After 20 years of building entrepreneurial ventures I have had no choice but to be a devout optimist. The challenges are overwhelming, the naysayers abound but we as entrepreneurs persist. Over this period I have personally been involved in over a dozen start-up ventures with 2/3rd of those under the umbrella of Momentum Venture Management (www.mvmpartners.com), the early stage venture fund/accelerator I started 6 years ago with Matt Ridenour.
However, we as entrepreneurs most acknowledge the nature of the challenges we face. Not so that we can become discouraged but so that we can be prepared and thoughtful about how to overcome them. I think right now it is undeniable that we are facing an extraordinary pull back across the venture spectrum. I strongly disagree with Wil Schroter's recent post that people are "eager to write checks." The rule today is that raising venture financing is extraordinarily difficult. (Continued...)
Read Andy's response to Wil's post, and why he thinks we're still in the midst of a nuclear winter -- and what to do about it.
