1. 1
notes and quotes from
Red Herring North America 2010
a gathering of founders, investors, and CEOs of
cutting edge technology companies
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

2. 2
on prioritizing:
Entrepreneurs have a vision for their capabilities that’s
very grand -- it includes A to Z…but when you really
get down to it, it’s A and D that get the sale.
You’ve got to be willing to focus what’s going to get
the sale; all others you can do in the future.
Peter Thomas, Managing Director,
ATA Ventures
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

3. 3
on determining your capabilities:
The things which make VCs interested
in investing are not always the same
things which make customers
interested in buying.
Oren Elias, CEO,
Correlsense
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

4. 4
on when to stop building and tweaking software:
Shipping is a feature too.
attributed to Steve Jobs -- but often repeated by
managers of software developers
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

5. 5
on what matters to VCs:
I always focus on page 18 or 19 of
the [pitch] deck because that’s
where the bad news comes in.
Michael Cowen, Managing Director,
Bridgescale Partners
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

6. 6
on perseverance:
Building a business is a roller coaster;
don’t get off at the bottom.
Mark Casey, President and CEO
CFN Services, Inc.
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

7. 7
on the decisions entrepreneurs must make:
When you’re small, the strategic and the
tactical are almost one and the same.
James Alexander, Founder and
CEO,
Vizibility
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

8. 8
on pitching to VCs:
You need to get out and be known.
Sometimes the best companies don’t get the
values because they’re too prosaic – while the
other guy promoting his product as the next
best thing is getting all the attention.
John Balen, General Partner,
Canaan Partners
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

9. 9
on the attractiveness of companies whose CEOs have
been around for awhile:
CEOs don’t just appear, they’re developed.
Pete Thompson, Managing Director,
ATA Ventures
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

10. 10
on the huge market size and growth
potential in mobile:
More people use cell phones every
day than toothbrushes.
Philipp Schloter, President and CEO
Abukai
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10

11. 11
on the need to be flexible and adaptable:
Agility counts.
Omar Green, Director
Strategic Mobile Initiatives, Intuit
Red Herring North America
© 2010 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
06.22 – 06.24.10