Avoid Why I Will Never Pitch Them Again
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by marvintgoody on 2009-09-23
Nice guys and really smart, but....
PRIVATE: Members Only (613 Characters)Will Talk to You for Years (No Kidding) and Not Decide
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-09-26
Pitched to him a couple of years ago. Very interested but couldn't pull the trigger. Every 6 months, asks for an update and thinks about it and decides to wait more.
He boasted that one company he invested in, he talked to them for 18 months before investing. If you have that much patience, go for it.
Know another CEO in a company he invested in. Says he is very conservative and risk-averse. Not happy with him on the board.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyYour Information is Not Accurate
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-10-06
I don't think you are accurate on their typical investment size. Ours was a multiple of 500K and I am not aware of them doing very small investments.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyWish We Fit, but Great Experience with Rob Nonetheless
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-10-22
Pitched to Rob thinking that our sector was a not an absolute fit with their focus. But introduced us to other VC leads and to one customer any way.
Also Rob usually shows a phenomenal email response time, wish all my friends were that prompt.
PRIVATE: Members Only (564 Characters)Like Ravi
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-08-13
We pitched to these guys and got very far down the path. Like Ravi and think he is a solid venture guy. Found his other partners a little less approachable. Other then that, good firm and someone that people should consider
PRIVATE: Members OnlyStraight forward
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by RuralRoute6 on 2007-08-18
Believe Rob Coneybeer and Jason Pressman are right up front with their current situation and evaluations. Would rather get straight feedback rather than try and make you feel good. Appears that they often have full plates.
PRIVATE: Members Only (204 Characters)Good Meeting
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-03-24
I met with Tod Francis re social media site. Tod gets it. He's also open to experimenting and embracing new news models. I'd have Tod on my board in a heartbeat.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyTod Seems Like a Good Guy
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-11-17
Pitched Tod and he was engaged in the presentation and asked intelligent questions. Decided to pass and sent an email explaining the reasons. Fast, responsive and respectful
PRIVATE: Members OnlyShady Ethics
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2013-03-31
Shasta has reached out to one of my companies regarding an introduction. This was strange, normally it's the other way around.
I know for fact that Shasta is investing has just lead the seed round in an direct competitor. I found this to be very unprofessional and unethical.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyWorth Talking To
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by MartinEden on 2008-05-27
Met everyone on the team but spent the most time with Rob. Went about as far as you can go without getting the deal done. Overall, took too long to get through all the meetings, etc., so we took $ from other sources. However, I would recommend these guys highly. We pitched a lot of VCs and had a competitive process. Of the VCs we pitched, these guys did the best with:
-Understanding the product, market and business model, and speaking to reasonable extensions of the business.
-Willing to engage early and continue the process until a deal could make sense for them.
-Being open-minded with terms required by founders.
Tod and Rob
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-02-20
I pitched Tod and Rob and they definitely have different styles. Tod is very friendly and engaged. Rob, as some have said here, does seem a little more arrogant, and I found it hard to tell if his attitude was justified. But overall the meeting was productive. Tod was very interested in our space and asked excellent questions. He was very helpful with feedback and open with his concerns, which was refreshing. He definitely knows his stuff.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyAverage Pitch
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Wednesday on 2012-11-06
Straightforward feeling, seemed a little risk averse for a seed VC.
PRIVATE: Members Only (130 Characters)Good Pitch, Great Feedback
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2011-10-05
Sean Flynn was not only great in the pitch meeting, but he also followed up quickly via email. Alas, he passed on investing. He also followed up with the contact that introduced us, and has offered time to talk through why he passed in more detail.
Sure, I'm not happy that he didn't want to move forward, but he treated us with respect throughout and is very professional.
PRIVATE: Members Only (68 Characters)Good Folks
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by ositob on 2008-09-12
Met most with Ravi. He's a good guy, not full of himself, and give straight honest feedback. We didn't do a deal with him, but I wouldn't have minded working with him.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyGood Folks
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by JonKessler on 2008-08-06
I want to put a plug in for Ravi, Tod and for Evan Liang. Met several times about an early stage Company i've worked on. Nothing but good times and positive dialogue, whether they agreed or disagreed with what I was putting out. Also never ending bowl of Resse's Pieces.
Don't know if we'll ever do business, but a good group.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyGood First Impression
Fund: Shasta Ventures
Posted by reinspruch on 2007-12-19
I met with Brent and Ravi, and they left me with a good first impression. They asked good, relevant questions. It was clear they had read the presentation beforehand and weren't coming into the meeting cold. I will definitely ping them when the time comes to raise more money.
Also, if anyone has read any of my prior posts, you will know that returning emails in a timely manner is a major pet peeve of mine. It is a sign of respect and decent courtesy. So Shasta passed my personality test with flying colors :-)
PRIVATE: Members Only