As the worldwide demand for energy increases, and oil prices rise, many venture capital firms have begun to focus on the alternative energy sector. In fact, in June 2005, Pasadena, CA-based solar company, Energy Innovations, raised $16.5 million in venture capital led by Mohr Davidow Ventures.

“In fact, we often joke about “having a case of the Mondays” because nobody ever does.” I have mentioned in previous articles that I approach leadership from the “servant leadership” mindset. This means that I put the interest of my team before my own (of course, with the interest of my company’s overall welfare as [...]

In this case, I am talking about early-stage investors and the sins that they sometimes commit when they decide to back a start-up company. I spend a lot of time engaged with such companies – and much of that time is spent working to set right things that were set in place when the first round of angel funding occurred. What follows is a partial list of ‘sins’ and a few suggestions that might both mitigate their impact and improve the investors’ prospects.