Launching your Start Up in the new Financial Market
Rebecca Lynn [Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures]
Abstract:
The current downturn is a terrific time to start a new company. There are low opportunity costs, talent is easier to come by than it has been in years, and with the advent of cloud computing, it is cheaper and easier than ever. Additionally, public companies are cutting headcount and R&D. These same companies have record levels of cash on their books and will be well-poised for acquisitions when the economy recovers. Thus, the key is making it through the desert so that you can emerge on the other side.
Biography:
Rebecca joined Morgenthalers Menlo Park office in 2007, and she focuses on early-stage investments in mobile, internet services, digital media and financial services. Rebecca serves on the board of Lending Club, a peer to peer lending company that disintermediates banking institutions. Rebecca began her career at Procter and Gamble where she worked in international new product market entry. She then spent four years at NextCard where she led product development efforts and later served as the Vice President of Marketing where she managed one of the top five largest online marketing efforts. After NextCard, she ran her own consulting business focusing on online marketing for financial services and affiliate marketing.
During law school, she was a Summer Associate at Heller Ehrman/Venture Law Group and at Quinn Emanuel where she focused on intellectual property litigation. Rebecca is also an inventor on several issued patents. She was published in the Berkeley Law and Technology Journal, and she is a registered Patent Agent.
During business school, Rebecca chaired the Berkeley Business Plan Competition and was a member of New Venture Fellows. She earned a JD/MBA degree from the Haas School of Business and Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri.
Tags:
CITRIS UCB Research Science Technology
In general I agree but this is no ordinary downturn. Our debt based FIRE economy is out of bullets. Interest rates are zero. Government stimulus is in the trillions. Until the government allows our economy to correct we will not have a recovery. The more they try and fix it and delay the inevitable, the worse our hangover will be. So unless you plan on selling food and TP when people lose faith in our TP we call the dollar - I would not have blind faith that this is such a great time to start a biz. It's more a great time to be employed with a fortune 500 or government agency that will weather the storm. My $0.02.
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