Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In my experience as an angel investor for new startups, I’m always surprised by how many entrepreneurs are looking for funding without outside advisors. The cost of a co-founder is usually fifty percent of your equity. An experienced Board can give them credibility, as well as advice on the many pitfalls of starting a new company.

Advisory Board 356

Advisory Board Bandwidth Cofounder Technical Review 356

The Startup Magazine

MAY 13, 2022

Equity distribution among co-founders may be a complex procedure while starting any business. How you split founder startup equity can be even harder for a tech startup due to different roles and contributions from the founders. What is the equity structure of a startup? Ownership of the business.

Equity 172

Equity Founder Vesting Cofounder 172

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 345

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 345

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2020

One of the biggest myths in the business world is that startups are no place for Baby Boomers, that aging generation born between 1945 and 1964. Today people over 55 are almost twice as likely to create successful startups as Gen-Y, age 20 to 34. Yet credible reports on current trends tell us just the opposite.

Advisory Board 312

Advisory Board Startup Dividend Angel Investor 312

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. They do the most to de-risk the early stages of a startup. Reducing Startup Risk.

Technical Cofounder 368

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 368

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

Within private equity there are certainly sectors that drum up more attention than others. Private equity investments offer access to growth in more scaled businesses. Below, we explore some of the private equity investments made by Hauser Private Equity in recent years within the industrial sector. Healthcare.

Private Equity 165

Private Equity Equity Technical Review Software Review 165

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 309

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. Most entrepreneurs never forget for a moment that having investors means owing money, even if they can legally argue that equity is not debt.

Bootstrapping 310

Bootstrapping Advisory Board Startup Venture Capital 310

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

One of the biggest myths in the business world is that startups are no place for Baby Boomers, that aging generation born between 1945 and 1964. Today people over 55 are almost twice as likely to create successful startups as Gen-Y, age 20 to 34. Yet credible reports on current trends tell us just the opposite.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge.

Accredited Investor 324

Accredited Investor Entrepreneur SEC Equity 324

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 379

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Startup studios continue to grow in popularity as incubators for new businesses. Rather than simply launching one startup, the startup studio model creates an organization whose business is launching startups. These can then be repeated and improved on with each successive startup.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Development Software Developers 188

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

More and more entrepreneurs are hearing about the successful graduates and investors queued behind a few well-known startup incubators, including Y Combinator, TechStars, and the Founder Institute. His tests focus on personality traits alone (ignoring your startup idea), looking for fluid intelligence, openness, and agreeableness.

Incubator 366

Incubator Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2022

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. Most entrepreneurs never forget for a moment that having investors means owing money, even if they can legally argue that equity is not debt.

Cost 267

Cost Bootstrapping Advisory Board Startup 267

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2022

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t make equity investments in nonprofit good causes. What options do they have available to them, since they can’t sell a share of the company (no equity investment)? There is no discussion of equity, or return on investment. Individual and institutional philanthropy.

Angel Investor 327

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 327

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

The last thing a new entrepreneur wants to think about for a new startup is how it will end. Yet one of the first things a potential equity investor asks about is your exit strategy. Equity investments are not loans, so there is no loan payback period or interest payments. Find a private equity firm or friendly individual.

Exit Strategy 264

Exit Strategy Private Equity Equity Technical Review 264

VC Cafe

JANUARY 22, 2021

A few months ago, VC Cafe launched a series on startup engagement and outreach programs of large tech companies. After covering Google startup outreach and support (from first hand experience), today I’m happy to add Amazon and AWS, by looking into the variety of ways startups can engage with the commerce and cloud giant.

Technical Review 174

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Incubator 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 310

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 308

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 308

VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

Most startups equate the process of fundraising to dating – founders have to typically kiss a lot of frogs until the find the right fit. Climate tech – We have a fair chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change if startups offer commercial solutions to decarbonize society or remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Artificial Inteligence 176

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 176

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

For new entrepreneurs , the startup phase is one of the most challenging yet exciting stages of launching a business. If you’re struggling to raise capital, here are six practical strategies to obtain startup funding in today’s modern and competitive business world.

Security 158

Security Angel Investor Startup Bootstrapping 158

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

Many companies need venture capital funding, including startups. Venture capital is a type of private equity. It is a type of financing that investors can provide to startups and small businesses which are believed to have the potential for success in the long term. What is Venture Capital Funding? The Basics of Venture Capital.

