Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. To get the terms you want, it’s better to start with your own term sheet. Know your partner well before you get married.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. My partners will tell you that I am an incredibly impatient person. You want someone who will challenge you and be an intellectual sparring partner.

IRR 205

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 205

Mucker Lab

AUGUST 27, 2014

For the last couple of years, I’ve been investing in startups as a partner at Mucker, while spending a lot of time in the Valley working with potential co-investors and partners. Encyclopedic knowledge of term sheets and startup buzzwords can be quickly learned, trained, and packaged.

Los Angeles 138

Los Angeles Southern California Silicon Valley Technical Review 138

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

Use good judgment, talk to your co-founders/investors/lawyers, and partner with a bank that values transparency and relationships such as SVB.]. GM: The model is more about the relationship with the entrepreneurs, the investors, and us as the bank, as opposed to cash flow or fixed assets to lend on. Business model?

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. My partners will tell you that I am an incredibly impatient person. You want someone who will challenge you and be an intellectual sparring partner.

IRR 156

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 156

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. My partners will tell you that I am an incredibly impatient person. You want someone who will challenge you and be an intellectual sparring partner.

IRR 136

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 136

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

× At Greylock , my partners and I are driven by one guiding mission: always help entrepreneurs. In a single year, the classic general partner in a venture firm is exposed to around 5,000 pitches; decides to look more closely at 600 to 800 of them; and ends up doing between 0 and 2 deals. Reid Hoffman. we had no revenue.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Viral Revenue Networking 111

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. John Borchers, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Decathlon Capital, claims to be the largest revenue-based financing investor in the US.

Revenue 60

Revenue Term Sheet Founder Technical Review 60

K9 Ventures

APRIL 27, 2011

Their business model was to provide retailers with a new interface for shopping for soft goods — something that hasn’t changed a whole lot since Web 1.0. The day before we were supposed to sign the term sheet for the investment, Like.com sued Ugmode (the parent company of Modista.com) for patent infringement.

Software Review 134

Software Review Technical Review IP Finance 134

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

(co-written with Jamie Finney, Founding Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. Similar to the explosion of seed funds in the past decade, we (and some limited partners too ) believe these Flexible VCs are on the forefront of what will become a major segment of the venture ecosystem. FLEXIBLE VC VS. OTHER VENTURE CAPITAL MODELS.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Reid Hoffman

JULY 27, 2021

Greylock Partners · Reid Hoffman | Philosopher Versus MBA. If they don’t have the right skills or resources, they’ll pick them up along the way by hiring someone, partnering with someone, or just learning it themselves. MBA programs teach valuable analytical skills that can help you evaluate and refine strategies and business models.

Silicon Valley 69

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Balance Sheet Cofounder 69

Reid Hoffman

JULY 27, 2021

Greylock Partners · Reid Hoffman | Philosopher Versus MBA. If they don’t have the right skills or resources, they’ll pick them up along the way by hiring someone, partnering with someone, or just learning it themselves. MBA programs teach valuable analytical skills that can help you evaluate and refine strategies and business models.

Silicon Valley 69

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Balance Sheet Cofounder 69

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 31, 2019

Scott Kupor is the managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he’s responsible for all operational aspects of running the firm. Having been through the company-building process myself and after a decade in VC working with thousands of companies and negotiating hundreds of term sheets, I wrote this book to help demystify the process.

Lean 108

Lean Venture Capital Conversion IPO 108

Austin Startup

NOVEMBER 12, 2017

Let’s talk first about an angel round to individual investors, all of whom may be duly accredited but many of whom may have no background that enables them to understand fully your idea and your business model. In that case, you are not making a specific offer; you are soliciting a terms sheet.

Term Sheet 48

Term Sheet Technical Review Due Diligence Merger 48

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

But in business, you want a lot of partners. In the private equity universe, most Partners have primary training as deal-makers, not as managers. See Bessemer Venture Partners’ A comprehensive guide to security for startups. Cobalt for General Partners helps GPs to optimize their fundraising strategy. 2) Market .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. In 2019 we partnered with several revenue-based lending providers, effectively creating a marketplace. “. Funding decisions can take as little as 10 minutes depending on the amount of data provided by a business.”.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Tim Keane

MAY 16, 2010

A philosophy of valuations and term-sheets. Several months ago, I'd posted an article about term-sheets.  A Philosophy of Valuation and  Term Sheet Calcs   the accompanying spreadsheet.  A philosophy of valuations and term-sheets. « Do we really need this help?

Term Sheet 60

Term Sheet Valuation Wisconsin Angel Investor 60

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

Because VC’s (not unlike yourself) are tremendously busy. The partner you saw is probably sitting on 5-6 boards which means he or she will be busy helping existing portfolio companies. Don’t be surprised if your logs don’t show that the partner has been using your product. ahead of thinking about you).

Campaign 277

Campaign Email Venture Capital Term Sheet 277

Professor VC

APRIL 7, 2011

My partner in Menlo Incubator , Gary Kremen , and I had a recent debate on which one of us hates convertible debt more. From my experience, negotiating debt deals with an experienced investor will result in a number of the same terms and wont save much (if anything) on legal fees. ProfessorVC. The last blogger in Silicon Valley.

