A List of Great Venture Posts from 2009

I think that one of the best things social entrepreneurs can do to be well-rounded and understand the various spaces in which they operate is read blogs written by venture capitalists. While in the social space, that effectively means reading the Social Capital Markets blog (which effectively functions as the platform for the folks at Good Capital) and the Stanford Social Innovation Review, which occaisionally features writing by social VC's, venture investors in the tech space are, perhaps unsurprisingly, a bit more active on the blogs.

About a week ago, I came across this list of the "Top 50 Venture Capital Blog Posts of 2009." Some of it's pretty wacky, and I can't really agree with the order, but it's a nice overview of the VC bloggers that you need to be following, and worth a conscientious read.

I think there are a few reasons that social entrepreneurs should be reading these blogs. First, the emotional experience of being a founder looks pretty similar across sectors. There are different ups and downs, but the core experience of being out on your own with only yourself and your team is shared. Second, much of what it means to raise money is shared across. Understanding the different types of things different types of investors are going to be looking for gives any entrepreneur a better ability to conceptualize and pitch their offering. Third, the trends that shape what VCs are looking for in the pure profit world sometimes intersect with "for good" opportunities. Understanding where a for-good model might be more disruptive and more attractive to a different class of startup investment assets is how I think many social startups will be funded in the coming years.

I read a few VC blogs daily and recommend them to everyone:

Paul Graham - The founder of Y Combinator is also a prolific essayist. It's worth going back and reading his entire catalog. I think he's particularly good at breaking down the romance of startup life in a way that still comes out in favor of the power of startups to create lives and reshape the world.

Fred Wilson - The principle of Union Square Ventures is the VC blogger I most consistently enjoy reading. He blogs basically every day and brings in just enough of his perspective about the rest of the world to get a sense of him as a person. He's a particular must read if you're involved in the NYC startup scene.

Brad Feld - The founder of the Foundry Group, Brad Feld is like Fred Wilson's Boulder brother. Like Wilson, his blog is mostly - but not exclusively - about the venture industry. This one is a must-read for those involved in the Boulder startup scene.

What are some of the other VC blogs that readers here love?

(Photo Courtesy Paulgraham.com)