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39 Comments
- jefdub, on 10/12/2007, -0/+39"Have a CEO of a large company like Yahoo or Google make an introduction for you."
At this point, do I really need to meet Guy? - futureisours, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Who cares what this pretentious hack says. If you have the talent and a great idea, there's plenty of resources and you won't necessarily have to kiss their ass.
- Modizzle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5OMG, my gf and I were trying to come up with yuppie fourth generation japanese names like Tad Yamazaki
*in a super highy pitchy salesman voice---"HIIIIII, my name is TAD yam-uh-sock-eeee and like many other Japanese families we had a subaru in the parking lot, and had a dad that couldn't get in enough golf.
LOL ... GUy...hahahahhahahahhah, great! - TotalSellout, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6this guy is a total joke and an arrogant one at that. read http://equityprivate.typepad.com/ep/bono/index.html for just some of the ways he's full of *****. basically no credentials, no performance, no track record.
I especially like that he has the gall to write that professors and department heads of major research universities should be damned sure before even contacting him. I'm sure that if Bob Langer, Ron Rivest, Howard Bindorf, etc call Guy, he'll give them a real grilling so he can invest the several million dollars in capital he is quickly blowing away - zoinnk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'm analyst at a VC firm, and Guy is pretty much on target. One of the main parts of my job is to go through all the business plans we receive and decide who should get a second look. The common perception of VCs being flooded with business plans is true, and I'm in biotech VC not even high tech VC. Consequently, you need to be extremely special to get noticed and knowing someone is as important as (if not more important than) having good science/technology/idea. I just don't have the time to give special attention to every business plan and do everything else I'm expected to do. I know this doesn't seem fair, but that doesn't make it untrue...
- nazsco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3and he don't give much time to the business plans because he's out digging or wanking instead of working.
Now you know why you do need connections. - kingkilr, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6What does he think he is to good to deal with people without connections out the ass? Honestly, why doesn't he cut this ***** and let peoples ideas and plans speak for themselves.
- aaronmp2003, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3eMom is at it again, pulling on the many strings that lead to financial well-being. This time she went toe-to-toe with Guy Kawasaki and got the inside scoop on how to get venture capital out of him.
- aransan1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The whole VC game is a bloody farce; connected insiders from the right school pass money about in a big circle and ordinary sorts shouldn't even dream of a look in. I have a friend who does well ($40,000 or more per month and growing ) selling native crafts from the Philippines on line. The VCs wouldn't give me a second look cause he wasn't one of the golden boys. Well, he took out a Visa card, went to the Philippines and came back with a load of stuff, sold it and hasn't looked back. Him without the brand-name school or a Rolodex full of Stanford grad students or whatever. The bugger can't even use PowerPoint and doesn't have the time to waste on it. The VCs, including Mr. Kawasaki and his vaunted garage.com, wouldn't even give him a meeting.
- newanalog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2wtfits?! dugg down
- pearlygate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2aha so Guy has plenty of time to read digg and do some random stuff but he has no time for serious business. Interesting.
- emom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Did this page get a recent link or mention somewhere? I'm going nuts trying to figure out why I'm getting a bunch of new interest in this article. :)
- GuyKawasaki, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8Actually, I didn't say the CEO of a large company. I said the CEO of a company in a VC's portfolio that's doing well.
Guy - AlexWSC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Rule #9, be related to guy. I wonder how much in hand-me-downs the moguls friends and family get.
- fordicus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1#1 rule to get VC money, be in high tech and turn a profit.
- RogerH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Way #1: Send him an email
*ba dum CHING!* - NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think the reason your friend didn't get any attention from VC's isn't that he lacked connections, it's that 1) his business isn't likely to scale up to an operation worth many millions and if it is, 2) it's really easy for anyone else to start doing the same thing. Seriously, $40K/month is pocket change.
-jcr - doczein, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hey, I was there. Depending on if you were there the same year as was I. San Jose 2005?
I remember the audience was itching to give standing ovations.
It's a shame they cancelled the Tech program. - eonblue, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@kingkilr
You may want to consider reading the article before you post so you don't look like a knob when somone quotes from it:
"
# Guy realizes that many people don’t have these connections. His backup advice?
Life is tough. Other people have made these connections. So can you, if you have an idea and company worth investing in.
# So let’s say you have none of these things. What do you do?
You have one shot, three paragraphs, and there’s no room for *****.
And you better have tried steps 1-6 first. Send Garage Technologies an email. Don’t you dare use the words “patent”, “our partner”, “conservative projections” or “hurry because other VC firms are interested” or bother with any of these other lies.
