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Partner Rating:

Partner Information:

Title:     Principle

Location:  New York, US East

Blog:      

Firm Rating:

Firm Information:

Company:   Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures

Type:      Medium Private VC

URL:       Firm Homepage

Introduced to Thatcher Bell, who reviewed our presentation and provided respectful, logical feedback in a timely manner.

I pitched Thatcher on my company. He dug into a lot of details, asked tough questions, provided solid feedback and ultimately rejected us.

The experience made us rethink some of our own assumption and focus our pitch better, which led us to a more focused overall offering so I'd say it was a good experience.

We met with Thatcher and Jed.

Thatcher is one smart cookie. The kind of guy you want on your board.

Jed seemed so focused on electing Obama that we barely had his attention.

....

For those interested, these guys don't have the industry knowledge nor the personal communications skills to guide an investment to success. They don't respect founders' visions and will restructure you as soon as they have the opportunity. BTW, that's what they focus on... making sure that your company gets restructured so you loose your position and they get more equity.

We met with Thatcher Bell and had one of the vetter conversations about who we are and what we do that I've had since we started. Thorough and insightful, but not bullish. We got feedback one week later that we weren't a good fit because of a portfolio conflict. He also shared some thoughts in a follow-up email that I found useful. Nothing bad to say really.

Thatcher Bell handled our meeting arrangements personally and was extremely professional. He gave immediate feedback at the end of the meeting and then personally followed up. The project wasn't a good fit for them, and he said why and was very clear and professional.

Not a fan.

The entire bunch of folks, from Mark through Ross, are all nice guys. There's varying skill on the team, but that's a good thing in a fund. Mark's a hard worker, Thatcher's super smart, Ross, Danny & Jed all have their strong suits.

They're early stage, but they're not the biggest risk takers. Be prepared to hurry up and wait.

They reply very fast. Although they turned me down out because we are not in their target geographic area, they give me very positive impression.

After our first call with Jed Katz, we walked away with a very positive impression. He was interested, had already taken a look at the site and tried to understand our business before speaking to us. He asked sharp questions and got the idea right away. He was honest in telling us what he was looking to invest in, and at what stage. Even though we may be too early stage for him, he was incredibly diligent in making introductions the same day. Hopefully, we'll get to work with him in the future.

Our experience with them was very good. They were very professional and respectful. They did not have attitudes at all, which was terrific.

Had meetings, proceeded at good pace, but got rejected. I wasn't sure why.

Mark Davis though an intern writes the getventure.typepad.com blog where he breaks down the process from how to really understand VC. The whole firm is involved with the blog on some level and its is very transparent. I haven't taking funding from them but I would definitely work with them. Mark is super sharp and watch out for him in the future in a great way. Danny seems like a nice guy, we've just exchanged emails, though we did go to the same high school - at different times.

DFJ Gotham funded my startup in the nuclear funding winter of 2003 for an enterprise play when few if any deals were getting done. They were heavily involved, very understanding of the buildou costs in this space and equally helpful during our successful exit. In NYC, there are few others like them.

Danny is an extremely smart guy and tries very hard to help out. He is constantly researching the space, market, etc., which sometimes can be helpful and sometimes can be distracting. He has insights that are helpful and usually spot on. He is ultra-involved and you'll need to decide if this is the type of investor you want.

I exchanged emails with Mr. Schultz and he was polite but very superficial. He shoveled me off to some associate who proved to be utterly clueless. Back to Schultz, he shined a little more. Worth a try, they top guy is smart, but you have to get beyond their inbox (which, unfortunately, I wasn't able to).

They seem to have a solid investment thesis in the b2c space...looking for specific attributes of companies. From what I can tell: strong community participation where you're playing in a large commerce/advertising space -- and what needs to be built for growth is obvious.

gotham experience

Ross Goldstein is the partner we work with, and I have had the opportunity to interact with Danny Schultz on more than one occasion. Ross and the firm have taken a genuine interest in the business and will provide whatever assistance is requested of them, without interfering.

DFJ Gotham lead our Series A round. Danny Schultz is the partner we primarily work with. Working with DFJG was, overall, a positive experience. We had a complex Series A because it was a spin-out, and Danny/DFJG was patient in working through the nuances. We got the deal done on what we considered fair terms and in a reasonable time frame, given the complexity.

Operationally, DFJG is very active, which is great for early stage firms with receptive management. If you like doing it your way or the highway and don't want to hear advice from your investors, then DFJG isn't for you.

Overall, Danny/DFJG has been firm but fair with us. I've dealt with a lot of VC investors and I can't say that about all (most).

Were I to do it all over again, I'd take money from DFJG.

Very serious team. Experienced bankers and operators. Mid-Atlantic and Israeli focus with very strong network.

Smart and Helpful. Once they invest, they are busy, so they are not going to get in the way, but they are eager to help if you ask.