Assault and Battery

Battery Ventures had a fun event today where they got a bunch of entrepreneurs together for an afternoon of outdoor paintball action. This was my first outdoor paintball experience and I must say it was far less stressful than indoor paintball that warted me beyond recognition (OK I exaggerate a little) back in the late 90's at an Informix staff meeting in Las Vegas.

The event was quite a contrast to the typical high-society and sometime pretentious hors d'oeuvre and drinks type meetings at say the Four Seasons that most VC or private equity groups arrange to socialize with their ecosystem. This atypical Paintball event reflects either a down and dirty approach that Battery may have with their investments or perhaps a subliminal message to their current and future portfolio company execs: better deliver a good return or we will take you out literally and figuratively.

Brandies University - New Product Development

Yesterday, I was invited as a guest speaker at Brandies University. They offer an interesting course to budding entreprenuers, innovators, and non-linear folks who are itching to create new products either within their existing companies, or build start-ups around their ideas. My recommendation to them was -- Don't do it! Its painful, intense and years go by with your entire existence dedicated to your idea or your product. But if your idea still keeps you up at night and you really think that its worth the pain, then you may be onto something. But always weigh it against all the negatives associated with bringing a product to market: hyper competition, equity value dilution, marketing pressures, raising capital, worrying about missing pay cycles, and then chasing the elusive closure either through an acquisition or IPO.

The class asked really good questions and I hope I was able to impart some information to them. I did tell them not to buy a big house and to always have plenty of cash reserves. The more financially sound one gets, the more risk they can take. However, the risk should always be calibrated to your current financial base.

But once you go down this path, holding a normal 9-5 job is akin to retirement.

Tennis

Played Tennis last weekend and had a great time. Abbas is getting better but he would do a lot better it he ate fewer chapli-kebabs before the game. For the kebab connoisseurs, chapli kebabs are from Northern Pakistan and are shaped like a chapli, which is Urdu for slipper.

It must be the kebabs that have turned him into using asthma inhalers as recreational drugs after a hard day of tennis or soccer.

My top spin is getting better. Now only if I could control it :-)