Income inequality has finally floated to the surface of the news. It’s nice to see this issue being talked about, but much of what I’m seeing is focused on the symptoms, with solutions like “just pay the workers more”. What I’d prefer are some opinions on the root causes, purposefully plural as this is not a simple issue. I believe I have uncovered one such hidden cause. It lies down in the...
The results of an investment (in an early-stage startup) depend not only on the success of that startup, but also on the form of the investment. A sophisticated investor is going to be nodding right now, thinking about liquidation preferences and other common add-on’s to equity investments. But at the same time, those sophisticated investors likely have a majority of their investments in a state...
After a decade and a half starting and building startups, I woke up one morning with the desire to help other entrepreneurs. I thought it might be possible for them not to repeat all the mistakes I’ve made myself, and seen my friends make. I thought they might like to have a serial entrepreneur to call upon for advice. This epiphany came to me before the latest wave of entrepreneurial...
Speaking about assumptions, there is a long-held belief by the regulators in Washington D.C. and all 50 States that the masses can’t be trusted with investments. An assumption dating back from the 1929 stock market crash. An event now 85 years old, from an era when my grandparents were children. Meanwhile, back in 2009, a small startup in Brooklyn took a small step toward breaking this...
