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A Very Rare Breed
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by advisor on 2008-06-05
Anthony Lee, a partner at Altos, invested in one of my companies and has been an advisor to me for another. Unlike a lot of VCs that over-structure deals solely to maximize their upside and eliminate their downside, Altos terms tend to be much more founder friendly. They seem to try to create a win-win situation where all interests are aligned. Anthony was also extremely careful not to overstep his role as an advisor. Where a lot of VCs can be arrogant and overbearing, he provides great advice but doesn't dictate. I've dealt with a lot of VCs and Altos is one of the select few that I'd work with again.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyInteresting Prospects
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-13
Altos seems to be making a lot of smart steps to be a world-class fund. They are not afraid of investing in companies that have some revenue or companies that are outside of their immediate geography. They appreciate the efforts of a founder that has to scrape by to get the company off the ground. They are open to different kinds of deals, and they provide a quick "no."
PRIVATE: Members Only (236 Characters)Smart But A Smallish Sweet Spot
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-03-25
My experience with Altos is that they're a really strong group, but that they have a pretty small sweet spot in terms of size of deal, stage of company and valuation. It feels like on one hand they need clear traction, but on the other don't want to come in too late. A third of a $6m to $9m round seems like their favorite bite.
As far as I can tell they like to syndicate their deals (some recent ones appear to be Outspark with Doll, GuardianEdge with Cardinal and Cargill, Billeo with Claremont Creek and Pacifica Fund - it looks like they were the primary on Provade.)
Overall they seem like a great group - but make sure you get a clear sense of their sweet spot before investing too much time.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyHolistic Approach Common Sense
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by nd_grad on 2008-02-07
After speaking with many of the top-tier VCs, Altos stood out as an organization that appreciates entrepreneurs who can get results. They are the only firm that did not try to beat our successful business model into the "box" of software only, infinitely scalable, no people. Instead, they looked carefully at the problem to be solved, our approach and our vision.
Ho Nam contributes a great deal to our Board, company and team.
If you have a company that has revenue and a lean, mean approach, Altos may be an excellent partner.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyGreat Team, Patience For Building Value
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by malamute on 2008-01-07
First off the whole team is great, since funding we've had solid hands-on assistance from 3 of the 4 partners. Yet they aren't going to monkey in the business unless asked, they tend towards trusting the teams they invest in.
They advocate lean and smart running. Strong connections into Stanford GSB to interact with professors/academics and recruit advisory board members. Also should be considered very seriously if your business has any opportunity in Asian markets.
PRIVATE: Members Only (81 Characters)VISIT OUR SPONSOR: advertise here
Class Act
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by indirect on 2007-10-16
I have never pitched Altos as my companies don't fit the industries they serve, but I've known Brendon for many years and received valuable advice from him in my early days as a young Internet entrepreneur. Smart, high integrity, huge heart... he's the kind of guy you want to work with. Even though we haven't talked in quite some time, can't resist telling fellow entrepreneurs that this guy is gold.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyValue Oriented Investors Advocate Running Lean And Smart
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by cvachon on 2007-08-08
Strong BD and corp dev relationships in Korea. The Altos team desires to invest in first round deals where the management is focused on smartly using capital. Very well respected by their peers.
PRIVATE: Members Only (150 Characters)Value Added Smart Money
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by m&m on 2007-07-16
I've known Ho Nam over 9 years and I was an inside director when Altos funded Listen.com (Series A). After investing, Ho provided an amazing amount of help to build the company and was truly a value added investor. He had great insights into the business, provided market research when needed and continually helped build the executive team as the company grew. Even when times became tough (which happens at most startups) Ho was supportive to corrective changes, kept a positive spirit and continued to be helpful with management.
If you are looking for an investor who knows how to build a business and will devote a significant amount of time, then Altos Ventures (and Ho Nam) would be a great place to seek funding.
PRIVATE: Members Only (96 Characters)Real Partnership
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by burning on 2007-05-22
When we first received funding from Altos, it wasn't much out of a choice: after scores of meetings with tens of VCs, Altos was really the only one willing to bet their dollars on just a few Powerpoint slides. At that time, we felt like we could/should have done better and got a better valuation, etc.
That was two years ago. Now, we love 'em. They really try to understand and help your business. They went to almost all the business meetings with us at the beginning, including a trip to Asia, and worked almost as a virtual biz dev team for us. When you are a tiny company with little money and no reputation, having your investor go to potential customers together helps greatly.
They also contributed greatly in our getting a subsequent round done. They introduced many VCs from their network, and practically found a co-investor firm that came in to the round that Altos led again.
One of the best investors I've ever worked with in many senses. The longer you work with them, the better you appreciate them.
PRIVATE: Members Only (615 Characters)Class Act From Beginning To Exit
Fund: Altos Ventures
Posted by wally500 on 2007-05-17
The value I've received from Altos really started after we received the funds seven years ago. They are a rare breed that allows companies to be run by management's vision of long-term value versus near-term investor ROI. True colors show during tough times and their support was crucial during a longer than anticipated validation stage.
I highly recommend Altos for anyone looking for 2M-5M in capital.
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