know that not one journey is like the other. Therefore, here is the first in our series on the ‘A-typical’ Entrepreneurial Journey. As you get to know our founders on both a professional and personal level, we hope you can learn something along the way.
Today we are proud to announce that we are adding Anthony Walker to the team as a Principal! Anthony has amazing experience, brings a deep investment perspective and is a “hard working, get stuff done” professional. Just like the entrepreneurs we back, Anthony has the “glass eater” mindset and truly understands what it takes for a business to become successful.
Medium interviewed a founder of one of our portfolio companies, Adelle Archer, the CEO of Eterneva. Founded in 2017, Eterneva is a consumer technology company that creates diamonds from cremated ashes.
As a follow-up to our July blog post introducing our Themes 2.0, we want to more formally share our thoughts on our two “newest” themes: Communities, Not Social Networks, and Self-Care Hacking. In many ways, these themes are not new to us but rather are evolutionary in nature given past themes and various investments. But this is the first time we have put pen to paper to explicitly and publicly share our investment theses around them.
When everything feels uncertain and out of control, the one thing you can control is between your ears. Some call it grit. Some call it stubbornness. I prefer simply persistence. A persistent mindset is the only thing that will keep your head above water despite the deluge around you. It will allow you to remain focused and keep plugging away at your business goals no matter what. But it won’t happen overnight — it takes daily practice and dedication.
We are thrilled to be partnering with successful entrepreneur Adam Rogers as he joins our Entrepreneurs Council. Since day one, NCV has been ‘built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs’ and the Entrepreneurs Council is a direct result of that mission. As a member of the Council, Adam will provide invaluable experience to our portfolio companies and will help us expand our footprint in ‘Next Coast’ markets.
Are you selling your product features or are you selling to their biggest, and often unarticulated, need? Here are some tips to help you discover your “Missing Million” value prop.
Today, we are excited to announce our partnership with DivInc, an organization that is transforming the entrepreneurial ecosystem into a more authentically inclusive environment. Since 2016, DivInc has been dedicated to helping underrepresented founders build successful businesses. It has provided more than 70 founders and 64 tech and tech-enabled companies with strategies and resources to help grow their businesses.
We are excited to announce Cotter Cunningham is joining NCV as our newest Entrepreneur in Residence today. Cotter is an entrepreneur and CEO with a great track record of developing and leading technology and consumer businesses. His most recent success was as Founder, CEO & Chairman at RetailMeNot. Cotter’s background is very much in sync with the NCV themes and early stage investment strategy.
For decades, the question, What type of work are you in? had a straightforward answer. Most people did a specific job for a business in a defined industry. If you started a business on your own, it was in a particular sector, like travel, or food, or retail. Business investors followed the same path.
COVID-19 has brought about changes in the workplace that no one was expecting. Earlier this week we held a Portfolio2Portfolio working session for our founders from five of our portfolio companies on the topic of Returning to Work. We wanted to share some key takeaways from the discussion.
For many entrepreneurs, the last month has been the most challenging time in their careers. But it’s also a time when employees, customers, and colleagues are looking to company founders for leadership and guidance. What should you say to people who are concerned about their jobs and their future?
In this unprecedented time in history, we know we don’t have all the answers. But we do have experience and empathy. We asked members of our Entrepreneurs Council and leaders of the firm about how entrepreneurs should think about their business right now.
So was this a “deal” or a “life mission”? The answer depends on your perspective. And for both sides to achieve the outcome they’re looking for, it pays to understand the other side’s perspective.
In tough times, clear direction and consistency with strong values can build enduring cultural advantages.
“Closed our second fund, doubled the size of our team, had multiple portfolio exits and added six new portfolio companies. Needless to say, 2019 was busy. “
“This fund was really made possible by the hard work of all the entrepreneurs we have had the privilege to work with since we founded Next Coast Ventures.”
We look forward to working with her as we continue our relentless search for the best and the brightest entrepreneurs in Next Coast markets.”
“During Sarah’s residency, she will focus on incubating ideas and solutions centered around the changing nature of digital assets and their consumption.”
“New deals, new exits and new team members. Needless to say summer slowdown is not a thing for Next Coast Ventures.”
“Since day one, NCV has been ‘built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs’ and the Entrepreneurs Council is a direct result of that mission.”
Now that summer is almost over and everybody’s going back to school, we decided to take a look back at the undergraduate and MBA courses that helped shape our worldview as entrepreneurs. Once we started reflecting on these courses, we realized that they’re not the typical core classes you’d expect – so we reached out […]
“Jonathan will be responsible for all operations of our firm, including financial planning and reporting, investor relations, legal, HR, compliance and the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts.”
“We are always first and foremost looking for the very best entrepreneurs building disruptive businesses in Next Coast markets, and Vinay and his team couldn’t fit the bill any better.”
“This funding is one of the top-10 largest Series B rounds in the state’s history.”
“Selling against inertia (or ‘do nothing,’ ‘no decision’) is a bitch.”
