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Back to How to make a million dollars - Lessons Learned From 1,000-Plus Investments, with Don Valentine.

What Was It Like to Be Investing in the Early Personal Computer

To make a computer as we know it today, everything had to be invented. There was no such thing as an operating system. There was no such thing as a mouse. Semiconductors opened a whole new realm of possibilities.

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How to make a million dollars - Lessons Learned From 1,000-Plus Investments ·

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  1. Why Did Don Valentine Find Silicon Valley So AttractiveDon Valentine did not know about Silicon Valley at first, but he knew chemistry and he wanted to be in the semiconductor business.
  2. What Prompted Don Valentine to Start a Venture Capital FirmAt the time, even in Silicon Valley, there was no environment where one could raise money and start a company, and any available money was carefully…
  3. How Do You Open an American Company in ChinaInstead of bringing your American team over, you staff the new company with the locals, making sure your company has a Chinese DNA from the start.
  4. What's the Most Successful Startup Format of the FutureBe an agent, don't own anything. Uber does not own cars, Airbnb does not own building, and Amazon does not own the items they sell.
  5. Why Would a Successful Company Change Their Business ModelCompanies die when they fail to perceive and adopt to the future. It is essential to the success of a company to reinvent themselves, with care.
  6. How Do You Remain at the Cutting EdgeChange your diet. Take risks, and advance your products beyond current applications.
  7. How Did the Ford Motor Company Fail to InnovateThey were built in an interesting way.
  8. How Should VCs Think About Investing in Biotech StartupsBiology and pharmaceuticals are interesting investments, but they take too much time, too much money, and the risk is very high.
  9. What Does Sequoia Do Differently From Other VC FirmsAt the very beginning, instead of having a partner choose a startup they want to join, Sequoia lets the startup choose a partner they'd like to work with.
  10. Why Didn't Sequoia Invest in FacebookPeter Thiel and Sean Parker teamed up to make sure Sequoia was not part of Facebook's early round.

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