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" I'm often asked what it takes to be 'Series A ready' in terms of metrics, progress, and traction. Unfortunately, there's no easy answer. "

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" At TechStars, I have the privilege of working with hundreds of the best and brightest start-up mentors on the planet. We coach our mentors to take a Socratic approach and to provide data rather than decisions. "

" Deciding whether or not to bring in an outside CEO is one of the most gut-wrenching decisions that a founder will ever need to make. "

" If you're not working on something you're passionate about, it's a long, hard road. "

" We're pretty broad as investors. Our thesis is work with great entrepreneurs that believe they can change the world. But there are specific areas that we get excited about - areas like hard tech, deep tech, companies that deal with really difficult technology, etc. "

" What Techstars is fundamentally a global ecosystem in which entrepreneurs are enabled and empowered to bring new technologies to the market. "

" Going public is one step in the life cycle of a company; it's not the last step. "

" There will always be a capital shortage from the perspective of entrepreneurs. "

" Techstars is truly global; you'll see us continue to expand all our programs worldwide, including accelerators, our venture capital, as well as the UP Global programs including Startup Weekend, Startup Next, Startup Digest, etc. "

" Clearly, there is a gender imbalance when it comes to venture capital and entrepreneurship. "

" You may have a small network, but growing that network has become easier with the use of social tools. LinkedIn, Conspire, even Facebook and Twitter allow you to grab branches that may have previously seemed out of reach. "

" There's no law that says you have to do what your mentor suggests. And the sooner you learn how to say 'no' confidently, the easier it will be to manage these key relationships. "

" We think of the Techstars product as not really the accelerator but the network. That's what entrepreneurs should be valuing here. I think it's the most undervalued thing that many entrepreneurs don't get. "

" We believe that startups can be built anywhere. "

" San Francisco is a great startup community that you shouldn't even try to model yourself after because it's just special. "

" Quality and a great product matters, in startups, and in accelerators. "

" I'm most proud of helping so many others achieve their dreams as founders. "

" I'm an investor in a lot of things that have to do with human-computer interaction. "

" The hot deal is often the one that does not work. "

" In the rare cases where I've had to cut a company loose, I just tell them why and wish them luck and hope they learn something from it. I don't spend more mental energy on it than I have to, and I try very hard not to hold a grudge or try to negatively affect them either. It's just done for me. "

" If I had a do over, I'd indubitably start investing in startups earlier in life! "

" If you're pitching to investors for the first time and expecting them to be so blown away by how thoroughly amazing your pitch is that they write a check on the spot - well, prepare to be disappointed. "

" When we talk about Techstars, we think of it as this worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. "

" Our goal is simply to make entrepreneurship more accessible to everyone around the world throughout the entrepreneurial journey, from inspiration to IPO. "

" We've been publishing the TechStars data fully since the beginning on TechStars.com. For every single company, you can see if it's a failure, success, how much they raised. Entrepreneurs deserve that sort of transparency from accelerators, and it's not hard to do. "

" Ultimately, even if you follow the advice of a mentor or board member, it's still your fault if they were wrong! "

" I was lucky to have amazing mentors like Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson. "

" I think just calling up a VC and saying 'I want to pitch you' is an enormous waste of time. "

" I think the best developers can learn any language; if they are a good developer, they can learn whatever. But the raw talent, the ability to learn it and do it and demonstrate the ability is helpful. "

" I think entrepreneurs should demand transparency for startup accelerators. "

" There are not enough female VCs in an industry so traditionally dominated by males. There are not enough female mentors who are actively engaged with female founders. We need women VCs and entrepreneurs to stand up, get loud, and help guide their peers. "