Jon Sakoda is a Good Guy
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by bug on 2012-06-13
Pitched Jon Sakoda on a seed investment. He understood the pitch and made a quick decision.
I have a certain amount of loyalty to this firm since they were the first investors to step forward in our seed round (fast followed by a number of other VCs).
Working with Jon later (and to a lessar degree Patrick Chung) they both seem like good, honest people.
I get the impression that they are somewhat loyal to their entrepreneurs (but this is second-hand).
PRIVATE: Members OnlyGood Experience Pitching to Paul Hsiao
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by fearless on 2010-08-23
Went to NEA offices to do the proverbial monkey dance. Their offices can be a little hard to find since they are in somewhat of a sprawling office park - suggest you go early just in case you get lost.
Pitched to Paul Hsiao and he got it immediately. Gave us great feedback, and actually used our service after we left. I've said it before in my review of him personally, but for being a VC - he makes you feel very comfortable as you pitch. They did not invest in us, but having had VCs as board members before, my gut feel is Paul would be a positive experience on a board.
PRIVATE: Members Only (135 Characters)Be Careful...Nea's Bala Balachandran Cannot Be Trusted
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2010-06-06
In our dealings with Bala Balachandran we found that she was not credible or transparent in her dealings and seemed to be mining us for data...........
In addition, her actions were at variance to her assurances and commitments
PRIVATE: Members Only (1991 Characters)Great Experience with Helpful Comments
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by anulman on 2010-04-13
Met with Sujay (who woefully isn't listed in the Team Members!) and we sat down for a little over an hour. He was friendly, interested, and an absolute breeze to talk with.
He was open and honest about the firm's investments and fund (and with relevant personal questions), both when the information was positive and negative. And he gave me a few comments afterward that will really help my pitch going forward!
Ultimately, I pitched for him 3-4 months before I should have -- NEA want a bit more maturity in their early-stage companies than where YouPhonics is at right now -- but he lost no interest in the company or the pitch as soon as the timing issue became apparent.
PRIVATE: Members Only (613 Characters)Met with Patrick Chung
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-12-22
Went through a warm introduction to Patrick Chung, great to speak to him and he stopped me beforehand to tell me he may have a potential conflict in his current portfolio.
Afterwards, he gave some great feedback, but in general we definitely thought we were too early for these guys, and that's how it turned out.
PRIVATE: Members Only (151 Characters)Very Helpful in Growing Company
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-09-08
We have been continuously impressed with NEA and the individual partners we are working with.
PRIVATE: Members Only (1545 Characters)Consistently Good Guy
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by buddydog on 2009-07-23
I have had only good experiences with Pete. I have worked with him once.
He is still young and learning the VC trade and is not as technical, but I think he is smart, a good businessman and a very honorable guy. I appreciate these attributes.
In terms of fundinge has said "yes" once and said "no" once. In hindsight, I think he chose wisely both times. I would work with him again.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyWeak
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-03-23
Four weeks after our third meeting with them, which four partners attended, they announced an investment in a competitor. Maybe they were in the final decision making process and truly considering us, but seems very unlikely that they turned around a term sheet, closed and got a press release out in four weeks with the other guys. So they probably already had the term sheet out when they met with me and drilled me on my business and deal pipeline. One of the partners who sat through my presentation appeared on the board of the competitive company they funded. Great stuff.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyBe Very Careful: Especially of Scott Sandell
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-02-16
We pitched a Series B deal to them a few years ago. Scott Sandell was the partner who spent a lot of time with us. They took our positioning plank and re-positioned one of their messed up recapitalized portfolio companies and positioned it identically in a week - with a lot of our content. Easy to look back today and say we told them too much (we probably did) but this was extremely blatant. Watch what you say - especially to Scott.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyPaul Hsiao
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by cheshirecat on 2008-02-11
Paul Hsiao is a partner at NEA. When we met with him, he was relaxed, personable, and completely attentive. He's extremely smart but, you know, humble... like no ego, no arrogance.
