Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

I recently read a post over on VentureHacks titled, “ Top Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers &# written by Scott Walker (who blogs on legal issues for entrepreneurs ). I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. I know that people have an allergy to lawyers out of fear of being screwed.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 21, 2014

These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! When Does Establishing a Good Startup Culture Outweigh Being Cheap? | Good read for entrepreneurs & startup employees on liquidation preferences – crowdspring.co/1neVvzy.

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend (1). Series A-1 Preferred. liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend. Series B Preferred. liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend (1). Series B-1 Preferred. Series D Preferred.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2011

tl;dr version: If you’re an entrepreneur or VC or will be working in this industry - buy this. When I first started as a startup CEO in 1999 there were no guides on raising venture capital. Or what “participating preferred&# stock is and how it can screw you. Every startup needs the knowledge in this book.

Liquidation Preference 304

Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Cap Table Participating Preferred 304

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2015

I’m so tired of seeing young entrepreneurs get screwed by their angel investors on convertible notes and I know I can’t convince you not to do it so I’d like to offer one simple bit of advice to help you avoid getting screwed (at least on one part of your note). They get their full investment as a 1x liquidation preference.

Liquidation Preference 150

Liquidation Preference Ratchet Angel Investor Entrepreneur 150

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

Up and Running

AUGUST 17, 2015

As I read stories of college dropouts who had successfully sold tech companies, or entrepreneurs with innovative ideas who made it big on Shark Tank, it became clear that there was no set path to startup success. C Corp versus LLC, non-competes, liquidation preferences, preferred versus common stock, and so on).

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Cofounder Angel Investor eCommerce 60

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

At an accelerator … Me: Raising convertible notes as a seed round is one of the biggest disservices our industry has done to entrepreneurs since 2001-2003 when there were “full ratchets” and “multiple liquidation preferences” – the most hostile terms anybody found in term sheets 10 years ago.

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

But not everybody has the right skills to build a highly successful and valuable startup from scratch. For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.”

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Liquidation Preference Silicon Valley IP 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

A friend of mine is a serial entrepreneur and is running a high-profile, early stage company in NorCal. We exchanged ideas when I was an entrepreneur along side him in NorCal in 05-07 and my point-of-view on founder / VC relationships hasn’t shifted even 1% since I went to the dark side. I believe this is wrong.

Founder 329

Founder Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Participating Preferred 329

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

There are many reasons to found a startup. There are many reasons to work at a startup. To most founders a startup is not a job, but a calling. But startups require money upfront for product development and later to scale. Traditional lenders (banks) think that startups are too risky for a traditional bank loan.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Private Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2014

As an Angel investor to startups, I’m still surprised to find entrepreneurs who expect investors to give them money, and then disappear into the sunset. Finally, entrepreneurs should never forget that investors really believe that they are there to help (not like “I''m from the IRS and I''m here to help”).

Term Sheet 237

Term Sheet Liquidation Preference Advisory Board Startup 237

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

This is the fourth article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). I know some people think the whole market has been disrupted and startups and funding work differently these days. Tags: Startup Advice Tech Market Analysis VC Industry. This is actually the norm.

Cap Table 283

Cap Table Angel Investor Liquidation Preference Deal Flow 283

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

It's nice to highlight awesome articles about startup that I didn't write! 6 Simple Selling Tips For Software Entrepreneurs [link] (from OnStartups). 6 Simple Selling Tips For Software Entrepreneurs. US Economic Risks (Sept 2010): Impact on Investors & Entrepreneurs [link]. Startup Business Checklist 2010 [link].

Liquidation Preference 216

Liquidation Preference Silicon Valley Startup Software 216

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2013

For the past 5 years or so Google, Facebook and a handful of tech industry giants have been quietly buying scores of early-stage startups for their talent. And a few teams of super talented, educated and bright entrepreneurs make a few mill. Almost certainly the startup would have raised some capital. Go do a startup.

Liquidation Preference 357

Liquidation Preference Early Stage Retention Lock-up Period 357

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

While certainly not every business needs to raise venture financing, it is the path for many high-growth technology startups. Therefore, going down the fundraising path is something many technology entrepreneurs will need to do and a critical step in the development of their business. Tip 2: Have a "real" lead.

Cap Table 125

Cap Table Term Sheet Liquidation Preference Technical Review 125

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. Please see later version of this post on May 16, 2010 Entrepreneurs are often not experts in the area of term-sheet negotiations and all of the surrounding issues.   Investors sometimes “present” the terms they’d like and expect the entrepreneurs to react. times at six years.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Most entrepreneurs looking for an investor can tell you how much money they need, but few have given much thought to what they are willing to give up for it. In very early startups, which have no valuation, the term sheet may specify a convertible note. A startup board of five or fewer members is optimal.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Demand Preferred Stock Liquidation Preference 120

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2010

It’s meant to be a bit provocative but the reality is that I give this advice to entrepreneurs all the the time and I usually leave the “e&# off of the end. I normally offer this advice in the capacity of really wanting to help entrepreneurs so please bear with me. Let’s say the company had raised $15 million.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Common Stock Dividend 289

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2018

As an angel investor to startups, I’m still surprised to find entrepreneurs who expect investors to give them money, and assume no strings attached. Finally, entrepreneurs should never forget that investors really believe that they are there to help (not like “I'm from the IRS and I'm here to help”).

