Steve Blank

APRIL 8, 2010

We thought we’d take our plan and go raise seed money. We can’t raise money knowing our plan is wrong.”. Instead of writing a formal business plan they took their business model and got out of the building to gather feedback on their critical hypotheses (revenue model, pricing, sales, marketing, customer acquisition cost, etc.)

Business Model 332

Business Model Business Plan Customer Cap Table 332

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

70–80% of the costs of most startups are employee costs so what you’re really talking about when a company is unprofitable is that they are growing their staff ahead of their revenue. I often ask entrepreneurs to consider, “What’s your objective? Revenue When I look at an income statement I start by focusing on the revenue line.

Stock Options 227

Stock Options Startup Dilution Venture Capital 227

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 14, 2014

If you knew entrepreneur Marquis Hayes 10 years ago, you would barely recognize him today. But he chose to move forward with a positive attitude, raise seed money for his company, and network his way to a profitable future. Start small, generate revenue, and create a profitable business before you approach an investor.

Bootstrapping 249

Bootstrapping Startup Seed Money New York 249

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 14, 2016

forward revenue in February 2016 (the low), they appreciated by 6% each month for the following six months. At the same time, seed money is still abundant due to the proliferation of micro VC over the past few years. If you’re enthusiastic about these themes as an entrepreneur, investor, or operator, please reach out!

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Early Stage Portfolio Valuation 60

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 20, 2011

I was having a chat with an entrepreneur who I really like and who I try to mentor from time-to-time. He’s struggling to raise money. His company had raised seed money already. They have some revenue but not much. He wanted a good partner, a fair valuation, and quite honestly, just some effing money!

Dilution 284

Dilution Valuation Seed Money Differentiation 284

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 7, 2017

Unfortunately, a number of them had an early exit from the business scene due to ineffective business plans and/or unsustained revenue for their investment. Initially, you get funded by entrepreneur founders who want to develop a product, service, or solution which they think the market needs and demands.

Private Equity 159

Private Equity Startup Incubator Social Network 159

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

The world of startups is a bit like a gold rush right now: there’s lots of money to be made, almost no rules regarding who will make or lose it, and only a few will actually see a sustained profit at the end of the day. Generating solid revenue streams early on will make many of the fundraising problems much easier to handle later on.

Startup 130

Startup Revenue Cofounder Angel Investor 130

The Next Web

DECEMBER 30, 2013

In January, Denver will become one of the few American cities that allows its residents to purchase and recreationally consume marijuana, a move that is expected to create jobs and generate tax revenue. Entrepreneur Insider United States Analysis and Opinion' Denver Mayor Michael B. We couldn’t agree more.

Denver 166

Denver Silicon Valley San Jose Colorado 166

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 12, 2020

Your Revenue Has Stagnated. One of the worst parts about working for somebody else is that your revenue is capped. When you own a business, you can boost your revenue substantially by courting new clients, hiring more foot soldiers, or being more prudent when it comes to costs. You Have Access to Seed Money.

Seed Money 103

Seed Money United States Revenue Hiring 103

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

The world of startups is a bit like a gold rush right now: there’s lots of money to be made, almost no rules regarding who will make or lose it, and only a few will actually see a sustained profit at the end of the day. Generating solid revenue streams early on will make many of the fundraising problems much easier to handle later on.

Startup 78

Startup Revenue Cofounder Angel Investor 78

Hearpreneur

DECEMBER 9, 2018

In the last few days of 2018, we took some time to ask a few entrepreneurs and business what their biggest business accomplishments were. #1- I fully immersed myself in industry conversations, met ecosystem partners, and participated in social media discussions with next-generation entrepreneurs. 9-Increase in my revenue.

South Korea 59

South Korea Entrepreneur Portugal Social Media 59

Ben's Blog

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

We want to be in business with the best entrepreneurs going after the biggest markets and we do not care whether they need seed money, venture money or growth money. We believe in great entrepreneurs and the products and companies they build. As former entrepreneurs, we believe this is ideal.

Seed Money 70

Seed Money Venture Capital Angel Investor Partner 70

readwrite.com

DECEMBER 3, 2012

For the past few years we’ve had people calling themselves “investors,” who have no experience investing, swanning around the Valley, slinging money at people calling themselves “entrepreneurs” who have never held an actual job, let alone run a company. The great lie of these last few years is that anyone can be a tech entrepreneur.

Silicon Valley 111

Silicon Valley Las Vegas Angel Investor Startup 111

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

In the late 90's, it wasn't surprising that companies with no revenue that were funded at 100 million dollar valuations didn't survive. What I'm not good at--or, rather, simply haven't done yet, is sit on a board for seven years helping a company go from $20mm in revenue to $100 million in revenue. I'm sticking to what I know.

Later Stage 99

Later Stage Down Round Pre-Money Valuation Early Stage 99

Campus Entrepreneurship

JANUARY 25, 2013

My team at Duke University worked with Raj Aggarwal of University of Akron and Krisztina Holly at the University of Southern California to research the backgrounds of 549 entrepreneurs whose companies had made it past the begging-for-seed-money stage and were generating real revenue.

Southern California 41

Southern California Seed Money California Venture Capital 41

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

That is why it is imperative for entrepreneurs to critically examine all advice and “truths” about startups. Fortunately, many startup myths revolve around three common topics (business plans, money, and unnatural hustle). Entrepreneurs must be nimble, and will be more apt to stick with a flawed concept they spent months drafting.

Washington 48

Washington Incubator Cofounder Angel Investor 48

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 23, 2015

So whereas seed rounds five years ago may have been less than a million dollars on a pre-money valuation of three or four million, today''s seed is up and over a million and usually closer to two million, with post money valuations nearing $10 million. in seed money instead of $1.5M Why not raise $2.5M

Post-Money Valuation 60

Post-Money Valuation Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Seed Money 60

Hippoland

JANUARY 23, 2018

It will be hard to raise a pre-seed round through traditional methods If you are raising money through traditional methods (such as with angels / micro VCs / VCs) via a convertible note or convertible security or equity deal, it will be a lot harder to raise pre-seed money in 2018. The market had definitely shifted.

Early Stage 48

Early Stage Convertible Security Seed Stage SEC 48

Hippoland

JANUARY 23, 2018

It will be hard to raise a pre-seed round through traditional methods If you are raising money through traditional methods (such as with angels / micro VCs / VCs) via a convertible note or convertible security or equity deal, it will be a lot harder to raise pre-seed money in 2018. The market had definitely shifted.

Early Stage 48

Early Stage Convertible Security Seed Stage SEC 48

Rob Go

MARCH 20, 2013

Is it possible to take seed money and not go for the Series A, etc, and just earn revenue? If we never want to exit and plan to own and run the company forever, would anyone invest any money at all? . One is to do a royalty based financing, where some percent of revenues goes back to investors.

Bootstrapping 46

Bootstrapping Finance Dividend Vesting 46

techcrunch.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

It is the first in a series of posts he’s writing about the decisions a young entrepreneur needs to make when she/he is first starting a business. One of the things I do as a founder of a later stage startup is to meet with early stage entrepreneurs to help them get their companies going. Unless that person is … you?

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder Software Review 84

pandodaily.com

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Essentially, we got here by entrepreneurs having too much of a good thing. The number of seed and angel investors has exploded in recent years, buoyed up by a number of factors. At each turn, these market changes were heralded as wonderful developments for entrepreneurs. A name like 500 Startups says it all.

Technical Review 93

Technical Review Silicon Valley Incubator Syria 93