DON’T send an attachment, don’t waste their time.
DO have brand credentials, and you had better have paid attention to #1 (read his blog, know his company).
You have three paragraphs to pitch your company, talking specifically about how what you do appeals to people. This isn’t just about you - this is the golden rule of “What’s in it for Them”. "
I agree with this 100%. You don't know what kind of person somone is, but if you know somone who knows said person and they think hes sane then I would be more inclined to lend them an ear.
Time is money, and from what I gather this guy doesnt like his time wasted. Besides it's tried and true, it is not what you know but who you know. - NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you're turning a profit, you can get all the bank funding you want.
-jcr - RickySan65, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1but can he walk the walk, lots of people are really good talkers but when crunch time rolls by it turns out they're basically full of *****
- lulzlulzlulz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2ATTN: anyone who thinks you need tips on VC from digg - fail.
- NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Lots of people hate powerpoint. Keynote saved my life: if I'd had to do one more Apple developer conference presentation with PowerPoint, I'd have shot myself.
-jcr - datastorageguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Can't I just call him and pitch him?
giggity.. - nazsco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This thread and comments are probably clever blog-spam. Move along.
- wrffr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I worked at a startup that went through a round of VC funding that Guy was involved with. We never actually turned a profit, but eventually ended up getting bought out in a pretty good deal about three years ago. Kind of an entertaining process.
- johnlande360, on 03/19/2008, -0/+0OMG, my gf and I were trying to come up with yuppie fourth generation japanese names like Tad Yamazaki.
Download the latest freeware, shareware and demo software arranged by categories, including screenshots, descriptions, ratings, reviews and direct download links.
Free Software Downloads: http://www.freedownloads32.com - bobcorrigan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If you get all of those other things right and you don't "Make Meaning", you're still screwed.
I've seen Guy speak twice and each time this is #1 on his list of "things to do". Whatever you do, make sure that your service/product/company makes something that means something. The world doesn't need another articulated frabjulator.
This was one of the guiding principles that led me to where I work today. No kidding. It makes all the difference in the world to wake up each day knowing that you're building products that matter to Actual Human Beings. As opposed to just developers. . . :) - TheLoneWolf071, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I've had this guy lecture to me at NYLF:Tech. He's a good speaker.
- TresidderUnion, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4Hey Guy,
I'm a student at Stanford in the CS department. To be honest, it's rather mindboggling to have to "approach" a VC when there are so many on campus swarming at research expos, hosting events with BASES (http://bases.stanford.edu ), trying to find "the next youtube" among other things.
The problem with the VC industry is that too many bogus startups pitch themselves to two-bit firms and throw out terrible ideas (i.e. we can travel in time, give us seed capital, and we'll find the best engineers!) that people fall for. The "Irrational Exuberance" of the 1990's has manifested itself through A-round financing that won't turn a profit-EVER.
My advice: if you have a good idea and a working prototype, people will listen. Go to KPCB or Sequoia. Do not follow advice of a website called "e-moms at home." - minairia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think I know this dude; he works out at my gym. Lives in Palo Alto but avoids the dot.com types. Doesn't talk much about what he does but definitely makes WAY than more he lets on. Drives a big black Hummer, always has weird tribal stuff from the Philippines he gives out after one of his trips, takes his GF to Sunny Beach in Bulgaria basically when ever they're bored with the Bay Area. Dude is funny, best way to piss him off is to mention PowerPoint!
- fllthblnks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wait who are you guys? I went to NYLF Tech 2005 too which is where I got to see Guy first hand. The Guy really is an incredible speaker. He actually influenced what I want to do in life. His list is just keeping it real to weed out all the nonsense ideas.
- ponnsabra, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0It's all about Powerful Networking! Thanks Wendy for the tips.
- eonblue, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Why am i supporting your laziness nazsco? I know not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Kawasaki - emom, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Heh - you're right Guy. I can't write notes very fast when I'm paying a lot of attention to the speaker. ;)
- diig, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Guy is a very nice person! I sent him an email to get some advice about a new internet startup. He responded to me with good feedback. (Guy remember the guy from Ottawa YouTube rank'n site)
- AlexWSC, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Look at Wendy... getting notes wrong. I guess next time Guy Kawasaki is talking, use a tape recorder!
- AlexWSC, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3Guy has some really tough rules for getting noticed... When you are in his position you have no room for BS.
- nazsco, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Who the ***** is this guy? He's a regular ass kissed here and in /.
what did he founded? (no, I'm not going to search for it.)
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