20 VC 065: FOUNDRY GROUP WEEK 1: Brad Feld: Founders Should Be Obsessed, Passion Belongs In The Bedroom

Brad Feld  is one of the world's leading VCs having Co-Founded  Foundry Group , Brad has made investments in the likes of  Zynga ,  Makerbot  and  Fitbit , just to name a few. Brad is also Co-Founder of  Techstars , one of the world's most prominent startup accelerators, whose portfolio companies have raised over $1.3bn in funding.   If that wasn't enough Brad is also a best selling author having co-athoured  Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and VC , alongside Dick Costolo and  Startup Communities: Building An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem In Your Community . In addition to his investing and writing, Brad has been active with several non-profit organizations and currently is chair of the  National Center for Women & Information Technology  and co-chair of  Startup Colorado . Brad is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship and writes the widely read blogs  Feld Thoughts ,  Startup Revolution , and  Ask the VC . In Today's Episode You Will Learn: 1.) How Brad made his move from entrepreneurship to VC and later co-founding, The Foundry Group. 2.) Does Brad agree with the view that it is important for entrepreneurs to fail? 3.) Why did Brad turn Fitbit down on 1st opportunity and what changed the 2nd time? 4.) What gets Brad excited in a startup? What areas are Brad most interested in? 5.) What is the main characteristic that makes the Foundry Group the huge success it is?   Items Mentioned In Today's Episode: Brad's Fave  Business Books:  1.)  Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig 2.)  Hot Seat by Dan Shapiro Brad's Fave Blog or Newsletter:  Fred Wilson's Blog ,  Dan Primack: TermSheet ,  MatterMark Daily Brad's Most Recent Investments:  GlowForge: The 3D Laser Printer ,  Sphero   As always you can follow  Harry ,  The Twenty Minute VC ,  Brad  and  Foundry Group  on Twitter here!