Certain universities are known to produce a high number of funded startup founders. These schools tend to share certain qualities: prestige, large STEM programs, research prowess and proximity to concentrations of investor capital. At CrunchBase, we set out to quantify the comparative track records of such institutions. We started with a list of top U.S. research universities. Using… Read MoreSource: TechCrunch
Expectations are ridiculously high as Westworld rides onto HBO tonight. The first season cost a reported $100 million to make, and it's being pitched in some quarters as the new Game of Thrones. When you've got any TV show with that much hype, some disappointment seems inevitable, but judging from the first two episodes, Westworld is even better than anticipated. Based on a 1973…
The latest sports phenomenon sweeping the globe wasn't represented at the Olympic Games in Rio; it doesn't require an intense physical training regimen or even traditional sports equipment. We're talking about e-sports — competitive video gaming — and the opportunities for huge windfalls for players and advertisers are immense. But the real money up for grabs here…
On Thursday night, at an insider event I'd organized in my second but closely related life as the founder of StrictlyVC, I interviewed famed entrepreneur-investor Marc Andreessen, whose most recent headline-grabbing maneuver (intentionally or not) was to take a Twitter break one week ago. I talked with Andreessen about why he has had enough of the social media platform for now, along with…
The Gillmor Gang — Robert Scoble, Keith Teare, Kevin Marks, and Steve Gillmor. Recorded live Saturday, October 1, 2016. The Gang announces its version of the Alexa Prize, TrumpBot: an undisclosed amount of virtual tax breaks to the first person to create a chatbot that speaks intelligently for 20 seconds. Believe me, it will be great. @stevegillmor, @scobleizer, @kevinmarks, @kteare…
While most founders want to make a boatload of money, achieving a stunning exit is not the only driver for most entrepreneurs. Many are fueled by the challenge of solving a problem or producing something meaningful. Some want to make a corporate commitment to social responsibility by organizing their business as a B Corporation, with a mission to do good written into the governing documents.
Let's start with a bit of background. How did you get into angel investing? I was one of the early folks at eBay and by 1999 it was completely overrun by consultants from McKinsey, Bain and BCG. It went from being a cool fun startup to an MBA factory. Angel investing was an outlet for me to hang out with people I liked– startup founders doing crazy stuff! Where did you get the money…