Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

Much has changed in the past four months of the technology startup world and how outsiders value the business. Don’t assume that you can “just do a down round” if necessary. Down rounds are corrosive. Founders hate them because they’re dilutive. Insiders hate them and fight them.

Burn Rate 150

Burn Rate Cap Table Startup Dilution 150

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

A founder asked me what makes a $2M round “pre-seed”? especially if the startup already has a product and revenue? And why do we still sometimes hear about pre-seed rounds that look more like a series A in pricing and size? Defining the pre-seed round It’s futile to look for ‘one true’ definition.

Valuation 186

Valuation Software Review Generative AI Technical Review 186

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I said that at the Founder Showcase, too. And for many of these they were (over) funded 7-10 years ago and don’t necessarily all represent great returns for investors or founders. New investors hate down rounds. That’s a fact.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

For the past 10 years, with interest rates near zero, VC investors plowed record amounts into tech startups and enjoyed a seemingly ‘easy’ investing environment. Prices went up from round to round, and startups were encouraged to grow, grow, grow, and not to worry about profitability.

Venture Capital 215

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Institutional Investors 215

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 9, 2011

Evaluating a startup as a prospective employee is tough, especially when you compare to VCs. Plus, VCs often will have met the Founder/CEOs of many of a particular startup’s competitors, so they’ll have an even richer understand of the market landscape. Is it shooting for a big market?

Startup 146

Startup Burn Rate Technical Review Down Round 146

Steve Blank

APRIL 26, 2022

Cram downs are back – and I’m keeping a list. At the turn of the century after the dotcom crash, startup valuations plummeted, burn rates were unsustainable, and startups were quickly running out of cash. Except, that is, for the bottom feeders of the Venture Capital business – investors who “ cram down ” their companies.

Cram Down 417

Cram Down Founder Venture Capital Recapitalization 417

VC Cafe

JUNE 10, 2022

The market correction has come for series A and seed startups. For the past few week I’ve been sharing here the impact of the current downturn that started in the public markets on startups and venture capital. Until now, early stage startups were relatively unaffected. It’s not just the prices that are coming down.

Valuation 151

Valuation Marketing Israel Venture Capital 151

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 7, 2012

The founders were very sympathetic; a man, laid off from his job, and his very pregnant wife, who sold their house and investing $150k into the business and are working hard to make a go of it. The two founders invested $40k in the business, and plan to license it rather than manufacture it because manufacturing seems too hard.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 110

www.quora.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Type to Add and Search Questions; Search Topics and People Startups Startup Compensation Entrepreneurship Compensation Stock Options Major Internet Companies Silicon Valley Why is there such a large founder to early employee equity drop-off? Many startups these days are first-time entrepreneurs. is lowered.

Equity 40

Equity Employee Founder Cofounder 40

Feld Thoughts

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

Mark Suster wrote a great post yesterday titled The Resetting of the Startup Industry. I have two simple rules for founders in my head from this experience. Then, if you end up doing a down round, it suddenly matters a lot. Don’t worry about this too much, until you do a down round.

Cap Table 70

Cap Table Down Round Liquidation Preference Founder 70

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

I thought I’d write a post about how to talk about valuation at a startup and give you some sense of what might be on the mind of the person considering funding you. Of course, unlike cars there is no direct comparison across each startup so these are just some general guidelines to try and even the information field.

Valuation 324

Valuation Post-Money Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder 324

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 26, 2020

by Rizwan Virk, author of “ Startup Myths and Models: What You Won’t Learn in Business School “. If you are building a startup, you’ll find no shortage of people who are willing to give you advice, particularly when it comes to raising financing. Unfortunately, most startups don’t meet their initial rosy projections.

Finance 205

Finance Silicon Valley Valuation Startup 205

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Industry change allows the entry of newer players at earlier stages – It doesn’t take as much money to launch a startup anymore. So in the past we needed VC to really get a startup going. And people like Jeff Clavier, Aydin Senkut, Dave McClure, Chris Sacca & Eric Paley (at Founder Collective) are leading the charge.