Term Sheet 140

Term Sheet Liquidation Preference Advisory Board Portfolio 140

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Buying into such a notion is dangerous – dangerous for the entrepreneur and dangerous for the investor. As a simple example, many investors and entrepreneurs do not realize that coupon or discount use is a contra-revenue event when it comes to revenue recognition. You must subtract it from your top-line revenue.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

I recently wrote about my views that startups rounds should be priced. If you do a capped note it’s bad for the entrepreneur. It has both a “full rachet” and “multiple liquidation preferences.” They share in liquidation preferences pari passu and they vote as a single class.

Pre-Money Valuation 294

Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Warrant 294

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

So as a startup CEO you constantly have to suspend disbelief. ” A startup CEO’s job is to absorb stress so the team doesn’t have to. Startups have to be optimists because no rational person would actually believe you could build Uber into the amazing company that it is today. We just need your $500,000!!”

Startup 417

Startup Dilution San Diego Stock Options 417

Gust

MAY 24, 2012

Yet I’m skeptical that a widespread shift will occur anytime soon, and for reasons discussed below, as much as I admire and advocate for talented entrepreneurs, I believe it would be a losing proposition for nearly all involved.

IPO 159

IPO Equity Common Stock Stock 159

Altgate

DECEMBER 15, 2010

@altgate Startups, Venture Capital & Everything In Between Skip to content Home Furqan Nazeeri (fn@altgate.com) ← No one wants to tell you your baby is ugly More on Liquidation Preferences → Pre-Money Valuation vs Number of Founders Posted on December 15, 2010 by admin Here’s a chart of the day worth sharing.

Pre-Money Valuation 66

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Cofounder Founder 66

Gust

APRIL 16, 2014

Invested Interests business entrepreneur investor contract startup' But something like that would be way, way outside the norm. original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

Liquidation Preference 152

Liquidation Preference Revenue Entrepreneur Startup 152

The Equity Kicker

JUNE 28, 2013

Otherwise the investors won’t make the multiple on their investment that they want and after liquidation preferences are paid the amount left for the entrepreneur may well also be disappointing. back making 8.3x (£2m off the top and then 33% of the remaining £19m) and the entrepreneur makes £12.7m. Nobody is happy.

Liquidation Preference 116

Liquidation Preference Valuation Portfolio Operations 116

Feld Thoughts

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

Mark Suster wrote a great post yesterday titled The Resetting of the Startup Industry. And, rather than rational and helpful thoughts for entrepreneurs, it often brings out the schadenfreude in even the most talented people. We entrepreneurs have been spinning that line for decades in every boom cycle. It’s simply not true.

Cap Table 70

Cap Table Down Round Liquidation Preference Founder 70

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. Startup Grind was a truly awesome conference and Derek the consumate host. Watch the 30-minute interview to hear why but summary notes below.

Bankruptcy 403

Bankruptcy Offshore Liquidation Preference Balance Sheet 403

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2015

As an angel investor to startups, I’m still surprised to find entrepreneurs who expect investors to give them money, and assume no strings attached. Finally, entrepreneurs should never forget that investors really believe that they are there to help (not like “I'm from the IRS and I'm here to help”).

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Liquidation Preference Advisory Board Angel Investor 120

The Equity Kicker

DECEMBER 30, 2013

Interestingly though, I think things end up looking pretty similar for the entrepreneur. In this case the investment is largely in the form of time committed to the startup, and hence the downside is the time lost to other opportunities. Exits Startup general interest Venice Project'

Finance 129

Finance Liquidation Preference Valuation Harvest 129

Feld Thoughts

MAY 7, 2012

Down: Liquidation preference. In reality it mainly gives one the ability to know what’s actually going on, to the extent that anyone knows what’s actually going on in a fast moving startup. Entrepreneurs – don’t get confused by the endless mumbo-jumbo. Up: Pro-rata rights.

Liquidation Preference 143

Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Search Entrepreneur 143

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I’d like to explain as best I can my opinion on what is going on because most of what I hear from entrepreneurs is not only wrong but is reminiscent of what I heard in 1997-2000. ” “This will be great for VCs and bad for entrepreneurs.” What is the True Sentiment of VCs? ” “Sure, prices are dropping.

Valuation 150

Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

Austin Startup

AUGUST 1, 2017

TL;DR: In a market that has historically idolized huge, splashy financings and exits, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are realizing that everyone else’s definition of success — particularly among certain large VCs — isn’t necessarily aligned with their own. Most individual VCs can only support about 7–10 companies at a time.

Liquidation Preference 48

Liquidation Preference Common Stock Valuation Silicon Valley 48

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. It’s true that angel investors typically do not present entrepreneurs with overly complicated deal structures, especially when compared to venture capitalists. Liquidation preference.

Term Sheet 227

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2012

Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an Angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. It’s true that Angel investors typically do not present entrepreneurs with overly complicated deal structures, especially when compared to venture capitalists. Liquidation preference.

Term Sheet 223

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Angel Investor 223

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 14, 2010

My general opinion is that anything that makes the financing process faster and easier or otherwise educates entrepreneurs is a good thing. (A In addition, I think that a “peace treaty&# between early-stage investors and startup companies on standard terms (at least at a term sheet level) is a step in the right direction.

Finance 70

Finance Software Review Term Sheet Liquidation Preference 70