Agile VC

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

This is a logical thing to do… when we started LinkedIn, my mentor Reid Hoffman instilled a mantra of Growth –> Usage –> Revenue which still holds for many consumer companies. This is especially true for those with a media / ad based business model (e.g.

Revenue 234

Revenue Product B2B Marketing 234

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

NVV: Let’s talk about the seed stage specifically. With venture debt as a source of low-cost capital to fuel growth or buy time during later stages, should a founder approach their fundraising from VCs any differently today ? Traction and revenue? Business model? Previous capital raised?

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 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.). The VC focus on quick growth is not without reason.

Venture Capital 117

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Founder Seed Stage 117

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

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. By tying payments to actual revenues, founders and investors remain aligned around the company’s real-time performance, good or bad. Flexible VC: Revenue -based. Of the Inc.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

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.). The VC focus on quick growth is not without reason.

Venture Capital 105

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Founder Seed Stage 105

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

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2020

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Matching 317

Matching Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 317

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

That approach may work for an entrepreneur who just sold a successful business for a huge profit, but it doesn’t work for the rest of us who are not proven successes yet, or don’t even have a business yet. At these stages, it’s all about you, and your ability to communicate and execute effectively. Lack of intellectual property.

Due Diligence 308

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Startup 308

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

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

That approach may work for an entrepreneur who just sold a successful business for a huge profit, but it doesn’t work for the rest of us who are not proven successes yet, or don’t even have a business yet. At these stages, it’s all about you, and your ability to communicate and execute effectively. Lack of intellectual property.

Due Diligence 271

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Preferred Stock 271

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

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Matching 270

Matching Entrepreneur Startup Seed Stage 270

Agile VC

MARCH 30, 2012

How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. Is “Data” a Business Model? Several years ago I wrote a post about the three business models of the consumer web : commerce, advertising, and user-paid premium services. So is “data” now a new business model, as some suggest? March 30, 2012.

Business Model 113

Business Model Silicon Valley Advertising B2B 113

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 6, 2014

Instead of the old “throw-money-at-a-good-idea” approach, I based our strategy on the belief that the best startups are the ones that can become revenue-positive shortly after takeoff with as little upfront investment as possible.

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Business Model Silicon Valley Coder 154

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Etc… At the pre-seed stage, a big way to stand out is if you have a V3 statement (as opposed to a V1 statement). The way you get to a V3 statement is to start running the business and charging customers. Although this post is about what I look for, every investor (incl pre-seed investors) looks for this.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Etc… At the pre-seed stage, a big way to stand out is if you have a V3 statement (as opposed to a V1 statement). The way you get to a V3 statement is to start running the business and charging customers. Although this post is about what I look for, every investor (incl pre-seed investors) looks for this.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Microsofts originalplan was to make money selling programming languages, of all things.Their current business model didnt occur to them until IBM droppedit in their lap five years later. Usually you get seed money from individual rich people called"angels." A rich companyis one with large revenues. How hard is that?

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105

Mucker Lab

APRIL 6, 2023

Are there types of companies, market segments, industries, or business models where PLG does not make sense? If you work in B2C or e-commerce, you optimize that Add to Cart flow like crazy because that is your revenue. You still have a revenue goal to hit this quarter, something like that. This is a framework I use.

Product 78

Product CTO Hire Startup Fractional CTO 78

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

*This post is part of our “pitch deck” series where we dissect the seed stage pitch deck and discuss the ideal flow for a pitch. Now it’s time to set the stage with the early traction you have. Seed stage VCs are realistic about how much traction a very raw company might have. A) Pre-Product Companies.

Seed Stage 149

Seed Stage B2B Seed Capital Revenue 149

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

K9 Ventures

APRIL 28, 2010

– a seed-stage fund. is a $6.25M fund that is designed to do concept and seed-stage investments in technology companies. Direct Revenue : The company must have a direct revenue model. I’m pleased to announce the formation of K9 Ventures, L.P. K9 Ventures, L.P.

Seed Stage 61

Seed Stage San Francisco IP Portfolio 61

BeyondVC

JANUARY 29, 2017

Great blog post by CockroachDB on open source business models and their plans to make money: If youre serious about building a company around open source software, you must walk a narrow path: introduce paid features too soon, and risk curtailing adoption. At the Series B stage it is a whole different ball game.

Revenue 78

Revenue Developer Open Source Seed Stage 78

K9 Ventures

JULY 19, 2012

which was a $6.25M fund designed to be deployed over 3-4 years, making initial investments between $100K – $250K in concept and seed stage technology companies located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not interested in me-too businesses. No three-way business models and no content, media, advertising-based companies.

Technology 132

Technology Seed Stage San Francisco Limited Partner 132

K9 Ventures

JULY 19, 2012

which was a $6.25M fund designed to be deployed over 3-4 years, making initial investments between $100K – $250K in concept and seed stage technology companies located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not interested in me-too businesses. No three-way business models and no content, media, advertising-based companies.

Technology 132

Technology Seed Stage San Francisco Limited Partner 132

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

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2016

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Angel Investor Business Model 120

BeyondVC

JANUARY 29, 2017

Great blog post by CockroachDB on open source business models and their plans to make money: If you’re serious about building a company around open source software, you must walk a narrow path: introduce paid features too soon, and risk curtailing adoption. Optimizing for Price at Seed Stage is a Mistake.

Revenue 60

Revenue Developer Open Source Seed Stage 60

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 11, 2019

Ann Miura-Ko is a founding partner at Floodgate , a seed-stage VC firm. Then above that is business model power—so, how do you make money? How do you not only make money in terms of revenue and revenue growth, but ultimately how do you develop profits and a profit center?

Founder 68

Founder Lean Venture Capital Cofounder 68

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

In my case, I am breaking down “business” to its fundamentals, which begins with a definition of what, exactly, is a “business.” That is, understanding your business model and the different variables that go into it. We occasionally get involved with very early stage startups. Are you doing much of that?

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Southern California Startup SEO 150

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 15, 2020

That's why the Corona Initiative is a Public Benefit Corporation--a for-profit company dedicated to the public good that aims to fund its research with its revenues. You're selling a consumable product, which is a great business model. I just thought of it as I just really like revenue. I want to see more inventors.

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Software Review Finance San Francisco 68

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2016

That approach may work for an entrepreneur who just sold a successful business for a huge profit, but it doesn’t work for the rest of us who are not proven successes yet, or don’t even have a business yet. At these stages, it’s all about you, and your ability to communicate and execute effectively. Lack of intellectual property.

Due Diligence 120

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2015

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 120