David Cohen Quotes

The issue of access to growth capital is common to all entrepreneurs. Any entrepreneur who can demonstrate a credible business model and plan would be able to access to capital.

Accessing capital to start a business can be a daunting process, especially for entrepreneurs who start out with a great idea, but have no real familiarity with the business world.

I really believe that if capital doesn't come to the entrepreneurs, the entrepreneurs have no choice but to go to the capital.

Well, I think that there's a very thin dividing line between success and failure. And I think if you start a business without financial backing, you're likely to go the wrong side of that dividing line.

When I started Biocon in 1978, the obstacles I needed to navigate were manifold - ranging from infrastructural hurdles to issues related to my credibility as a business woman. With no access to venture capital, money was scarce and high-cost, debt-based capital was all I had.

I think 'Something Ventured' is a nice piece because it celebrates venture capital in a unique and powerful way.

Every venture capitalist says at some point, 'I wish I could run this company myself' - to be the entrepreneur instead of the investor.

There are lots of ways to make money in venture capital, and there are even more ways to be mediocre. The industry has too much money and too many smart people chasing too few great entrepreneurs.

The American economy has been built and sustained by risk-taking entrepreneurs whose pioneering ideas and hard work gave birth to flourishing businesses.

As a lot of the venture capital world seems to be shifting away from consumer, we want to make sure that consumer entrepreneurs know there's still money available.

Access to capital is important for all firms, but it's particularly vital for startups and young firms, which often lack a sufficient stream of earnings to increase employment and internally finance capital spending.

I would say raising capital is one of the weakest things for most entrepreneurs.

How could anyone ever build a company if they didn't have investments? It doesn't make any sense.

The first aspect of a business that you need to make it work well is money. Once the money aspect is flowing, you can freely work on other aspects.

Entrepreneurs love to view risk as binary. The more you put on the line, the greater the potential for reward.

I think a lot of entrepreneurs think they need money to build the business faster when they actually haven't figured out the business equation yet.

VCs, angels and other networks help you validate your ideas.

I like most of the venture capitalists I know; they're smart, well-intended guys who genuinely enjoy helping entrepreneurs succeed. And I love venture capital and investment capital of all categories - its economic impact is proven. The more of it the better.

Venture capital has done much more, I think, to improve efficiency than anything.

I think the development of the venture capital system has been an example of something which is a successful improvement in risk-bearing. It doesn't exactly remove the risks at the beginning, but at least creates greater rewards at a slightly later stage and therefore encourages, say, small companies to engage in technologically risky enterprises.

Investors do not like losing money. They do not like companies that fail. They do not like entrepreneurs that fail. There is not a culture of celebrating failure in Silicon Valley or anyplace else. That is a myth. Recognize this, and if you start another business, get it to a successful point before approaching outside investors again.

For male and female entrepreneurs alike, having a woman investor can bring credibility when discussing product positioning and expansion opportunities.

In my experience, fledgling entrepreneurs focus way too much on the money - you can get most things done and figure out a lot without spending much. That said, most businesses require money to launch and get off the ground.

The general rule is that entrepreneurs need the fear of their brand's demise to make it magic. It is too safe to do it as a corporate subsidiary.

Wayne, Jon, and the SeventySix Capital team are best in class and committed to building successful companies. Together, by leveraging the full weight of our knowledge, expertise and relationships, we can make a huge impact at home in Philadelphia and around the world.