San Jose 36

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Valuation 36

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had really positive experiences such as working with Greg Gretsch at Sigma Partners where he championed us to a partners’ meeting where we sort of got crucified. We made changes and Greg was a gentleman throughout the process rather than berating us for our performance (it was our first partners’ meeting).

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Term Sheet San Diego Viral 274

K9 Ventures

JUNE 30, 2016

Every few weeks one of the founders of K9 Ventures’ portfolio companies forward over an email they’ve received from a “Partner” at a VC firm. Before you go any further, go read this post: Partner, Partner, Partner. Partner. <Firm Can we schedule an introductory call this week?

Email 96

Email Database Term Sheet Partner 96

Tim Keane

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

« Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations | Main. | OVP Venture Partners) My own take on this is that a business plan with a bottom up forecast demonstrates an understanding of the potential market that investors love.  Do we really need this help? » February 03, 2010. Books I Like.

Marketing 116

Marketing Wisconsin Startup Angel Investor 116

Tim Keane

OCTOBER 11, 2006

.  Telling a customer you are busy--when you aren't 2.    Telling a VC you have another term sheet -- when you don't 3.    Telling a potential business partner you are close to signing with his competitor -- when you aren't 5.  Books I Like. Resources for startups.

Term Sheet 60

Term Sheet Wisconsin Angel Investor Bootstrapping 60

Up and Running

JULY 26, 2013

A: Just focus on the market need, your business model, your team, what you’ve accomplished to date that is relevant to the investment, and your funding needs. A: The best moment for a Pitch is anytime you have someone that wants to know more about your business. Social Venture Partners is a good resource: [link].

Elevator Pitch 79

Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Term Sheet Business Model 79

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

When I was an entrepreneur there was no public information about how term sheets worked or how investors thought. Many experienced partners are funds have 7-10 boards and most of these will need more capital. Just as with the late 90s there is no new “business model” that defies the laws of gravity.

Valuation 150

Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

Scott Edward Walker

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Moreover, because most financial buyers are set-up as funds (which have their own limited partner investors) that typically expire in 10 years, the return on their investment must happen relatively quickly. Financial buyers are different from strategic buyers because, as noted above, they are merely looking for a return on their investment.

Private Equity 59

Private Equity New York City Equity Deal Structure 59

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 22, 2018

Another thing that skews the process is the lack of accessibility of many partner-level VCs, especially to diverse communities. You're a partner at a firm, you're married, have kids, etc., I offered a term sheet to lead a $1.6mm financing. Look, I get it. That doesn't happen too often and that needs to change.

Founder 118

Founder Conversion Naming Term Sheet 118

Up and Running

JANUARY 7, 2020

We ended up receiving a $5m term sheet from investors, dozens of government customers from all across the western United States, and several offers to acquire us for 10x the initial investment. It compares advantages like business model , target market, and product features. Getting there was a struggle. Our Process.

Product 63

Product Marketing Silicon Valley Term Sheet 63

Professor VC

JANUARY 20, 2009

The funding search began the day after Labor Day and continued throughout the fall as the environment continued to worsen, and resulted in a term sheet the day before Thanksgiving. Some were also dealing with issues of limited partners struggles with capital calls and asset allocations. We drew $1.5

Venture Capital 28

Venture Capital Silicon Valley San Jose Bootstrapping 28

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Luckily, I teach with two great VCs, Mar Hershenson of Pear Ventures and Jeff Epstein of Bessemer Venture Partners who both put together presentations unraveling the mysteries of how and why startups raise money. Series B is about proving your net revenue model (can you be profitable?). Business Model.

Cofounder 433

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 433

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

TechStars Model Seed Funding Documents â?? WSGR Term Sheet Generator. Orrick, Herrington Term Sheet Generator. Founders Institute Plain Preferred Term Sheet â?? Mark Suster GRP Partners Advice. Philippe Botteri, Bessemer Venture Partners. business planning. Cooley Godward. VC Experts.

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Israel Startup 53

www.xconomy.com

JUNE 9, 2012

VP of Strategic and Emerging Business Development, Microsoft. Managing Director, Enterprise Partners. Here’s some big news for San Diego’s innovation economy: There’s a new venture capital firm in town—and its investment methodology represents a fundamentally different approach to the conventional business model for venture investing.

San Diego 40

San Diego Venture Capital Technical Review San Francisco 40

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2023

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers.

Cofounder 389

Cofounder Startup Term Sheet Acquisition 389

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2020

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers.

Entrepreneur 307

Entrepreneur Cofounder Term Sheet Acquisition 307

Life Beyond Code

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

In 1M/1M, we offer a case-study-based online educational program, video lectures, and methodology, online strategy consulting at public and private online roundtables, as well as introductions to customers, channel partners and investors (pre-seed, seed, angel, VC, bank, alternative financing).

Programming 116

Programming Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 116

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2016

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Term Sheet Acquisition Metrics 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2015

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Startup Term Sheet Acquisition 120