“Through numerous strong additions to our portfolio, expanding our Venture Partner program and ramping up our E2E programming, we couldn’t be prouder of our entrepreneurs’ accomplishments in 2018.”
The holiday season is often about taking time away from work to spend with family and friends, but as entrepreneurs ourselves, we know that is no easy feat for a founder.
“I think there is something to be said about these two women coming in and selling technology made by women, for women.”
“The interesting element of becoming a B Corp, is that by actually considering all of your stakeholders when you make business decisions, you ultimately create businesses that have higher returns to investors.”
“Navegate is an integrated logistics platform that helps facilitate global supply chains through their software platform and global network of logistics experts.”
“It is shortsighted to believe that as talent, innovation and capital spread from the Valley that its influence won’t come with it – and there is clearly enough to go around.”
“Prideful entrepreneurs don’t tend to do that well unless they’re insanely lucky.”
“While nothing can truly prepare an entrepreneur for their first sale of a company, we hear time and again from our clients about steps they wish they had taken earlier to make the process run more smoothly.”
How a simple 2×2 matrix can help you become a better entrepreneur by focusing on the key difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
“I want to develop a relationship with those folks to make sure I cover them and they want to be covered by us — it’s a two-way street.”
important when you’re doing diligence on an idea that bridges generational gaps.”
Next Coast Ventures is proud to announce that we have led the Series A round in Austin-based 101 Commerce, a multi-brand ecommerce platform targeting the ‘Fulfillment by Amazon’ (FBA) marketplace.
“I think everybody in the tech investment community will be paying their associates partly in crypto by 2020.”
“One, simple conversation with a mentor led me to realize that a Board can be the pivotal difference between success and failure during your entrepreneurial journey.”
“Jason will focus on helping Next Coast and its portfolio companies with consumer trends, brand building and customer acquisition.”
“Organic doesn’t just happen organically.”
“If you are not optimizing day in and day out, and really growth hacking the platform, you’re toast.”
“We went on to explore triggers, histories, personality traits, and several other factors that brought us closer together.”
“Just because an investor has previous successes doesn’t mean he or she is a good match for your company.”
“Mentors give you the context, guidance and support you need when you may not know how to move forward.”
“Sales excellence and hiring great sales leadership is the most important determinant of success for a high-growth company looking to scale.
“Jeff is joining our team as a Venture Partner where he will focus on helping our portfolio companies with all aspects of organizational design, talent acquisition and executive development.”
“Let me tell you a dirty little secret: time management doesn’t always come naturally, especially to entrepreneurs that become executives.”
“Innovators are consumed with crossing the chasm, but when they take other people’s money they also need to practice good governance — here are six governance principles they can rely on.”
“When you think about how you cook today, it’s largely been done with an oven or a grill or a recipe in a way that hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years.”
We send you this content in our Quarterly Dose of ATXnology newsletter, but we’re going to start sharing some monthly content we’re loving as well.
“The number one thing is to make it easy for the board to give you productive advice.”
“Thinking about inclusion early on and pursuing it actively is a strategically smart thing to do.”
We send you this content in our Quarterly Dose of ATXnology newsletter, but we’re going to start sharing some monthly content we’re loving as well.
Today, Next Coast Ventures is proud to announce that we have led the $8mm Series B round in Austin-based AlertMedia.
We are adding Paul Rogers and Jim Dunham as Technology Venture Partners, and Adam Salamon as our very first Entrepreneur in Residence.
As Austin’s vibrant ecosystem of entrepreneurial activity gets even hotter, it’s in the right place to take the game up a notch and redefine what the next sweet spot is for successful innovation.
We are thrilled to have an opportunity to host what we think will be a killer panel presentation, but we need some help (see below).
At the end of the day, a board meeting should help provide perspective on recent performances and practical advice concerning future challenges. CEOs should leave a meeting exhausted, frustrated and skeptical—but also enthused, accomplished and eager to get to work.
In this Ideas to Invoices podcast, Young discusses what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur and what she looks for when making an investment.
Next Coast Ventures might be able to afford to lose $1 million on an investment, but can an entrepreneur afford to lose five to ten years of their life working on a startup that doesn’t hit it big?
When we set out to build Next Coast Ventures, one theme omnipresent throughout every discussion persisted—we wanted to create a firm “built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.”
What entrepreneurs can learn from politicians – even Donald Trump – about public speaking and influencing your key constituents.
As an entrepreneur involved with two highly successful full-stack technology businesses, I spent fifteen years curiously wondering how venture capitalists make decisions.
Before making the decision of becoming an entrepreneur, you really need to do a gut-chuck. Are you willing to make big-time sacrifices? Ready for lots of unpredictability?
For any recurring revenue business, there are seven key reasons why the Customer Success function should report directly to the CEO and NOT the Head of Sales.
Five lessons on how mentors can help you keep moving forward on your entrepreneurial journey.
What I learned from Bruce Dunlevie, Bill Campbell, Marc Andreessen and Al Davis about creating, building and managing a world-class board of directors.
