All 20 #cs183vc “lectures” will address the one thing that matters in venture capital. Timing. pic.twitter.com/UyjcXu0IKj
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
By Larry Chiang
Barney and Robin have their timing super well-timed.
These cs 183vc tweets all stem from Stanford Engineering classes* and are meant to be timed, well. Many of these classes I quote below are taught by VCs and /or massively influenced by VCs**. Remember, we want to learn from VCs how to be VCs. That point has been lost***. Remember, back when they were founders, VCs did things that were painful, genius and glossed over when they tell us their war stories. CS 183vc is about getting back to basics of being VCs, but with a new toolkit. CS 183vc is like the new Kauffman Centre for VC Education. All 20 #cs183vc lectures go toward making the timing work.
Old: VCs used to be tall, pretty and shiny.

New: VCs are like R2D2. Here is the Stanford engineering genius that is discjockey’d into “CS 183vc”
The forward deployed engineer. #cs183vc is from Lec 9. @stanfordEng‘s #CS183 | @peterthiel‘s 2012 class [cc #R2D2vc] pic.twitter.com/HlaZEPYfmS
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Timing. Nothing is more timely for a #csMajorCEO than a wave of revenue via #GuaGuaGuacamole. #cs183vc Lec 1-20 pic.twitter.com/n5XOQUcXlZ
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) June 14, 2016
I’m hyper aware of Mayfield Fellows, alsop Louie, g51 VC scholars, etc. But #CS183vc‘s about jumping strait to GP!! pic.twitter.com/W9KsloF0zb
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Timing. There is nothing more timely than a dollop of $,¥,€,£ & $ #cs183vc (cc #cs183eubm, #ENGR145, Lec 3 e, lec5 s pic.twitter.com/vQVNFOC71D
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
“Timing. Got a dollop of $,$?!? #cs183vc (cc #cs183eubm, #ENGR145, Lec 3 #cs183e, lec5 #cs183s.”
— @LarryChiang pic.twitter.com/a9xXGTzU4o— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Nikola Tesla Pitching Silicon Valley VCs. #cs183vc. Lec 2. https://t.co/7FC90Zs9Jg
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
#nonEmployeeCoFounder
Lec 2. Tesla was #nonEmployeeCoFounder of GE (via G. Westinghouse). #cs183vc https://t.co/jq6oG6LijV
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 2, #cs183vc. Exercise: Save Nick Tesla from Nicolai Tesla https://t.co/7qCvLrQthz
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
#SXSW @LarryChiang @garrytan
OMG, Peter’s lec. 5, #cs183B is true. Engineers’ “Y” = 0. Re ‘Men Who Made America’ pic.twitter.com/sGjLwwttZb— Unofficial Austin (@UnofficialATX) February 19, 2015
Lec 2. Tesla was #nonEmployeeCoFounder of GE (via G. Westinghouse). #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/Io1ZQEygMr
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 2. Tesla’s Y=0 #nonEmployeeCoFounder of AC-DC and GE. #cs183vc solves engineer getting paid zero dollars $0 pic.twitter.com/dfowOlG4pO
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 3, #cs183vc. 20 “lectures” of #cs183s. <~ revenue! Cash in helps timing. pic.twitter.com/s2Wn8nuyqg
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 4. #cs183vc. “Your ‘base + comm’. Because “timing” is solved if you’re not under the money gun”
–@LarryChiang https://t.co/gSz3BX6xFc— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
I pattern recognize “base + comm” (commission is upside) https://t.co/xUnttkQ8kC pic.twitter.com/vIAkZwemoN
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) May 13, 2015
But, Larry Chiang, I can’t be a VC. I do not have Limited Partner money or experience.
Answer: We are cs majors and we can code a solution to this age-old pattern called “Catch 22”
LP $ = job
Experience = track record as an investor.
‘Catch 22’ of a VC fund. #cs183vc Lec 5. pic.twitter.com/ab0F8LCuEm
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
CS183vc solves this catch 22. Lec 5, CS 183vc solves the catch 22 of what comes first: The LP money or your first 3 investments becoming winners.
Lec 5. #cs183vc. pic.twitter.com/PzDCBiq2Lp
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 5. #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/9jQD5Fq69D
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 6, #cs183vc
Revenue is frowned upon sometimes. So as a VC, never touch the money in.— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 6, #cs183vc. Money in = money out. Exactly. #scheduleC as a part time VC /#R2D2vc
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 6, #cs183vc. zero out-ing for a schedule C. pic.twitter.com/knVVM7jcES
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 6, #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/kDahBul7MG
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 6, #cs183vc. Keep all the money out, money in on $pypl. PayPal is great bc u can spend the MC stored value pic.twitter.com/FpshzGVfzl
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 7, #cs183vc. The new $. The new shareholder equity. Is code. API’s are sexy. Protocol interfacing is like networking between computers.
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 8, #cs183vc. What prequel is this. What sequel is this. Karma is everywhere. pic.twitter.com/ohy4NAeQOT
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 9, #cs183vc. Timing: parades. We bet there’s a parade to join SOMEWHERE. And an #afterParty! pic.twitter.com/AvwIbuz2ls
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 10, #cs183vc‘s. Super tall. Super shiny. Super useless. But look great at parties and meetings. pic.twitter.com/GgXOx0T1Sj
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
From Stanford Engineering 245 #ENGR245 (Lean launchpad)
Lec 11, #cs183vc. That’s a startup-death-spiral because that VP of Sales does not have a CS degree like u do pic.twitter.com/2NGNcWNdzv
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 12, #cs183vc Contrary to MBA opinion…, you do bring money to the bank💵. And Sand~>Beach. pic.twitter.com/VWOLvayOGP
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
From Stanford Engineering 145 #ENGR145 (Technology Entrepreneurship)
Gua Gua Guacamole. Lec 13, #cs183vc https://t.co/nvtXd1Gal7
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 14, #cs183vc. Timing of product-market-fit by wearing the right clothes at an industry conference pic.twitter.com/sztkPUUTwv
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Training the 3-5 co-founders to host a popUp demo/ doing #collisonBros installs as per #cs183yC. Lec15; #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/zcd0uSHwiX
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
This is the “Pump and Dump” Dance.
We pump and (dump) by selling stock to GP’s that we ourselves do not own. Lec 16, #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/YNkFpBJ0Ci
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
“Pump and Dump” Dance party!!!! We cannot lose when we have zero US dollars at risk. We can only win when a GP buys the stock we are selling. Then. Then after we have secured a commitment, we go buy the stock.
Leverage VC F.O.M.O.
Give other VCs FOMO Lec 16, #cs183vc (Fear of Missing Out) pic.twitter.com/YoJEZZdRHq
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016

