Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2020

Many use a convertible loan note that may be converted into equity upon the closing of the first formal angel or VC round of financing, with a more realistic valuation. That’s why it is better to use institutional investors and loans when you are able, with realistic time frame expectations.

Management 308

Management Cram Down Angel Investor Equity 308

ithacaVC

MARCH 9, 2017

The importance of the Board is why institutional investors (like VCs) often get a seat on the Board after an investment. But don’t be fooled, there is an element of control as investors want a say in critical decisions. The list goes on and on. Good corporate governance is critical at startups and other companies alike!

Seed Stage 58

Seed Stage Software Review Institutional Investors Lead Investor 58

OnlyOnce

JULY 30, 2020

Institutional investors can require liquidity too, and while it’s possible to buy out shareholders or create a debt / equity financing, you might think about selling the company instead.

Cap Table 48

Cap Table Institutional Investors Startup Early Stage 48

View from Seed

JUNE 7, 2016

Just to discuss a few benefits more in-depth… First and foremost, getting into a regular cadence readies the company to think and operate more professionally for later rounds of financing. At NextView, one founder we invested in last year proactively asked us, as her lone institutional investor, to start doing this.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Founder Seed Capital Institutional Investors 120

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

Yes, it’s true that FOMO (fear of missing out) is driving some irrational behavior and valuations amongst uber competitive deals and well-financed VCs. Try charging customers for your product when you have 12 competitors giving the product away free finances by $20 million of VC. The Exit Problem.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Mobile 347

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Prorata investments rights given investors the right to invest in your future fund-raising rounds and maintain their ownership % in your company as your company grows and raises more capital. New investors sometimes want early investors to put in money to “prove” they have confidence in the new price.

Technical Review 336

Technical Review Later Stage Early Stage LP 336

David Teten

JANUARY 9, 2013

Aspen is looking for institutional investor and entrepreneur speakers willing to share their investing insights and personal experiences. What incentives are there to incorporate social financing into their overall investment strategy? What are the key sectors where social financing can have significant impact?

Tunisia 114

Tunisia Libya Algeria Mauritania 114

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2019

Fairly frequently public market investors believe that a new consumer company is “the next X”. We first saw this with Twitter in 2013 when they went public and many (both retail & institutional investors) believed that company might be the “next Facebook”. Something similar happened with Snapchat in 2017 with their IPO.

IPO 180

IPO B2B B2C Institutional Investors 180

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). And even with the significant cost of credit card debt, many entrepreneurs aggressively use existing cards to finance a startup.

Private Equity 118

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 118

Gust

JANUARY 31, 2013

Modern theories of economics and finance teach us that in a world of perfect information, the market will decide what a fair price is for any company’s stock at any point in time based on its current financial condition, results of past operations, analysts’ forecasts of future performance, industry conditions and so on.

SEC 158

SEC Prospectus United States Technical Review 158

Gust

OCTOBER 26, 2011

As we conclude our convertible note financing series, there are assorted terms commonly seen in term sheets and deal documents that are worth touching on briefly. The Note Purchase Agreement and Convertible Promissory Note are essential documents for any convertible note financing. Next section: Amendment.

Finance 79

Finance Term Sheet Covenant Accredited Investor 79

David Teten

JULY 14, 2014

The most pervasive has been the expansion of passively managed portfolios, such as index funds and ETFs, which allow both retail and institutional investors access to a broad spectrum of investment opportunities at a much lower cost. Do you think “too big to fail” is “too big to exist”, as some argue?

Management 114

Management Portfolio Institutional Investors Government 114

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Like many established finance & media companies, GLG knows that the tech startup sector is a growing part of the economy. I’ve also presented at a range of industry conferences on how institutional investors can use professional networks for research , origination , market research , and value creation.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

For startups and high-growth businesses, as you scale and encounter new milestones and obstacles, you will be faced with the question of how to finance and plan for that growth. Luckily for founders, the ways in which you can finance your startup are varied based on your business model, your preference, your goals, and timeline, and so on.

Covenant 60

Covenant Institutional Investors Balance Sheet Warrant 60

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2018

Many use a convertible loan note that may be converted into equity upon the closing of the first formal angel or VC round of financing, with a more realistic valuation. That’s why it is better to use institutional investors and loans when you are able, with realistic time frame expectations.

Cram Down 148

Cram Down Angel Investor Equity Dividend 148

VC Cafe

JUNE 9, 2010

The proposal will enable investors in startups to receive tax write-offs on investments for high-tech companies who spend at least 70% of their salaries in Israel. Today, most of the LPs for Israeli funds are foreign investors. “It is not a targeted plan designed to deal with a particular subject.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Government Israel Technology 88

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2014

Many use a convertible loan note that may be converted into equity upon the closing of the first formal Angel or VC round of financing, with a more realistic valuation. That’s why it is better to use institutional investors and loans when you are able, with realistic time frame expectations.

Founder 254

Founder Cram Down Angel Investor Equity 254

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 27, 2019

It’s no secret that one of the first things you need to do to get a start-up off the ground is secure financing from investors, a bank, alternative funder, or other business. It could mean the difference between failure and success. The post The Importance of Bridge Funding for StartUps appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

Institutional Investors 61

Institutional Investors Startup Security Finance 61

Agile VC

APRIL 30, 2019

Fairly frequently public market investors believe that a new consumer company is “the next X”. We first saw this with Twitter in 2013 when they went public and many (both retail & institutional investors) believed that company might be the “next Facebook”. Something similar happened with Snapchat in 2017 with their IPO.

