An Engineer's View of Venture Capitalists

IEEE Spectrum ^ | August 2001 | Nick Tredennick, with Brion Shimamoto, Dynamic Silicon

[Alkhin]

So...what is this article saying...DON'T trust Venture Capitals????

[VoodooEconomist]

Good stuff. C++ a fad? Say it ain't so?! </sarcasm>

[VoodooEconomist]

"UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES, THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE!"

Now THAT'S funny! LOL!

[VoodooEconomist]

Subject: Understanding Engineers

Good stuff!

[VoodooEconomist]

And by and large neither of them really knows what they are doing, but that's just the nature of the beast.

Neither of them know what the other is doing? Or neither of them know what they themselves are doing? For the record, speaking as an engineer, I know quite well what I'm doing.

[PatrioticAmerican]

bttt

[Libertarian_4_eva]

Of course he did not want to bash VC's. Sounds like nothing more then whining to me. Most ventures are total failures and investing in them is greater a risk then investing in the stockmarket in a shitty economy. What type of terms do you expect from people when your startup comes to them badly needing money? Ignore the fact that many venture funds fail and its not like it matter those are evil rich capitalists who dare to build new houses employing workers and giving the "little people" jobs.

[Capitalist Eric]

So...what is this article saying...DON'T trust Venture Capitals????

No. I think it's pointing out the disconnect between the realities for VCs vs. engineers who put the whole thing together.

Irony is, I just quit work to finish my degree, so as to become an active member of the VC squad...

I think that my 15 years of technical knowledge, combined with a managerial economics degree (i.e., a BS in finance with NO fluff, just more quantitative analysis), should qualify me to be effective in just such a role.

Not because I want to make a stink-pot of money (I do), but because I can spot value when I see it. I may not be the most original thinker in the world, but I know a good thing when I see it. Unlike most banker/finance/accounting types...

FWIW.

FReegards,

[Search4Truth]

"The consulting world is a whole different scam, and worthy of its own thread. Ever read The Witch Doctors: Making Sense of the Management Gurus? "

Thanks for taking the time to review my resume'. My family and I have worked hard on building it.

You've got that right about the (Liberal) Consulting world! However, I'm changing that. And because I am bringing competency, integrity, and roles and responsibilities to my practice, (amongst other important components) the other Consulting companies chastise me. But most importantly, because I actually meet or exceed customer expectations, customers love me.

I would like to get more professional exposure with people like those on FR or other appropriate Conservative sites.

Conservatives are typically more success minded individuals, and you know what to expect from them. They have a code of ethics, somewhat tarnished in recent years maybe. Although, infinitely better than working with people who's ethics revolve only around themselves and their primal needs, and all the underlying useless psychobabble to support it. They are limiting my success. So I am looking to find better company.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I could go about finding a “Conservative” Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Consulting Practice business partner? All suggestions are welcomed and surely appreciated. I may be be asking a lot to find this most optimum siuation. But there is no shame in falling short of an ideal.

Thanks, S4T

CRM Consultant Resume' for Alex J. Azar III

[LibertyGirl77]

Hahaha--my boyfriend is an engineer--all of this describes him perfectly, especially the one about the chalk 'x' for $50K.

[cicero's_son]

Right on!

I never raised venture capital for my company. Never needed it. Never will. The cost of working with these guys is just too high.

[isthisnickcool]

customers love me

Ah, one of the secrets to success. The trick is winning that love and the things one does to win it.

[isthisnickcool]

I never raised venture capital for my company

Dittos! Bootstrapped! Started lean and have kept it lean. Couldn't get money when I needed it and laugh now when they want to throw it at us.

[XBob]

"UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES, THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE!"

This reminds me of 3 true letters I got while working for the government which stated (paraphrased):

1. Please attend the meeting at ______. Subject of meeting: why we are having so many meetings which take up so much time we can't get all our work done." Result of the meeting was to schedule monthly meetings on the subject.

2. "We are instituting a paper saving program, please save paper" (That is all it said (1 line - sent to all 5000 personnel on a full 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.)

3. The next week we all got another, which was 1/2 inch long x 8 1/2 inch wide, which said, "please save paper."

Excellent article, and fine engineering jokes - There was one office philosophy cartoon I had in my purchasing department, of an engineer in anguish, pulling out his hair, captioned "My god, you bought what I designed?"

[Dick Bachert]

I once worked in US sales management for MD, a large German materials handling manufacturer. At a sales meeting, the guys from the Canadian Division roasted their "leader" (a kraut) by swearing that the FIRST PAGE of this guy's Company Policy Manual stated thus in BOLD TYPE:

"MD has a well reasoned and logical set of policies. The sole purpose of the customer is to violate, frustrate and nullify those policies."

And HE was their marketing guy.

[Movemout]

I don't think it is whining at all. One thing that engineers do not comprehend is how one goes about funding products of their imagination. They don't even want to comprehend or waste time thinking about funding issues. This guy, an engineer, seems to me to be doing them a favor by giving them a short course in venture capital. Not a bad idea actually.

[XBob]

37-10 boy this is right - "10. NEVER, ABSOLUTELY NEVER ALLOW LAWYERS TO INSERT THEMSELVES INTO MANAGEMENT OF THE START UP COMPANY OR THE THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS. "

This wasn't with a startup company but a multi-billion dollar company. I was negotiating a standardized shipping contract for multiple shipments, worth about $40 million, and was having a little trouble coming to final agreement on the wording of one sentence. My boss asked me how it was coming, I told him, and he had lunch with one of the company lawyers, in Houston, and mentioned it to him. Well, with that, the Houston lawyers got involved, then the SanFrancisco lawyers got involved, then the New York Lawyers got involved, and then the Copenhagen lawyers.

Four months later, after intense work, the lawyers finally agreed and offered us the completed contract. I reviewed my copy, the shipping company reviewed their copy, we both agreed, that based on this contract, absolutely nothing could be shipped. We both threw it in the trash, told the lawyers it was fine, no need to 'help' any more, and made a one page addendum with 7 paras, to a standard booking note and went about our business, vowing never to discuss it with the lawyers again. LOL, now, but then, I was pulling my hair out. It was a good education in contract law, however, and particularly the importance of where to place a comma.

[XBob]

37-10 I forgot, the reason we couldn't ship anything was that the lawyers had 'protected' each company to such a great extent that there was no way that either of us could perform the contract requirements - it fulfilled everything except the purpose of the business agreement - to ship many shiploads of cargo. So, I view that phrase 'I'm a lawyer and I'm here to help.' the same way as 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'