Skip Sanzeri

Skip Sanzeri been an entrepreneur since 1986 beginning with Ziff-Davis' IAC Division which was acquired by Thompson Publishing. Then Skip built 6 bay area based health clubs under the Gold's Gyms license and re-branded as California Athletic Clubs which were acquired by 24 Hour Fitness. Skip joined Quote.com (backed by Sequoia Capital, which was subsequently bought by Lycos. Skip Started investing as an Angel in a handful of tech companies. Have worked with dozens of CEO's and entrepreneurs in early stage companies helping with funding, operations, and marketing/branding. Skip Founded Myfamli - the world's first comprehensive family information and preservation system - myfamli.comSkip Sanzeri also Founded AlerSense - The World’s First Smart Allergy, Asthma and COPD Air Quality Alert System.http://www.alersense.com/Skip Sanzeri Exits:Took MyDx, Inc. publicMerged InRange Technologies with CNT - Computer Network Technology Corp.Merged Open Source Group with OllianceQuote.com sold to LycosIAC (Ziff Davis Division) sold to Thompson Educational PublishingConverted Gold's Gyms to California Athletic Clubs and sold the chain to 24 Hour Fitness Here's a recent article I wrote on my Quora site answer your question about how entrepreneurs should contact venture capitalists. The question was asking if it was okay to contact venture capitalists when you don't know them. My summary response was generally it's a waste of time. You should use networks like LinkedIn to get referred into VC instead.     Here's the article: Skip Sanzeri on Quora In my experience, generally VC firms require a warm referral. Most venture firms see so many plans per week, that the companies which come to them through referrals will get a stronger look. In answering your question about emailing or calling cold into VC firms, I would say practically, it is not the most optimum approach.   I don’t believe that you should necessarily avoid a VC firm that has a company that could be competition, but if the other company they invested in is a straight up competitor, you might be wasting your time. I've also found that VC firms change focus direction from time to time. So if a given firm was interested in cloud-based technologies earlier, they may now have switched to AI etc. sometimes their portfolio will fill up with a certain type of company in a certain industry and therefore they will no longer look for similar companies.Be sure to study the firm first, then look for a partner or associate at the firm who has an interest in your space. Sometimes entrepreneurs make a rookie mistake by contacting a VC firm through a referral, without having done the initial research to understand if the firm is currently looking for companies like theirs to add to their portfolio.   It's not to say that you couldn't play the numbers game and reach out to 100 analysts or associates at VC firms, but your response would most likely be very slim. You're better off using something like LinkedIn and finding someone you know who can make an introduction for you to the right firm.So you want to go to the site, review their philosophy and their portfolio companies, look for some matches, then find the partner who is handling your area and who is most qualified to discuss your company with you. Then, find someone on LinkedIn who can make an introduction for you, (or use another network) and go from there.   Lastly be sure to watch out for competition. I’d say it in about 25% of the pitches I’ve made to VC they could not move forward due to the fact that they had an investment in a competitive company.  

Skip Sanzeri is interested in Yoga, Baseball, Swimming and Quantum Physics.