IPO 100

IPO B2B B2C Institutional Investors 100

Hunter Walker

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

As an early stage fund, often buying 10–15% of a company during its seed financing, this meant we were often being asked if we wanted to sell portions of our stakes to other approved investors (let alone the random pings from market-makers unaffiliated with the company).

Venture Capital 126

Venture Capital Cap Table LP Equity 126

abovethecrowd.com

AUGUST 23, 2020

I would argue that any first year finance student or computer science student would naturally assume this is how traditional public offerings already work (they would be wrong). The direct listing process is much simpler, is elegant, and uses modern market-based approaches to both price discovery and allocation.

IPO 118

IPO Silicon Valley Warrant Matching 118

Haystack

OCTOBER 2, 2019

What I will say is many institutional investors require them, and fair or not, most investors view the pitch deck as a proxy for how the founders will present to customers. Part of being a founder is simply about being able to finance the operation. 2/ Pitch Deck Design: There’s a robust debate about slide decks.

Deal Flow 106

Deal Flow Cap Table Early Stage Institutional Investors 106

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

The Startup Magazine

JULY 1, 2022

With these structural improvements, institutional investors, like pension funds and hedge funds, can contribute trillions of dollars into the marketplace resulting in a more stable market with less volatility and a more predictable investment for the individual investor.

Stock 135

Stock Institutional Investors Demand Portfolio 135

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

Institutional investors will always insist on pro-rata rights. All it says is that the VC has the right (but not obligation) to invest his/her proportional ownership in the next round of financing. In the case of a super pro-rata right the investor (let’s say in your A round) will ask for MORE than their pro-rata right.

Entrepreneur 310

Entrepreneur Dilution Finance Silicon Valley 310

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2013

Many use a convertible loan note that may be converted into equity upon the closing of the first formal Angel or VC round of financing, with a more realistic valuation. That’s why it is better to use institutional investors and loans when you are able, with realistic time frame expectations.

Cram Down 230

Cram Down Angel Investor Equity Dividend 230

Pascal's View

MARCH 10, 2010

Susan Mangiero , CEO of Investment Governance’s Fiduciary X , asked me the following: Question: Given recent instances of VC-backed company fraud and questions about the management team, how can institutional investors protect themselves from key person risk? Will they work 24/7 to get the job done? Share and Enjoy:

Government 28

Government Technical Review Due Diligence Institutional Investors 28

David Teten

JULY 3, 2013

Empire Angels is a member-led New York City based angel group of young finance professionals which seeks to invest in and support early stage technology ventures with a focus on young, US based entrepreneurs. Members include representatives of several VCs, family offices and other institutional investors.

Angel Investor 114

Angel Investor New York Accredited Investor New York City 114

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Excel and Google simply aren’t going to cut it if you expect to build a high quality institutional investor base.”. Beacon technology system , which automatically outbound-solicits a universe of over 10,000 institutional investors, without requiring LPs to register for an online network of funds. .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

David Teten

JULY 3, 2013

Empire Angels is a member-led New York City based angel group of young finance professionals which seeks to invest in and support early stage technology ventures with a focus on young, US based entrepreneurs. Members include representatives of several VCs, family offices and other institutional investors.

Angel Investor 114

Angel Investor New York Accredited Investor New York City 114

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Many use a convertible loan note that may be converted into equity upon the closing of the first formal Angel or VC round of financing, with a more realistic valuation. That’s why it is better to use institutional investors and loans when you are able, with realistic time frame expectations.

Cram Down 120

Cram Down Angel Investor Equity Dividend 120

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Plus, if the business doesn’t raise enough the capital in the first round to become self-sustaining, the crowdfunding round’s cap table and/or terms may make the deal unattractive or not doable for follow-on, institutional investors. What kind of business is being launched?

Equity 100

Equity United Kingdom Cap Table Oklahoma 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2010

Often when startups who have raised venture capital need another round of financing they will turn to their existing investors to give them money before raising from outsiders. a loan) that is later converted to equity at the time of the next financing. It starts as a debt instrument (e.g.

Startup 290

Startup Burn Rate Warrant Bankruptcy 290

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2011

My key takeaways from talking to roughly 40 institutional investors in the valley about investing to an European startup are: Traction cures all ills. If you can really demonstrate up and to the right path and consistently deliver on your promises, the funding will find you. link] is another great one to apply.

Silicon Valley 104

Silicon Valley Startup Seed Stage Delaware 104

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

Non-institutional Leads. I’ve seen a few cases now where a number of very high-quality institutional investors were interested in investing in a company at valuation, but a non-institutional investor was willing to set terms 1.5 – 2X higher than that valuation. Alternative funding sources.

Cram Down 66

Cram Down Institutional Investors Dilution Seed Stage 66

Hunter Walker

JUNE 21, 2014

One question entrepreneurs sometimes don’t ask when raising seed financing is “will this investor be able to follow on in future rounds.” ” That is, assuming they have pro rata rights, will they look to maintain their ownership stake in the A Round, B Round, etc.

Institutional Investors 92

Institutional Investors Dilution Later Stage Portfolio 92

K9 Ventures

MARCH 23, 2011

The convertible note was really intended as an instrument for a “bridge financing” – when an equity round was imminent, and likely to occur, but the company needed some money in between. In that case, it made good sense to have a debt instrument, where the note holder then converted into equity when the financing occurred.

Pre-Money Valuation 132

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Equity Liquidation Preference 132