The Next Web

OCTOBER 7, 2013

That’s what a couple of my friends – engineers at Google and Bloomberg who have been following the rise of startup culture with intrigue – told me recently. Startup employees are granted common shares out of something called an option pool. Every time a startup raises capital, all common shareholders are diluted.

Engineer 129

Engineer Dilution Option Pool Vesting 129

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. While I had been part of a few failed startups, none of them had fallen squarely on my shoulders until Rocket Science Games where my business card said CEO. “What’s gone and what’s past help.

Redemption 225

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 225

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

One of my favorite entrepreneur-Twitterer weighed in, “You want to keep tapping into their collective intelligence so you keep saying ‘Thank you for the feedback’ and they keep sending it,” Ms. million from more than 30 investors. We tell them very explicitly, they should prefer a small number of investors,”. Morrill said. “I

Cap Table 150

Cap Table Cofounder Silicon Valley Startup 150

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

There is much talk these days that startup valuations have decreased and may continue to do so and that the amount of time it takes to fund raise may take longer. I’m surprised how few entrepreneurs have this open conversation with their investors. In fact, most entrepreneurs I know don’t ask – why is that?

Burn Rate 150

Burn Rate Cap Table Valuation Software Review 150

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

. × At Greylock , my partners and I are driven by one guiding mission: always help entrepreneurs. It doesn’t matter whether an entrepreneur is in our portfolio, whether we’re considering an investment, or whether we’re casually meeting for the first time. Entrepreneurs often ask me for help with their pitch decks.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Viral Revenue Networking 111

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. 9 Tips for Raising Startup Funds on AngelList. Joshua Baer is the co-founder and CEO of Otherinbox , a prolific angel investor and the director of Capital Factory , Austin’s seed-stage incubator.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

To begin with, it is important to understand some basic facts about the world of entrepreneurial finance: There are many more entrepreneurs than there are investors, with the result that only one company out of every 400 that seeks venture funding actually receives it.

Angel Groups 159

Angel Groups Elevator Pitch Software Review Deal Flow 159

David Teten

MARCH 31, 2012

I’m exceptionally excited to announce that I’m now Chairman and lead investor with some other angels in a new company, Spright Governance Inc. I spoke with a range of Singaporean entrepreneurs, many who felt that the U.S. (An aerial view of Parliament House in Singapore. Photo credit: Wikipedia).

Government 154

Government Singapore New York City Non-Compete 154

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 1, 2021

As part of The Startup Magazine Founder Interview Series , we interviewed Maha and David Harper, wife and husband co-founders of Atlas Group London, a construction-tech startup that has digitized the building of healthcare facilities. TSM: As wife and husband and hard-working entrepreneurs, please describe your roles in the company.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Founder Saudi Arabia Cofounder 110

crowdSPRING Blog

AUGUST 4, 2010

These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Why software startups decide to patent … or not – [link]. Why An MBA Could Kill Your Chance To Become A Great Tech Entrepreneur – [link].

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 12, 2017

To outside investors, the future of early stage and startup companies can be murky. When investors believe in the founders, products, or ideas they will provide companies with funding. For many startups this results in a need to raise additional financing through debt or equity arrangements.

San Francisco 133

San Francisco Forecast Early Stage Term Sheet 133

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Just yesterday, Adam Medros , SVP of Global Product at TripAdvisor and an entrepreneur advisor for NextView, just asked about when the next event will be. And although this is written for angel investors, I think entrepreneurs can only benefit by increasing their knowledge around these investors and hope you’ll continue reading if that’s you.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Just yesterday, Adam Medros , SVP of Global Product at TripAdvisor and an entrepreneur advisor for NextView, just asked about when the next event will be. And although this is written for angel investors, I think entrepreneurs can only benefit by increasing their knowledge around these investors and hope you’ll continue reading if that’s you.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

NZ Entrepreneur

AUGUST 4, 2021

And if you’re a high-growth startup looking to get off the ground or expand, it’s likely you’ll need an injection of capital to do that. For investors, capital raises provide an opportunity to invest in a company’s ambitions. Lead investors and term sheets. As the saying goes, you need to spend money to make money.

Technical Review 62

Technical Review Software Review Founder Due Diligence 62

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

As the seed-stage startup fundraise process has received more transparency in recent years, ranging from published advice on how to raise seed capital to increased availability through AngelList, Funders Club, and various accelerator programs, I’ve noticed another trend emerging. Lower-Than-Market Value. Above-Market Value.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

View from Seed

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Through all of this, what has been obvious is her hunger to serve founders and desire to work with entrepreneurs to bring about the kind of world changing impact we seek to be a part of at NextView. Specifically: – We are high-conviction, hands-on lead investors.

Cofounder 156

Cofounder San Francisco Portfolio Limited Partner 156

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

I was excited to see that GLG (formerly Gerson Lehrman Group), the industry leader, is now offering a professional network service geared to the needs of the startup community: GLG Share. Like many established finance & media companies, GLG knows that the tech startup sector is a growing part of the economy.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

BeyondVC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2006

As an entrepreneur, you are most likely spending most of your time building your product and getting it to market. However, your technical co-founder decided to work full-time at another company and ended up just consulting with your startup post-funding.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Due Diligence 78

www.readwriteweb.com

MARCH 7, 2011

Since the angel network was created, transparent angel investing has exploded and entrepreneurs from any background can get funded. In his post, Roberts says he was not turned off by the quality of startups, but by the investment philosophy pushed by the service. Theres now a heated discussion in the investor class about AngelList.