Venture Capital 179

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Security 179

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 14, 2022

And with the technology available these days, it is convenient to invest in emerging startups. Are you wondering how to invest in startups in India? The digital startup craze. The world is about to see a new generation propagating the Indian startup investing industry. Sectors witnessing a startup boom. Media tech.

Technical Review 167

Technical Review Due Diligence India Startup 167

View from Seed

APRIL 6, 2021

You have an authentic passion for startups and a deep respect for entrepreneurship. We are firm believers that diverse points of view strengthen the collective intellectual equity and long-term performance, and we truly welcome people with a broad set of backgrounds and perspectives to apply. You act as an “ invited guest.”.

Technical Review 317

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage Cofounder 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

That means that many companies are now forgoing the rush to go public (IPO), in favor of major equity investments from specialized venture capital funds, such as Japan’s SoftBank. Look for investors and organizations who practice 10x or 100x thinking, rather than earnings-per-share (EPS) every quarter.

Software Review 355

Software Review Algorithm Global IPO 355

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 17, 2024

Below, I’ve listed a bunch of attributes a startup might have and how they push the decision-making needle one way or the other. For example, being familiar with fundraising lingo and the finer points of SAFEs vs equity, etc. For example, being familiar with fundraising lingo and the finer points of SAFEs vs equity, etc.

Technical Review 164

Technical Review Cofounder Startup Equity 164

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Most of the experience so far has been cash versus the equity feature defined by the JOBS Act – Equity Crowdfunding (Title III) , introduced back in 2016 with 685 pages of rules. Have you ever wondered what professional startup investors think about all this? Lack of checks and balances on startup valuations.

Equity 411

Equity Angel Groups Accredited Investor Due Diligence 411

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2022

Business partners can be co-founders in a startup, multiple owners of an existing business, or a joint venture. You need to do the due diligence to make that decision before you sign away your equity. I was pleased to see this approach highlighted as well in a new book for startups, “ Zero to IPO ,” by Frederick Kerrest.

Technical Review 313

Technical Review Due Diligence Partner Cofounder 313

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

The report highlighted the resilience of Israeli startups despite the geopolitical challenges and shared the curret sentiment on trends in pre-seed deals. In contrast, 80% of seed rounds are equity-based. Similarly, 74% of investors reported that 75-100% of their seed investments were in AI-driven startups.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Israel Early Stage Vertical 88

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2020

This is especially true for startups, which operate on the basis of customer traction to solidify expectations with investors or lending institutions. When it occurs, the consequences can be swift and devastating, wreaking potential havoc on a once steady stream of revenue.

Customer 347

Customer Development Team Review Advisory Board Private Equity 347

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

New details about the real costs of training the model (much higher) and the source of the data (distilled from OpenAI against the T&Cs) are slowly surfacing, but it’s clear that Chinese AI startups are here to stay. AIface increasing challenges. Baichuan AI is pivoting toward specialized AI models for finance and healthcare.

China 97

China Artificial Inteligence ChatGPT Generative AI 97

ReadWriteStart

MAY 30, 2022

The Proud Owners of a Startup. Today, as the proud owner of a startup, you’re probably much better at managing your money. Sometime in your future, an investor will offer you money in return for equity. It might take the experience of growing and exiting two or even three startups before you know how to do that. .

Bootstrapping 147

Bootstrapping Startup Equity Silicon Valley 147

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

The past year was a wild ride for startups and founders, giving a whole new meaning to the ”rollercoaster” aspect of being an entrepreneur. A combination of competition for top talent and an effort to bring employees back to the office drove startups in Israel to throw extravagant parties and all-inclusive retreats abroad.

Founder 187

Founder Startup Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 187

View from Seed

JULY 6, 2020

You have an authentic passion for startups and a deep respect for entrepreneurship. We are firm believers that diverse points of view strengthen the collective intellectual equity and long-term performance, and we truly welcome people with a broad set of backgrounds and perspectives to apply. . You act as an “ invited guest.”.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Software Review Hiring Seed Stage 257

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

especially if the startup already has a product and revenue? While the answers are somewhat semantic, the pre-seed funding round is making a comeback in 2024 startup financing. Pre-seed round tends to be the first ‘institutional’ round of funding in a startup. A founder asked me what makes a $2M round “pre-seed”?

Valuation 186

Valuation Software Review Generative AI Technical Review 186