For Entrepreneurs is a blog for startups and entrepreneurs, written by David Skok, a five time serial entrepreneur turned VC (now at Matrix. Partners). It aims to address the key issues they will face in getting started, getting funded, and building a successful company.
For Entrepreneurs focuses on four topics, (as well as a blog that will cover a variety of topics of interest to entrepreneurs):
- Startup Help: from idea conception, through getting funded, and building for success
- Business Models that work
- Building a Sales & Marketing Machine
- Lessons from Leaders: real world stories from successful companies
- Blog including Guest Bloggers
Hi, my name is David Skok. I am a serial entrepreneur turned VC. I have a great passion for helping entrepreneurs and starups. I started my first company a few months after leaving university at the age of 21, and over the next 25 years, founded a total of four companies (Skok Systems, Corporate Software Europe, Watermark Software, and SilverStream Software) and did one turnaround (Xionics). I have had my share of ups and downs. I was lucky enough to have three of these companies go public, one was acquired, and one initially succeeded, but then failed when I moved the company to the US. I often remark that I learned more from that one failure than I have from all of my successes.
After 25 years as an entrepreneur, I became a venture capital partner at Matrix Partners, the firm that had backed my last two companies. I had worked with 15 different VC firms, and Matrix had clearly been my best partner, earning my strong loyalty with their support through some very tough times. I was excited to move to the “dark side” and be in a position to help other entrepreneurs. For the past nine years I have been investing in software and internet companies. As a VC, I have had the very good fortune to invest alongside some spectacular management teams, including JBoss, who took their Open Source business to a successful exit with its sale to Red Hat, and AppIQ, Tabblo and Diligent Technologies, which have all had successful exits, from their inceptions to their acquisitions by HP and IBM. I currently serve on the boards of Digium (makers of the very popular Asterisk Open Source PBX/telephony software), CloudSwitch, Enservio, OpenSpan, Solidworks, VideoIQ, and HubSpot.
In addition to the articles that I will post, I will also enlist the help of guest bloggers who I believe represent some of the best entrepreneurial and executive minds in the business.
If you would like to contact me, please email me at: dskok (at) matrixpartners.com. I would enjoy hearing from you.
