Christine's Profile

Christine added a favorite at Christine

Oct 26, 2012

Kickstarter has curated its projects heavily (I've been rejected myself!) - in part to assure that the majority of projects can be successfully funded. It's not clear yet how this can scale over time. IndieGoGo appears to curate less, but still have satisfied funders. Wonder what the difference is? As equity crowdfunding becomes established, I would expect similar patterns (initially more curation, lessening over time as scale develops and/or as crowd sophistication matures and so forth.

Commented Oct 24, 2012 on Through Growth, Crowdfunding Continues Its Search For Identity at Christine

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Through Growth, Crowdfunding Continues Its Search For Identity

Thanks to the success of platforms such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, crowdfunding has become mainstream. Even among the trailblazers here at CrowdConf 2012, however, it's still a controversial topic. The impending passage of the JOBS Act has highlighted many practical implementation challenges. What can crowdfunding be used for? Who benefits? How does it work? Competing - sometimes conflicting - crowdfunding models not only deliver different benefits, but also have different challenges. The stakes are high: as the space becomes more defined, and standards more firmly established, the opportunity for disruption is massive. Fundraisers: Realizing Ideas vs. Building Businesses Most traditionally venture-backed entrepreneurs that use crowdfunding are only using it for a portion of their round (say, 20%) as vs. the... Continue reading

Posted Oct 23, 2012 at Christine

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Rebel Unit Seeking (Paid!) Video Agency Interns

Rebel Unit is looking for three interns (20-40 hours/week) to support production, operations, and creative. Paid positions. Office in downtown SF, walkable to BART. (Transparency note: my husband Shannon is the CEO/co-founder and positions would report to him.) Rebel Unit clients are primarily tech - Salesforce, Zuora, Docusign, etc – and they produce story content like this: They've been too busy to write up job reqs (they went straight from producing all Dreamforce content to a big Brazilian gig, and are in bleeding need of more bandwidth) but here are some standard-looking descriptions I "borrowed" online. Take them as general gist as vs actual job specifics. Production Intern: You will work closely with our producers and editors, assisting them in... Continue reading

Posted Oct 12, 2012 at Christine

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Changing the Ratio: Can Angel Investing Drive Gender Balance?

Earlier today, Dave McClure of 500 Startups wrote a controversial (surprise, surprise) TechCrunch post, exhorting women that want more representation in tech to "shut up and put your money where your mouth is." The essential point is that you can't change the ratio just by adding women speakers to conference agendas, or by investing in a few token female founders. Rather, let any woman chip away at gender imbalance by engaging in the community as an investor, one small check at a time. Even better, commit to do so publicly by taking the WIN Challenge. Though Dave isn't the most tactful person, there's solid logic here: ACTIVITY: Individual women make small investments of $5,000 - $10,000 INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES: Individual women... Continue reading

Posted Jul 19, 2012 at Christine

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Aww...@ Marcos who doesn't love working with you? No one gives me capoeira lessons in the parking lot at lunchtime any more. ;)

Commented Jun 6, 2012 on Looking for a 'Partner in Crime' at Intel Capital at Christine

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Looking for a 'Partner in Crime' at Intel Capital

We recently announced that Intel Capital Director Baris Aksoy is headed to Turkey to lead our new Istanbul office. As suspected, this means that we are seeking a new Director to join us on the Consumer Internet team at Intel Capital. Interested? Read on. Who are we looking for? Ideally, our new partner is based in the Bay Area, has a great network, and is known and respected as an Internet investor. You complement our diverse crew (a FEM of 67!) with collective experiences ranging from serial entrepreneur <-> seed investor <-> investment banker. The role? To identify emerging segments; source, negotiate, and structure deals; and work with management teams to build companies. Our team invests in disruptive mobile and/or... Continue reading

Posted Jun 6, 2012 at Christine

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Deal could also have gone the other way...FB interest comes in, existing investors say "wait, let's see what VC market has to offer" and then the rest falls out from there.

Commented Apr 9, 2012 on Why It Could Make Sense for Instagram to Take Sequoia Funding During Facebook Acquisition Talks at Christine

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Why It Could Make Sense for Instagram to Take Sequoia Funding During Facebook Acquisition Talks

Debate is already starting around Instagram's recently-announced acquisition by Facebook. e.g., Why the heck would Instagram sell a stake of its soon-to-be-acquired company to Sequoia (and Thrive, and Greylock, and Benchmark?) The reason is simple: playing chicken with a potential acquirer can drive a much higher valuation. And more importantly, the acquistion is more likely to close quickly and successfully if the target company has a war chest of cash and a strong, fresh investor group. Continue reading

Posted Apr 9, 2012 at Christine

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Yummly Raises $6M for Hiring (and Gratuitous Bacon)

