Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

If a company has reached a level of success, has been around for a few years and you believe the company has potential to break out into a much bigger company then you should let the founders take money off of the table. Founders however are asked to take low salaries and never really get back the time they worked for free.

Founder 329

Founder Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Participating Preferred 329

VC Cafe

AUGUST 11, 2022

A couple of weeks ago I was did a fireside chat with Alon Grinshpoon, founder and CEO of Echo3D , a CDN and CMS for 3D content in the cloud and a Remagine Ventures portfolio company, as part of an entrepreneurial finance MBA class in Tel Aviv University. We were discussing both sides of the table and the relationship between founders and VCs.

Founder 187

Founder Term Sheet Cofounder Venture Capital 187

ithacaVC

DECEMBER 9, 2013

We (Cayuga Venture Fund) just signed up a term sheet with a new company (Company X). Rather I want to briefly comment on the process leading up to the term sheet and next steps. We presented our first draft of the term sheet to Company X about a week ago. First, the process: 1. It is now mid December.

Term Sheet 58

Term Sheet Cap Table Technical Review IP 58

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2012

The very first time I ever negotiated a term sheet (and then legal docs for closing the round) I found the experience very frustrating. He marks up the term sheet. Seems like the term sheet will be done in a day or so. I talked to my co-founder Brian Moran (we launched the company in Ireland) about it.

Term Sheet 301

Term Sheet Ireland Cofounder Finance 301

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 12, 2014

I send out my own term sheets and review docs myself--especially since I''m in sydicated rounds. Plus, when I look at my risks--is the risk that a legal term will shoot me in the foot or that these two founders and a prototype run this business into the ground. I have a desk in a co-working space--that''s $5k a year.

Investment Bankers 167

Investment Bankers Term Sheet Venture Capital Technical Review 167

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Most of these rhyme with what we’ve said in the past, but some have also evolved to fit the changing landscape and our own convictions about what really matters for founders and their investors at the seed stage. Of the last 15 investments we’ve made, we’ve been the lead or co-lead investor over 80% of the time. .

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

Version One Ventures

JULY 20, 2017

million seed round, we’re looking back at our journey with founders Mike Murchison and David Hariri. Intrigued, Boris reached out to Mike Murchison and learned that he and his co-founder David Hariri were building a social network to help others solves problems online. .

Artificial Inteligence 150

Artificial Inteligence Silicon Valley Stealth Term Sheet 150

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

This is a company that, according to the article, got term sheets from half of the VCs that expressed interest in the company. Did I mention it only took the founder a month? Most founders that get funded know their backers or have close connections to them well before they officially "pitch.". There is no fork.

Venture Capital 130

Venture Capital Marketing Term Sheet Software Review 130

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

by Alejandro Cremades , cofounder of Panthera Advisors and author of “ The Art of Startup Fundraising: Pitching Investors, Negotiating the Deal, and Everything Else Entrepreneurs Need to Know “ Why should entrepreneurs intentionally be generous when negotiating with investors? Generosity is nowhere on their radar.

Technical Cofounder 127

Technical Cofounder Entrepreneur Cofounder Post-Money Valuation 127

Hunter Walker

MAY 17, 2024

“Admirer from outside of the cap table” is how I approached Kieran Snyder , Cofounder of Textio. It’s also not an accident that, upon stepping back from being Textio’s CEO, I’ve built a sizable exec coaching practice working largely with early stage founders. How did Textio get smarter about remote teams over time?

Cofounder 109

Cofounder Founder Technical Review Seattle 109

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 5, 2014

Managing short-term tactical outcomes with longer term relationship cultivation. Meeting new founders while collaborating, recruiting, analyzing, doing whatever it takes, to help our current founders build strong companies. Doing what excites me and gives energy. 1) Evaluate New Opportunities.

