Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. Asking for early-stage money before you have customers and revenue will likely kill your credibility with real investors. A seed-stage “super angel.”

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Finance Early Stage Startup 120

K9 Ventures

JUNE 12, 2012

While it it may not feel that way, the data suggest that there is indeed too much capital in the system — especially so at the seed stage, with more and more individuals and larger funds trying to invest in companies at this stage.). This situation is not always in the best interest of founders.

Venture Capital 117

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Founder Seed Stage 117

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

For the first-time entrepreneur or founder looking for seed stage funding, this circle can be especially difficult to penetrate. Mashable Mashable reached out to angels, seed stage investors and VC firm partners and asked them to share their wisdom with the rest of us. and Path Intelligence. .&#

Angel Investor 80

Angel Investor Startup San Francisco Social Media 80

thebarefootvc

JANUARY 27, 2014

I think that later stage valuations are frothy (for reasons I explain below) while earlier stage valuations are starting to stabilize from previous highs (with the exception of the superstar serial entrepreneur) - turns out scaling in a sea of competition (both startup and entrenched) is not so easy. Or so it seems.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Valuation Venture Capital Investment Bankers 63

View from Seed

MARCH 15, 2017

VC evaluation of seed-stage startups can seem arbitrary or imitative at times. Internally, the scarcity of tangible business metrics – product usage or revenue multiples for example – can make an investment decision feel daunting. Any seed stage company’s strategy is a constant work-in-progress.

Due Diligence 265

Due Diligence Seed Stage Portfolio Metrics 265

Hunter Walker

MAY 4, 2014

Second, we did an investment where we actually decided to own more than 10% because of the nature of the business model. For a seed stage fund like Homebrew, chasing hot markets seemed like madness. First, mass enthusiasm was likely a lagging indicator given where we want to invest. Were we right to hold back last year?

Software Review 106

Software Review Vertical Seed Stage Portfolio 106

K9 Ventures

JUNE 12, 2012

While it it may not feel that way, the data suggest that there is indeed too much capital in the system — especially so at the seed stage, with more and more individuals and larger funds trying to invest in companies at this stage.). This situation is not always in the best interest of founders.

Venture Capital 105

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Founder Seed Stage 105

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Seed-stage compatible: Like traditional equity VC investors, Flexible VCs accomodate early-stage investment risk within their portfolios better than a traditional RBI funder. Eligible for favorable treatment under Qualified Small Business Stock exemption, if structured as equity. “A Typical business stage.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

View from Seed

OCTOBER 28, 2019

To some degree the best way to describe a pre-seed round is that you know it when you see it, as the definition is squishy… but most pre-seed rounds are characterized as relatively small ($750K or less), early in company formation (pre-product), and typically followed by a larger “seed” round ($1M-$3M) within 12 months.

Seed Stage 247

Seed Stage Finance Dilution Early Stage 247

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 6, 2014

I like to think that our generation’s digital skills are replacing the startup’s traditional hunt for capital – all we need is a good idea, our team specs it out to make it sell, and we self-finance each company off its own cash flow.

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Business Model Silicon Valley Coder 154

The Startup Magazine

JULY 25, 2024

[link] Business News Daily reports that a startup needs around $184,830 a year at its initial stages, with around five employees on board. However, as told by FasterCapital, seed-stage startups can usually raise between $500,000 and $2 million from investors and venture capitalists.

Security 158

Security Hungary Poland Startup 158

www.informationarbitrage.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Too often, however, I have found CTO / Founders paired with business people who not only don't add value, but frequently detract from the value of the business. And from my perspective as an engaged seed stage venture investor, this makes them unfundable.

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Founder Cap Table Vesting 40

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2011

I strongly believe (at least for very early stage technology ventures) that you will get diminishing returns and arguably negative returns once you get past an initial threshold of team, product, market and financial diligence. I also teach Entrepreneurial Finance at San Jose State. work at home. May 1, 2011 10:32 PM.

Technical Review 31

Technical Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley San Jose 31

Gust

DECEMBER 28, 2011

In the “good old days,” angels invested in seed-stage startups and teed up promising companies for subsequent venture capital financing. Plan to prove your business model and get to positive cash flow with angel money and without VC investment. My, my…how the world has changed.

IPO 153

IPO Venture Capital Entrepreneur Angel Investor 153

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

Below is a short description of their philosophy: "The part of our philosophy that makes us most different from other startup investors is that we dont believe gut feel is a reliable indicator of potential at the seed stage. I also teach Entrepreneurial Finance at San Jose State.

Technical Review 38

Technical Review Early Stage San Jose Angel Investor 38

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 15, 2020

Robert and I talked about how it's working, the science of pseudoviruses and reporter genes, how his father's example in science and business set him on his path, and how to bridge the gap between science and finance. You're selling a consumable product, which is a great business model. There's all these warning signs.

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Software Review Finance San Francisco 68

Hunter Walker

MARCH 8, 2014

If you’re graduating this spring and starting a career in tech, I’ve got one piece of advice: go work at a midstage startup (I’ll define that as B/C rounds of financing – eg Twilio, Stripe, Airbnb, Warby). At a more mature technology company you’re protecting and extending your business model.