He's a guy I feel like we could work with, who "gets it" and wouldn't generate capricious interference.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyProfessional
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-02-07
Got introduced to NEA through a referral. Got a quick response and sent them a company overview. They reviewed quickly and thought we might be too close to one of their portfolio companies. That's all I could ask for and it looks like others in this forum have had similar interactions.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyRe: Pete Sonsini
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-12-24
We pitched a Series B oportunity last year to Pete Sonsini. All I can say is that he is not the brightest tool in the shed. Obviously, the family name had a lot to do with him landing a job at the firm. Based on my interactions with him that is the only logical explanation I can support. He didn't understand our business proposition and didn't ask a relevant question that made any sense.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyMd Office: Harry Weller: Very Positive Experience
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-11-29
Got introduced to Harry through one of NEA's port. company CEOs. He got our business right away, asked very insightful questions and, even though we weren't a fit for them, he made some great intros for me at other funds. He also gave a very compelling pitch about why we should do business with NEA. Not only was this very refreshing, as many other VCs seem to think they don't need to sell you, or they wait until they have term sheet competitors to do so, whereas Harry did it in our first meeting. Additionally, it was apparent that he really believed in the NEA story and model, and he backed his claims up with data. Overall, I was very impressed.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyQuick, Honest Feedback
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by NKOTB on 2007-11-12
Kittu Not as Bad as Made Out to Be
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Complication on 2007-10-02
Kittu has more of a real world perspective having recently come from the "real world" of managing a company. Also, he has a somewhat ironic sense of humor that may not jibe with all.
As such he may not be for a less confident entrepeneur at a seed level or series A, but is definitely a worthwile addition to a more substantiated company.
Peter Barris
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by ifsngs on 2007-09-11
Peter is one of the finest venture investors in the industry. He brings a wealth of experience and intellect to every situation and he has a great deal of patience as well! I have had a chance to work with him for many years in more than one startup and have never felt that he is too busy to help or that any problem is too insignificant for him to guide me on.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyPatrick
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-09-05
Seems like the fund has a good rep - that's the word on the street from ppl I know in the valley - but the particular partner you work with is important too.
Anyone have any dealings with Patrick Chung" He's been very professional, but we haven't set a meeting yet- would love to hear if anyone's worked with him.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyKittu's a Solid Citizen
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-08-31
There's a post in this thread that's pretty negative on Kittu... I disagree.
I found Kittu to be professional, bright and courteous. He didn't ultimately fund our company, but he was quick to engage, detailed and direct. No BS here and a smart guy to boot. I've seen many arrogant, not so smart VCs and Kittu does NOT fit that mold. He's a straight up guy. I also felt good about our interactions with others at NEA. All that said, he made a mistake by passing on our deal ;-)
Excellent Experience
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by pigratdog on 2007-08-25
I've pitched to them ideas that they have not funded and ideas that they have funded. Regardless of the outcome - I always got great feedback and was treated with respect and honesty. Peter Barris is truly exceptional - one of the few managing partners with a strong operating track record.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyNea is Extremely Professional
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by falcon52 on 2007-08-14
NEA is extremely professional from the top down; they take smart risks and walk the talk; they add significant value because of their breadth and contacts
PRIVATE: Members OnlyTivo Founder Now on Board
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by bootstrapper on 2007-06-23
NEA in Menlo just brought in the Tivo big dog as a venture partner. They have operators and are very up-front.
Sometimes if a partner cannot make it for a meeting, he'll find you another so it may be good to double back to the original with your own recap of the meeting. Keep in touch with these guys as you progress and you never know what can come of it.
PRIVATE: Members Only (148 Characters)Be Careful Who You Work With
Fund: New Enterprise Associates
Posted by anonymous on 2007-05-09
A great firm with a great brand. Lots of good people there, but make sure you talk to the right person.
PRIVATE: Members Only (75 Characters)