Dave Berkus
Dave Berkus is a noted speaker, author and early stage private equity investor. He is acknowledged as one of the most active angel investors in the country, having made and actively participated in over 87 technology investments during the past decade. He currently manages two angel VC funds (Berkus Technology Ventures, LLC and Kodiak Ventures, L.P.) Dave is past Chairman of the Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest angel networks in the United States. Dave is author of “Basic Berkonomics,” “Berkonomics,” “Advanced Berkonomics,” “Extending the Runway,” and the Small Business Success Collection. Find out more at Berkus.com or contact Dave at dberkus@berkus.com
Latest
Will Your Company’s Sale Be Celebration or Silence?
First, there are at least three types of exits I’ve been involved with well over twenty successful exits and four initial public offerings over the years, some of them with monstrous gains, some more modest….
Another Personal Story: Timing is Everything in a Sale
Almost anyone who has sold a company has a story to tell about their good deal, the problems with the buyer, a last-minute change of terms, or more. I have saved this next story until now…
Selling Your Business? Find the Emotional Buyer
This is one of my favorite insights, since I lived this one in a positive exit from my computer business. Types of business buyers expanded Most people will tell you that there are two kinds…
Everything You Do Adds or Reduces Company Value
Each decision you make to commit resources—your money or your use of corporate or personal time—affects the future value of your business. Minor decisions, such as replacing employees who have left the company or replacing equipment…
Can You Profit by Serving Early Adopters?
I am a gadget freak, often purchasing new technologies in their first release. And my closet is full of such gadgets, from early pen-based computers to early brick-sized cell phones to an electronic handwriting recognition…
What Two Words Are Most Valuable for Your Business Planning?
One of the most valuable tools in an executive’s arsenal is the use of the question chain in planning meetings or to analyze scenarios that might result from an action. The powerful words are “What…
Can You Defend Your Pricing Niche Against Your Competition?
This week, we continue our series on marketing and positioning. There can be nothing more important in your business planning that selecting the proper pricing niche, making your story clear using that niche, and the…
Why Buy IT? Why Buy MINE? Why Buy NOW?
What a powerful set of three questions. These are so succinct, so well defined, so precise that everyone in sales and everyone involved in marketing must be able to answer these three questions without pause,…
Faster is Sometimes More Valuable Than Better
This is one of those arguable insights, where both sides win. Dell is a great example of emphasis upon fast, creating a customized computer in 48 hours or less, bringing in assemblies and components just-in-time…
Are You the Bottleneck in Your Organization?
At many board meetings, I can be counted upon to ask, “Where’s the bottleneck this month?” Senior management is usually prepared with an answer, and a good discussion of resource availability and application follows. Sometimes,…