Love food? Delicious semantic search engine Yummly has just raised $6M in Series A financing to continue expanding into a complete digital kitchen platform. (Disclosure: Intel Capital is an investor in Yummly.) I'm happy to welcome Physic Ventures and Unilever to the board, and even more excited that the team can start expanding. (Note: Giant gratuitous bacon photo courtesy of Cathy Brooks on Flickr.) Towards that end, we're looking for great developers, UX designers, researchers, and marketers that have a passion for food. There's a great post by Kevin Fitchard on GigaOm that touches on Yummly's product roadmap: "Yummly’s core technology, which breaks down recipes and ingredients into raw culinary data, from which it extracts everything from calorie and saturated... Continue reading

Posted Mar 23, 2012 at Christine

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GTD meets SXSW! Where Founders and VCs Will Meet

SXSW Interactive enables the usual tech crowd license to follow fascinations for a few days....like a clean (I mean this both literally and figuratively) version of Burning Man, or an enormous, structured version of FOO Camp. But let's not pretend we aren't also here to Get Things Done. Here are a few great places to start building connections this week in Austin: 1. 10 Minute VC - Sunday 3/11, 2:00-5:00 PM. Hosted by Intel Capital (yep, I'll be hosting a table) and Blumberg Capital. Are you an entrepreneur, someone thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, or a talented maker who would like to join a startup? Join Blumberg Capital and Intel Capital in Austin for 10 Minute VC, Texas-style. On Sunday,... Continue reading

Posted Mar 10, 2012 at Christine

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How to Compensate Next-Gen Venture Capitalists

It must be hiring season for venture capitalists - VC compensation talk has been coming up recently. If you're a partner, VC compensation is pretty straightforward - you get a piece of the partnership's profits, aka a "carried interest" in the fund. (See my presentation on VC 101 to dig in more on this.) But how can you provide the best incentives for your other investment staff? How can you get your analysts, associates, principals, and vice presidents to all contribute the success of the portfolio? In an ideal world, every person an entrepreneur talks to at a venture fund will have a stake in the entrepreneur's success. I have the unique advantage of an inside view on non-partner compensation... Continue reading

Posted Feb 28, 2012 at Christine

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Burning Man Recipes: Bacon Burner Mashed Potatoes

Despite best intentions, the feeding frenzy over at Y Combinator (which reminds me...I need to post my top ten list!) kept me from posting the fan favorite recipes from Open Kitchen Camp. But if you're headed to Burning Man tomorrow, there's one recipe you'll want to make ahead of time - and that's Bacon Burner Mashed Potatoes. Boiling potatoes on the playa is nigh-impossible. Something about altitude and desert conditions...but if you just take an hour to prep these mashed potatoes at home, you'll be camp hero. Read on for playa-specific cooking tips. Ingredients 15 pounds of peeled, cut potatoes (preferably Yukon Golds, though other types will do) 4 pounds of bacon (hickory smoked adds a nice touch) 2 pounds... Continue reading

Posted Aug 27, 2011 at Christine

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Burning Man Recipes: Sangria a la Playa

Much to my Burning Man camp's detriment, I lost this year's game of "new parent roshambo" and will be staying home in San Francisco instead of hosting potlucks. In the spirit of community, however, I'm sharing a few of my Burning Man recipes. Unsurprisingly, the first request I received was for the tastiest of liquid refreshment: Sangria a la Playa. It's fabulous on OR off of the playa, and easy to customize to your taste, but be warned that it packs a punch. Instructions are below, and I've also posted the recipe at Yummly for easy saving to your recipe collection, access to nutritional info (one glass has 72% of a day's vitamin C!), and so forth. Ingredients 1 orange... Continue reading

Posted Aug 22, 2011 at Christine

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Vote for my SXSW Idea! --> Not Just a Pretty Profile: Building Online Persona

Are you more than just a profile? Join me at SXSW to discuss how to build an online persona. Think about it: What does your twitter feed say about you? What reputation does your blog cultivate? Whether developing a public persona for yourself or for your business, establishing an authentic online persona is a key strategic decision. Be proactive and build an online persona that works, using the right blend of public and private identity. Questions answered during the session: What's my persona and why does it matter? How is that different from my identity? How does my persona (and how I present myself/my brand) change from offline to online? What steps should I take to build my online persona?... Continue reading

Posted Aug 18, 2011 at Christine

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Top Picks from 500 Startups Demo Day

Big congratulations go out to the well-prepped companies that painted compelling pictures at 500 Startups Demo Day this week. (Disclosure note: I am an advisor to 500 Startups.) It's hard to pick just one favorite, so here are my personal top ten, clustered along leading themes from the evening. Given that most of my interest nowadays follows a mobile <--> social <--> commerce <--> cloud continuum, this high hit rate is no surprise: Commerce Appetizer – Automated mobile app builder for small businesses; the company can deliver a startingly complete app using existing Facebook Page information. Daily Gobble – Sabre for restaurants; their go-to-market plan targets fast casual chains. LaunchBit – Ad network for email newsletters. Snapette – Photo sharing... Continue reading