Liquidity Event 134

Liquidity Event Early Stage Seed Stage Startup 134

Hunter Walker

DECEMBER 27, 2016

Satya and I take a concentrated approach to seed stage investing – playing a leadership role in financings and committing 50%+ of our time ongoing to working with current investments. Related: 2016 VC Half-Thoughts: Seed Companies Aren’t Being Overfunded, They’re Being Prematurely Funded.

Seed Stage 97

Seed Stage Management Founder Leadership 97

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 11, 2019

Ann Miura-Ko is a founding partner at Floodgate , a seed-stage VC firm. That meant that if the change was starting on the founders side, then there had to be a change on the financing side. Then above that is business model power—so, how do you make money?

Founder 68

Founder Lean Venture Capital Cofounder 68

View from Seed

JANUARY 11, 2023

Think partners coming together to tap their own networks for your follow-on rounds of financing. The Clarity of the Terms : how will your company be financed? Every accelerator also finances its cohort companies differently. Complicated agreements with MFN clauses and confusing future financing obligations are opaque at best.

Programming 156

Programming San Francisco Sacramento Founder 156

BeyondVC

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

BOLDstart helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round. helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round”.

Seed Stage 110

Seed Stage Agile Viral API 110

Campus Entrepreneurship

MARCH 15, 2012

From Aberman : By taking away from the equation the coupling of a business model from acceptance to accelerator program, Y Combinator is taking away one of the pillars that seed stage investors use to evaluate an entrepreneurial team.

Seed Stage 44

Seed Stage Partner Virginia DC 44

Rob Go

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

Usually financial metrics are pretty sparse at early stages and investors have a hard time giving companies “credit” for steady, linear progress. For seed stage companies, typically, it’s about: Compelling founder(s). You need to show me that the “real” business model can work.

Business Model 65

Business Model Seed Stage Valuation Vertical 65

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

These firms can provide various services, including financing and business advice. Pre-Seed Investments. Investing in a startup at the pre-seed stage is a great way to get in early on to the next big thing. They also look for a robust business model and product/market fit. Seed Rounds.

Venture Capital 52

Venture Capital Early Stage Liquidity Event SEC 52

BeyondVC

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

BOLDstart helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round. This means we invest in product-driven engineering teams where all of the development is done in house and where rapid iteration is a key to success.

Seed Stage 60

Seed Stage Agile Viral API 60

Rob Go

JANUARY 7, 2013

We focus on investing in seed stage companies. Post Revenue: 6 1/2 (the 1/2 is for a company that had revenue, but did a major product pivot as part of the financing). Type of Product and Business: Consumer vs. B2B. Business model (intended or actual). Our Focus at NextView. Consumer: 9. Premium Service: 5.

Portfolio 49

Portfolio Seed Stage Cofounder B2B 49

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

Seed stage investing is all about the team, so there may be something to this idea. Labels: entrepreneur , seed investing , venture capital , venture financing. I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases.

San Jose 28

San Jose Silicon Valley Venture Capital Angel Investor 28

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Step 2: The Seed round – you raise $1-$3M (in some cases even $2-5M). Btw, the definition of each startup financing stage has changed in the last decade. What was a Series A round in 2005 is now a pre-seed or seed round. And what used to be a seed round a decade ago is now a pre-seed round.

Cofounder 433

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 433

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

I believe some VCs have entered the early-stage market as simply an option on future financing rounds. Ramen profitable is good while you’re in search of a more scalable business model but is not sustainable for most companies in the long term. But obviously I’m biased.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Software LP Early Stage 296

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

easy business finance software. YCombinator Series AA Equity Financing Documents. model legal documents. Series Seed Documents â?? Fenwick & West Seed Investment Standard Forms, used by most angels. Seed Stage Valuation Guide. Startup Threads. Videos/presentations. SlideShare. Haiku Deck.

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Israel Startup 53

View from Seed

APRIL 20, 2020

The program will be 100% virtual for now, replacing the diffuse mentorship model of most programs with a focus on few companies that get much more hands-on engagement with the NextView partners and our close knit set of advisors. Participants are empowered to market that we are willing to do at least our pro-rata in the next round. *

B2B 436

B2B Seed Stage B2C Programming 436

steveblank.com

JULY 8, 2011

– Mike [link] Reply Jeff Skinner , on May 24, 2010 at 9:28 am said: Steve, you don’t know me though I use your ‘Customer Development process’ video in my classes (Entrepreneurship at London Business School). Jeff skinner Faculty, London Business School. Can we touch base on this.

Software Review 110

Software Review Startup Silicon Valley Analytics 110

David Teten

MARCH 18, 2021

2) Business model-defined funds. For example, Point Nine Capital focuses on B2B SaaS and marketplaces at the seed stage, across many industries. B2B vs B2C) within the business model preference. . “software”); 43 invest in 2 types of technology (e.g., software” and “deeptech”), and so on.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Cofounder Venture Capital Deal Flow 78