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5 Ways to Make Your Startup a Choice Investment

Startup Professionals Musings

How do you as an entrepreneur with a new idea get to be one of those choices? That means there are far more entrepreneurs looking for money than there are investors, and entrepreneur entitlement is not a realistic expectation. People with money to invest have choices.

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6 Keys To Managing Funding From People Close To You

Startup Professionals Musings

In their passion to succeed, too many entrepreneurs treat friends and family investments as “low-hanging” fruit, only to find out later, after a stumble, that the pain of lost relationships is greater than the loss of their beloved startup. In these cases both the entrepreneur and the friends are the fools. Don’t be one or create one.

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Want to Know How First Round Capital was Started?

Both Sides of the Table

He also says it is important to be able to participate in follow on rounds so as not to get “crammed down”. The Exchange Fund – This allows the entrepreneurs to diversify their founders stock into other portfolio companies stock. Office Hours – Two or three partners post a sign-up sheet to meet with entrepreneurs.

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The Damaging Psychology of Down Rounds

Both Sides of the Table

Many VCs would prefer to avoid having to cram down other VCs by investing at a lower price or even if it’s not a cram down they prefer not to invest in a down round that forces the VC to take a “write down” on their valuation sheets they should their LPs. ” (before fund raising).

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Lean Startups aren't Cheap Startups

Steve Blank

In times when venture capital is hard to get, investors extract high costs for failure (down-rounds, cram downs , new management teams, shut down the company.) The Customer Development Venture Pitch At this point I often hear entrepreneurs say, “We don’t have the money to scale. How do we raise the big bucks?”

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Founders Finding Funding From Friends May Be Fools

Startup Professionals Musings

In their passion to succeed, too many entrepreneurs treat friends and family investments as “low-hanging” fruit, only to find out later, after a stumble, that the pain of lost relationships is greater than the loss of their beloved startup. In these cases both the entrepreneur and the friends are the fools. Don’t be one or create one.

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The Good The Bad And The Ugly Of Funding From Friends

Startup Professionals Musings

In their passion to succeed, too many entrepreneurs treat friends and family investments as “low-hanging” fruit, only to find out later, after a stumble, that the pain of lost relationships is greater than the loss of their beloved startup. In these cases both the entrepreneur and the friends are the fools. Don’t be one or create one.

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