Software Review 106

Software Review Balance Sheet Cofounder Technical Review 106

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

What is it, and how should founders think about it? note: We’d like to be extra clear that founders should not take on venture debt if they don’t have 100% visibility into repaying the loan, as banks that need to recoup their loan my force the company or you as the guarantor into liquidation or bankruptcy.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

by Jason Mendelson and Brad Feld, co-authors of “ Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist “ So, you’ve got a brilliant idea and you’re ready to launch a company. Ideally several VCs will take interest in your company, giving you the negotiation leverage to improve the terms of this deal.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Term Sheet Technical Review Due Diligence 100

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

(co-written with Jamie Finney, Founding Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. From RBI, Flexible VCs borrow the ability to reap meaningful returns without demanding founders build for an exit. By tying payments to actual revenues, founders and investors remain aligned around the company’s real-time performance, good or bad.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 17, 2020

Here's my conversation with the founders of Revolution Foods. I'm the co founder and Chief Impact Officer at Revolution Foods. I'm the co-founder and CEO of Revolution Foods. I co-founded Revolution Foods with Kirsten Tobey in 2006 to ensure quality food access for all children across the nation.

Cofounder 60

Cofounder Security Founder Entrepreneur 60

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

In fact, choosing the right partner to champion your deal can have a huge impact on whether or not you get a term sheet in the first place. I understand that and actually think it’s ok because that partner gets experience with making investments, sitting on boards, finding co-investors, managing founder relationships, etc.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Detroit Early Stage Partner 150

BeyondVC

OCTOBER 13, 2004

I was speaking with a friend of mine today who mentioned that his term sheet for his Series A round fell through. To make a long story short, one of the co-founders of the company built the company’s software in his spare time.

Software Review 78

Software Review Intellectual Property IP Due Diligence 78

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

John Borchers, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Decathlon Capital, claims to be the largest revenue-based financing investor in the US. John Borchers defines RBI as, “anchored around a model for providing long-term growth capital to a company that is paid back over time in the form of a modest, fixed percentage of monthly revenue.

Revenue 60

Revenue Term Sheet Founder Technical Review 60

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 14, 2010

Founders Institute Plain Preferred Term Sheet (by WSGR – disclaimer, I represent the Founders Institute and was involved in drafting this document). This post assumes that you have a basic understanding of Series A financing terms. Co-sale rights. Dividend preference. Voting agreement.

Finance 70

Finance Software Review Term Sheet Liquidation Preference 70

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series “ Pitching a VC “ There’s a great meme developing this morning on the need to simplify funding terms and documents. The meme was kicked off by Chris Dixon with this post saying that term sheets need to be simplified and align investor / founder interests.

Founder Vesting 252

Founder Vesting Vesting Founder Term Sheet 252

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Use the 10-5-3-1 formula for raising money: Have 10 great meetings with investors, 5 of those do detailed due diligience on your company, get 3 term sheets, and 1 transfer into your bank account! A lot of entrepreneurs attended the event as evident by business cards with “Founder&# listed.

CTO Hire 49

CTO Hire Cofounder Fractional CTO San Francisco 49

BeyondVC

OCTOBER 13, 2004

I was speaking with a friend of mine today who mentioned that his term sheet for his Series A round fell through. To make a long story short, one of the co-founders of the company built the company’s software in his spare time.

Software Review 60

Software Review Intellectual Property IP Due Diligence 60

Austin Startup

JULY 22, 2017

The Walker Rule calls for diversity and inclusion in interviewing and hiring of startup co-founders, CEO, senior team, management, staff, board of directors and advisors. This is similar to something we did at Austin Ventures to encourage startups to make a donation to the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas.

Austin 54

Austin Angel Investor Startup Term Sheet 54

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Use the 10-5-3-1 formula for raising money: Have 10 great meetings with investors, 5 of those do detailed due diligience on your company, get 3 term sheets, and 1 transfer into your bank account! A lot of entrepreneurs attended the event as evident by business cards with “Founder&# listed.

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Cofounder Fractional CTO San Francisco 40

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2011

If they say yes you get a term sheet and once this is signed it is usually 3-6 weeks until your legal docs get signed and you’re funded. It can be a good strategy to bring just the CEO because 1-on-1 rapport is easier to build but if you have equally strong co-founders bring them. Who should attend the meeting?