Silicon Valley 308

Silicon Valley Liquidity Event Seed Stage Finance 308

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

The first capital a young company receives usually takes the form of common stock, the same class of shares the founders hold. Venture capitalists and later round investors like the preferred convertible shares. These “IV drip” financings may reduce risk for investors, but put more pressure on founders. Anti-dilution protection.

Term Sheet 227

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 227

A Crowded Space

DECEMBER 9, 2013

In VC: I see a fair number of deals that have reached some point of stagnation that are seeking a flat or down round. Every good founder I know writes a list of names when they are starting to prepare for fundraising. I haven’t seen many startup railroads. . This is bad. Tread very carefully. . And yet, Mr. .”

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Deal Flow Balance Sheet Down Round 68

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.” Most prefer not to say this publicly for two reasons: 1) they have an entire portfolio of startups, many of whom are raising capital and 2) they prefer not to be attacked publicly or seem “anti entrepreneur.” goes into a startup.

Valuation 150

Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

VC Cafe

JANUARY 2, 2023

A report by Greenfield Partners puts the total fundraising of Israeli startups at $15.16 Israeli startups 2022 funding summary. Down rounds, especially for growth stage companies, and bridge rounds galore. We started to see down rounds taking place especially in growth stage. billion to $17.1

Valuation 158

Valuation Down Round Israel Venture Capital 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2012

The first capital a young company receives usually takes the form of common stock, the same class of shares the founders hold. Venture capitalists and later round investors like the preferred convertible shares. These “IV drip” financings may reduce risk for investors, but put more pressure on founders. Anti-dilution protection.

Term Sheet 223

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Angel Investor 223

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). Almost all startup companies don’t declare dividends, so deletion of a dividend preference is irrelevant to an investor. Yes for Series Seed holders and founders.

Finance 70

Finance Software Review Term Sheet Liquidation Preference 70

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

The 2022 Founders Factories report by DealRoom and Accel shines a spotlight on the startup clusters that produced most unicorns across Europe and Israel, and then tracks the alumni of those unicorns to test where the talent goes to found their next companies. London and Tel Aviv are home to the most founder nurturing unicorn startups.

Israel 97

Israel Europe Balance Sheet Valuation 97

NZ Entrepreneur

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

No one can predict the future and it’s especially true in the startup world. The statistics show that even though most founders bet their time and resources that their startups will be the best in the world, 90% of those new startups won’t be in operation in 10-15 years. Key Variables to Consider: Sales units.

Startup 86

Startup Sales Cycle Down Round Revenue 86

Feld Thoughts

APRIL 21, 2016

. “Many Unicorn founders and CEOs have never experienced a difficult fundraising environment — they have only known success. Also, they have a strong belief that any sign of weakness (such as a down round) will have a catastrophic impact on their culture, hiring process, and ability to retain employees.

Marketing 70

Marketing Down Round Startup IRR 70

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

We must #BRINGTHEMALLHOME August was a slow month in venture investment as globally startups raised $18 billion in August worldwide, a 37% decline MoM and 24% decline year over year. This was also felt in Israeli startups, who reportedly raised only $201M in 7 deals, bringing the total to $938 million in 61 deals in Q3 2024 so far.

Israel 97

Israel Down Round Silicon Valley Stealth 97

VC Cafe

JANUARY 29, 2024

2023 was a rough year for Venture Capital and for startups, and it might get even worse. I believe there are a lot of problems need solving, my outlook is longer term and I invest in new companies (most of the startups that Remagine Ventures II will invest in don’t yet exist). In many ways, Edward is right.

Global 171

Global Generative AI Venture Capital Valuation 171

Growthink Blog

MAY 23, 2011

Usually unbeknownst to all, the decision around pursuing or accepting a venture capital round will be the most important factor in determining the investment return for the founder and the original angel investors in the company. But here is the key – contrary to popular wisdom it is negatively correlated.