Technical Review 50

Technical Review Due Diligence Startup Angel Investor 50

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is not understanding the relationship they have with their investors. Steve, we thought we’d tell you this before the board meeting, but both our firms are going to pass on leading your next round.” At times they confuse VC’s with their friends. Lets Go to Lunch. I was speechless.

San Francisco 333

San Francisco Silicon Valley Limited Partner Venture Capital 333

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs. Jody didn’t exactly have an easy time fund raising because he’s not one of the prototypical Silicon Valley funded entrepreneurs.

Valuation 292

Valuation Deal Flow Lead Investor Cofounder 292

Lightspeed Venture Partners

APRIL 12, 2016

He studied physics and materials engineering at Harvard and MIT and received his MBA from Harvard Business School; so, Alex combines a deep technical background with terrific business and consumer sensibilities, as well as a passion for helping entrepreneurs build their dreams into reality.

Technical Cofounder 60

Technical Cofounder Cofounder SCRUM Committed Capital 60

BeyondVC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2006

As an entrepreneur, you are most likely spending most of your time building your product and getting it to market. However, your technical co-founder decided to work full-time at another company and ended up just consulting with your startup post-funding.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Due Diligence 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2010

First-to-market is meaningful for a large company, like IBM or GE, which has the resources to sustain their move, but is not relevant for a startup, when surrounded by “big gorillas.” This is a variation on the first mover argument, implying a paradigm shift that gives you a tremendous lead. This advantage is not sustainable.

Viral 223

Viral Advertising Lead Investor Revenue 223

Gust

AUGUST 6, 2014

25 individual angel investors funding a startup on a convertible note. What the terms end up being, and how a company and the investor(s) arrive at that term sheet, can differ widely. The simple fact of the market is that there are many, many more entrepreneurs seeking capital than there are investors seeking to fund them.

Term Sheet 170

Term Sheet Lead Investor Preferred Stock Common Stock 170

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

First-to-market is meaningful for a large company, like IBM or GE, which has the resources to sustain their move, but is not relevant for a startup, when surrounded by “big gorillas.” This is a variation on the first mover argument, implying a paradigm shift that gives you a tremendous lead. Investors like realists, but not wimps.

Viral 226

Viral Advertising Lead Investor Revenue 226

Pascal's View

JULY 9, 2017

Andrew Krowne and I recently co-wrote an article in Tech Crunch , Why SAFE Notes Are Not Safe for Entrepreneurs. At its core, this issue points to the lack of understanding about the importance of post-money valuation by both entrepreneurs and investors. It will be worth the time and effort. Sound simple? Now go do it.

Post-Money Valuation 49

Post-Money Valuation Valuation Cap Table Covenant 49

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

And they should be; the feeding frenzy in the innovation economy is in some cases because startups are eating the lunch of more established companies. Entrepreneurs today expect more than just capital from their investors. Teten: The new generation of entrepreneurs is asking more from their investors than just money.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio 60

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

This is the second article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). I like to invest where I have a personally strong connection with the entrepreneur and/or a strong intuition on the market from prior experience. I don’t believe these times will last.

Angel Investor 288

Angel Investor Deal Flow Viral Algorithm 288

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 18, 2017

The opening keynote session will define directions on Aligning the Role of Government Policymakers, Incumbent Banks, FinTech Innovators, Investors, Multilateral Agencies, MNOs and the Private Sector to Create a Dynamic Ecosystem for FinTech in Africa.

Africa 62

Africa Ethiopia Elevator Pitch Technical Review 62

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2011

Like a startup we took a very “version 0.9” We’re almost always the lead investor and usually the most active, too. Become a resource for entrepreneurs to have access to the lawyers, accountants, real-estate professionals and other people with whom our entrepreneurs work. What text resonates?

Early Stage 260

Early Stage Lead Investor Portfolio Partner 260

YoungUpstarts

MAY 1, 2020

Money is constantly on the mind of any entrepreneur: how to raise it, where to invest it, and how to make more of it. Given that mindset, it’s only natural that most entrepreneurs jump at the first chance they get to secure early-stage startup funding. by Ash Rust , founder and managing partner of Sterling Road.

Early Stage 165

Early Stage Security Angel Investor Lead Investor 165

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. I wrote recently about the role of Advisory Boards in startups , which I expected to be a bit controversial. Just to baseline for newer entrepreneurs – there are three types of people you may see involved with a startup that have the title “board&# attached to them.

Advisory Board 215

Advisory Board Strategic Investors Venture Capital Later Stage 215

Hippoland

APRIL 9, 2017

Winning over investors is not just about showing traction / progress (although that is a big component to getting investors onboard). Fundamentally, investors have to trust you in order to invest in you. And, I think most investors will give entrepreneurs the benefit of the doubt…until they cannot. But that’s ok.

Cofounder 48

Cofounder Early Stage Software Review Naming 48

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. Remember, I was an entrepreneur for 10 years before a VC). Most entrepreneurs don’t put enough effort into these phases.

Term Sheet 332

Term Sheet Due Diligence Campaign Sales 332