The personal circumstances of employees are a minefield for employers: Whether in hiring or in staff development: On the one hand, as an employer, you have to consider potential risks such as illness, financial stability, family situations, even possible pregnancies; on the other hand, in an ideal world, these issues should really remain a private matter for the respective employee … Read More
Confirmation Bias and Neglect of Contrarian Market Forces
Start-ups need a USP for their products and services that is not just unique but also in demand. There lies a structural tension in this: Whatever is really novel or unique cannot be in demand, because nobody as yet knows about it. So, frequently you can only guess or assume or hope that the new feature of a new product … Read More
Angel Bias and Angel Vanity
Investors and serial entrepreneurs usually entertain some good and many not so good investment memories respectively. Angel investors, who usually previously either worked as VCs or (serial) entrepreneurs therefore tend to be biased towards certain investment targets, certain technologies, certain types of business model etc. Their previous roles as investors (fund managers) or (serial) entrepreneurs make angels believe they have … Read More
Guy Spier’s Personal Investment Checklist as Master for Venture Investments
Earlier this year my friend Alexander Groß introduced me to Guy Spear’s autobiographic vade mecum on value investing: The Education of a Value Investor, My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom and Enlightenment, NY, 2014. I feel most indebted to Alexander for the simple reason that this is a wonderful book written by a wonderfully modest, humorous, genuine and yet most … Read More