Angel Investor 112

Angel Investor Venture Capital Sweat Equity Cram Down 112

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “ Startup Burn Rate is Normal. I love how transparently Danielle lives her startup (& encourages other to join in) because it provides much needed transparency to other startups. ” I highly recommend reading it. Valuation.

Burn Rate 383

Burn Rate Balance Sheet .Net Valuation 383

ithacaVC

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

I have written about startup valuations previously. If you are advising startup founders, I strongly suggest having them read all 4 of the posts to get the lay of the startup valuation land. A founder is about to raise their first round and asking me how to value their company. [1]. Active users.

Valuation 69

Valuation Startup Down Round Early Stage 69

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

Amongst the most often asked questions I get from founders is, “How much money should I raise?” Reflexively founders want to raise as much money as they can because they figure it will give them more resources, better chances of competing and a longer runways before they have to do the often painful job of asking, yet again, for money.

Pre-Money Valuation 292

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Early Stage Startup 292

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2016

Investors sat with the founder & CEO, Jason Spievak, and asked him what he wanted to do about the future. Investors had grown too used to the idea that any deal you funded would get marked up to a higher valuation in the next round and that’s clearly not always true. Some startups will have a hard time reorienting.

Balance Sheet 150

Balance Sheet Burn Rate Valuation Forecast 150

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 8, 2023

Our estimates were not out of line with new data from top firms like USV who, according to reports, “ marked down the value of seven of its funds by nearly 26%.” Restructures, Down Rounds, and Pay to Plays. And fascinating new advances (and needs) in AI, climate, biology, etc are driving tech-IP driven startups.

Portfolio 118

Portfolio Cap Table LP Valuation 118

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

The funding environment for tech startups is an ever shifting ground as we go through predictable shifts that go hand-in-hand with the slowing of the overall market. Boom in Number of Startups. There was an explosion in number of startups both because it was cheap and there was tons of available capital.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Burn Rate LP 150

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 25, 2016

Startups everywhere will need to adjust their fundraising strategies and good investors will be helping them to adjust quickly – it’s much less painful that way. However severe our current situation is, I’m sure there will be plenty of short term negatives, including more job losses, company failures and down rounds.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Angel Investor Startup Participating Preferred 60

The Equity Kicker

MARCH 24, 2015

Everyone loves a high valuation and it’s natural for founders to want to minimise dilution. They will most probably go on to raise multiple rounds of venture capital after all. YC’s Sam Altman explained why in a post last year: Startups are usually a pass-fail course — either you succeed or you don’t.

Valuation 60

Valuation Down Round Dilution Venture Capital 60

ithacaVC

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

It is highly typical for a startup to have small investors on its cap table. Founders often raise money from friends and family and other angels. The treatment of the friends, family and angels (FFA) as the startup matures and raises larger rounds of financing over time is interesting. Here is a quick guide.

Preemptive Right 45

Preemptive Right Cap Table Valuation Dilution 45

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 17, 2016

They might have to get another round in, and that round will most certainly be a down round. They might be doing board meetings more frequently, coaching first time founders through layoffs and debating with their partners which companies they should bridge until things thaw out. They're just.

Dilution 60

Dilution Portfolio China Down Round 60

A Crowded Space

MAY 31, 2016

We expect there to be an increase in down rounds, flat rounds, inside rounds and various pay-to-play scenarios. These shut downs are likely to happen when companies are funded solely by seed funds and angel investors that have not reserved significant capital for follow-on investments.

Cram Down 60

Cram Down Pay to Play Angel Investor Warrant 60

www.mattbartus.com

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Perspectives on issues affecting founders, startups and investors from a veteran startup lawyer in Silicon Valley. If you are a company that is fundraising, keep in mind that there are a few different levers you can pull to change the amount of dilution that the founders will experience. — 23 Comments.

Warrant 40

Warrant Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 40