Non-disclosure Agreement 340

Non-disclosure Agreement NDA Cofounder Term Sheet 340

Scott Edward Walker

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Introduction This post originally appeared in the “ Ask the Attorney ” column I am writing for VentureBeat ; it is part of my ongoing series regarding venture capital term sheets. The Investors’ Right to Walk VC Term Sheets Are Non-Binding. VC Term Sheets Are Conditional.

Term Sheet 76

Term Sheet Due Diligence Liquidation Preference Redemption 76

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2010

I was recently speaking with some founders about their fund raising process. They had received a term sheet from a VC and were wondering whether to work with this firm. But what about once you have a term sheet? You’d be surprised how many ex-founders and ex-CEO’s you can find this way.

Term Sheet 298

Term Sheet Venture Capital Stealth Cofounder 298

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

You’d imagine that every founder was getting rich. Actually, positive outcomes for founders are quite rare. As a startup founder you rarely have much money in your bank accounts. But why don’t you just give me the damn term sheet you promised so I can trust you even more. It’s not. I know, right?

Monaco 420

Monaco Cofounder Chicago Mexico 420

Steve Blank

JANUARY 4, 2010

A first order filter is whether the founders are aiming for a scalable startup. Staring at us in the board meeting were three term-sheets from brand name VC’s and an unexpected buy-out offer from Google. The question was: what did the founders want to do? One founder quit and joined Google.) Go For Broke.

Hockey Stick 303

Hockey Stick Venture Capital Startup Cofounder 303

Cracking the Code

JULY 5, 2016

PostoInAuto’s founder, Olivier Bremer, was terribly talented, but his business was not at a point where he could raise a significant investment. He was intrigued, so I connected him to BlaBlaCar’s founders who convinced him to join the adventure shortly after. Thus it is not only about the money.”

Italy 59

Italy Technical Review Germany Poland 59

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

RBI normally requires founders to pay back their investors with a fixed percentage of revenue until they have finished providing the investor with a fixed return on capital, which they agree upon in advance. For background, see Revenue-Based Investing: A New Option for Founders who Care About Control. Decathlon Capital.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

The Startup Lawyer

APRIL 2, 2014

My firm and Tech Wildcatters are co-hosting a live mock Series A term sheet negotiation on April 25th from 1-3pm. Brad Hunstable, founder and CEO of Ustream, will play the role of the startup founder and a “TBD” VC will […]. Startup Lawyer'

Term Sheet 71

Term Sheet Dallas Cofounder Texas 71

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

For early stage VC ‘s, Syndication is the process of sharing investments with other potential co-investors. The classic scenario is when a VC has a signed term sheet to lead a round, but has left room open for another meaningful investor. When I started in venture, syndicating deals was fairly common.

Syndicate 207

Syndicate Syndication Term Sheet Cofounder 207

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 18, 2011

I first met the founder of Pose, Dustin Rosen , when he was a junior person with an LA-based venture capital firm called The Mail Room Fund. Within 48 hours of meeting him we had a term sheet agreeing to fund $1.6 My first two calls were to True Ventures & Founder Collective. Pose is no different. I still do.

Term Sheet 303

Term Sheet Mobile Cofounder Early Stage 303

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

” Getting a term sheet on the table is the second most sure way to get a potential acquirer to move faster. But I owe it to my existing investors and co-founders to listen. And using the term sheet to get to a “yes” is a huge first step. But that’s another story.

Valuation 316

Valuation Balance Sheet Dilution Term Sheet 316

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

But what about once you have a term sheet? when you missed your targets, when your co-founder quit, when the competition chose your competitor or when the other investors around the table lost confidence? You’d be surprised how many ex-founders and ex-CEO’s you can find this way. After Sept 11th?

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Term Sheet Cofounder Partner 288

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 11, 2010

I’m surprised how few people talk about valuations, term sheet terms, how much to pay recruiters, etc. I once mentioned this idea to a fellow SoCal VC when I told him I wanted a CIC in LA and he said, “Co-location is dead. Uh, I guess he won’t be co-sponsoring a technology lab in LA with me then?

San Francisco 285

San Francisco Incubator Silicon Valley Startup 285