Posted Aug 17, 2011 at Christine

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Thanks Kirsten/Joshua! Joshua - great schedule picks for entrepreneurs on your list, thanks for posting. http://austinpreneur.com/ I'd suggest you also add Charlie O'Donnell's panel (which I am joining) on The Five Startups in the Deadpool - http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP5609

Commented Mar 3, 2011 on How to Meet and Mix with VCs at SXSW at Christine

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Surprise Plays, and Changing My Jersey

Everyone knows that I love startups. I love working up logic models and key metrics on a whiteboard. I love brainstorming on product. I even love sitting on the floor with a stickered laptop at SXSW. All of which is precisely the work I've been enjoying at First Round Capital. So I have a surprise play to announce....I'm changing jerseys to Intel Capital. I’ll join the team next month to drive consumer and Internet deals from here in the Bay Area, and to deepen the fund’s exposure to early-stage opportunities. Having told a handful of very surprised people this news in the past 24 hours, it's obvious that I need to tell more of the story. Back in July, the... Continue reading

Posted Oct 27, 2010 at Christine

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There are two (wait, three) big factors at work in the rough scenario you describe. 1. Stock incentive norms in the US are TOTALLY DIFFERENT than norms in the UK. 2. Stock incentives in hardware/semiconductor businesses are different 3. Founders will value their relative contributions as they will, and it's up to the employee to decide whether or not his/her own contribution is being valued fairly. If not, walk.

Commented Aug 26, 2010 on Quick & Dirty How-To: Employee Stock Option Allocations at Christine

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I would not do the math this way, because the risk is different. A Series A funded startup, though risky, has less risk than an unfunded startup. Therefore the percentages are not only larger to account for future dilution from the Series A, they are also larger to account for greater risk. Which, as you might expect, is highly variable. ;)

Commented Aug 26, 2010 on Quick & Dirty How-To: Employee Stock Option Allocations at Christine

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These percentages are out of the total outstanding equity.

Commented Aug 26, 2010 on Quick & Dirty How-To: Employee Stock Option Allocations at Christine

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Since we're in vehement agreement on the extended need for support in the system...how do you think about the traditional incubator-company relationship structure? Does the incubation period need to be longer? Do incubators need more equity/need to take a more active role with their companies? etc.

Commented Aug 24, 2010 on Who Moved My Cheese? Building the Next-Gen Incubator at Christine

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Christine is now following The Typepad Team

Mar 15, 2010

I would agree that MINT's revenue model is not for everyone - as noted, their model was just an example. The point is not to *follow* that model if you have a consumer internet company, but rather just to make sure you work through the economics of your own until you have something solid and scalable. (And if you can't think of one, maybe it's a sign that the current idea is not The Idea.) Sorry if that wasn't clear. As for the numbers adding up...I wouldn't presume to reveal confidential information, but it's safe to say that hitting the 1M subscriber mark today is not the same as 1M subscribers creating value over the course of a full year, and/or an individual user instantly ramping up to the point he/she is creating that much value.

Commented Oct 7, 2009 on What's the Secret Success of MINT.com? The Real Numbers Behind Aaron Patzer's Growth Strategy at Christine

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More suggestions! - @corkin HI Christine! Corkin has a female founder.. http://bit.ly/13hIpP - @AstiaUK @christine how about The NextWomen @thenextwomen,Affect Labs @jennielees,Maplecroft @globalrisks, DegreeArt @degreeart , OnRelay @mariewold - @djwhelan @christine I hope that more than one person pointed you to @OneKingsLane. If not, please consider passing along the lead. They rock! - @LinkWithin @christine re: woman-founded startups, @LinkWithin (http://www.linkwithin.com/) has a female co-founder, me! (liliya) - @Vosmek @christine Reality Digital, Scout Labs, ReferQuest, Select Genomics, Threefold Sensors, Yaso Biotechnology, Zweave, Prevendia - @Vosmek @christine Napo Pharmaceuticals, Nellix, Neuromark, Palamida, Remedy Interactive, SBTV, Mobius Photonics, Mobissimo, WhiteHat Security - @GillesBouhoyi @christine woman headed startup: Gravity Summit- @BeverlyMacy CEO.You should check this one.Live from harvard on cnn.com.8-31 9am ET - @tianaco @christine - I'm a co-founder of Tag Halo - graphical browsing tool - msg me for our alpha demo invite! - @collectivee @christine we have MANY interesting women led startups, here is our directory http://bit.ly/3Wi8Uf - @deblanda ya i highly recommend @jensmccabe meet @christine meet up soon

Commented Aug 29, 2009 on A Wealth of Woman-Founded Startups, from a Twitter Shout-out at Christine

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