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Taking the bulldog spirit to the next level



A recent Mercury News article provided inspiring profiles of two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who fought personal adversity to keep their start-ups going.

Here's a short description+extract from one of the profiles:

In February 2002, when San Francisco-based enterprise software firm Determine Software, was in the process of raising its next round of venture funding, its CEO, Scott Martin, was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors gave him a 14 percent chance to survive.

(Extracts:)

But Martin stayed focused. He worked his laptop and phones from his hospital bed as he received treatment... In October, Buck French of JP Morgan Partners went to visit Martin, who was then undergoing chemotherapy to prepare for a bone-marrow transplant. With Martin's immune system compromised, French was forced to put on a mask, a gown and gloves before he could negotiate terms with the sick patient....

French says Martin's passion impressed him....... Sure, health was a big concern, but on the flip side, said French: "If this guy survives, he's a winner," he remembered thinking at the time. "This is the type of person you want to invest in."

(Extracts end)

Result: JP Morgan joined existing Mohr Davidow and New Enterprise Associates to invest $12.25 million in Determine's new round of funding.

Click Here to read the full Mercury News article.

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