Lec 17 #cs183vc‘s the checklist. And dual track execute getting a bank line of credit at #530Lytton JustinKan case pic.twitter.com/5EVAqzoE1T
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 6, 2016
Lec 18 #cs183vc. Take that $30-100k line of credit from #530Lytton & Cross-the-chasm. #CTCFTR. pic.twitter.com/IBsNSsotGl
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
The $30-$100k line of credit from #530Lytton opens doors. Cross-the-chasm from the right! #CTCFTR. Lec 18 #cs183vc. pic.twitter.com/9wsUQnXtlL
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
Lec 19. Regurgitate roller-chain. Dbl entendre #rollerChiang. #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/qwsPSxYvqL
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
Think of #cs183vc as CS majors that made ~ $600k in #ENGR145. Then #ROTJ‘d. {Retire on The Job!!= Lec 20 #cs183e} pic.twitter.com/2G3tH4zU1B
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
“Timing. It matters to GP’s that our first 3 “investments” smack right in the kisser” @LarryChiang #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/h9qrQ1q74E
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
Roller chain. #rollerChiang, because a Chiang engineered it to be exact, specific & sans friction. Lec 19 #cs183vc pic.twitter.com/2M5VLVmLOc
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
Lec 20 comes full circle: Ass VCs should never judge. Stop judging and start helping with ‘timing’. We are engineers. All we do is timing on a calculus and geometric scale.
The whole point of #cs183vc is so that you never judge & ANALyze. New VCs w/a CS degree just xFer code & $. pic.twitter.com/mCfbE0jkiR
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
“VCs constantly saying no by not saying no is like being a HAWT, hetero model at #nyfw‘s sea of puddy”
–#cs183vc pic.twitter.com/1sGFQswNEC— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016
“VCs constantly saying no by not saying no is like being a HAWT, hetero model at #nyfw‘s sea of puddy”
–#cs183vc pic.twitter.com/1sGFQswNEC— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016


“Don’t judge that #AltairBasic #YCcrockPotDin #video-game-via-TV, accelerate THEM” https://t.co/3vTFwI12gL
– #cs183vc by @LarryChiang
— Larry Chiang (@LarryChiang) July 7, 2016