Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Very few people turn up with a strong sense of “what we should be doing” or ready to lean into a productive conversation The financials were prepared by the VP of Finance / CFO. The law firm has done its job of preparing the stock option requests, board meeting minutes, 409a valuations. There are too many pages. The meeting starts.

Stock Options 226

Stock Options Metrics Stock Valuation 226

View from Seed

DECEMBER 4, 2019

At the time, I spent most of my time describing the metrics themselves and how VCs and their LPs evaluate performance based on these measurements. If you aren’t familiar with these metrics, I recommend reading the original post to get a sense of the numbers that I’ll be reviewing here. So, is this good or bad?

LP 256

LP IRR Distribution Portfolio 256

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 14, 2020

Higher asset valuation – growing awareness about the environment; the social impact of buildings and the need to meet sustainability credentials is increasingly making real estate investors and occupiers turn to green buildings. Besides renewable energy, Tweed’s business interest spans sectors like finance and real estate.

Green 135

Green California Government Valuation 135

VC Adventure

AUGUST 31, 2017

If you read my blog regularly you know I love (LOVE) metrics. So no surprise that when River Cities Capital released an overview of SaaS operating and valuation benchmarks, I hung on every juicy detail. They took the 92 public SaaS companies and analyzed their key operating metrics. The valuation metrics show this clearly.

IPO 113

IPO Vertical Balance Sheet Valuation 113

View from Seed

MARCH 24, 2021

In this comprehensive template and guide we break down each of the nine core sections in the deck: intro , team , what do you do , is it working , why does it matter (market) , can you be the best in the world (product, growth, financial metrics) , where are you going , what do you want (the ask) , and appendix. ” (Rob Go).

Seed Stage 177

Seed Stage Hiring IPO Analytics 177

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 21, 2017

Revenue multiples, profit multiples, premium over the previous financing — these are metrics used by sellers to help determine a minimum acceptable price. Remember this is revenue , not valuation. Large companies don’t acquire small companies for their financials. Zoom out to see the strategic decision.

Balance Sheet 242

Balance Sheet Vertical Acquisition Revenue 242

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And the loosening of federal monetary policies, particularly in the US, has pushed more dollars into the venture ecosystems at every stage of financing. What Has Changed in Financing? On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. even before the pandemic itself has been fully tamed.

Pre-Money Valuation 471

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Venture Capital Early Stage 471

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

Metrics like Return on Net Assets, Return on Capital and Internal Rate of Return are the guiding stars of the board and CEO. As Harvard professor Clayton Christensen noted, these efficiency metrics provided wise guidance for times when capital was scarce and raising money was hard. Ultimately this is not just another staff function.

Private Equity 330

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 330

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

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2: As expected at least one person accused me of writing this post because I want to see lower valuations. As the risks below get eliminated the higher the valuation investors are prepared to pay. So rounds tend to be “range bound&# where the top end of the valuation spectrum often being done in boom markets (i.e.

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations.   I’ve sat down with entrepreneurs and a copy of a term sheet guide I like [ “Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations ” by Alex Wilmerding, Aspatore Press.] The Valuation Question.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

While 20th century metrics were revenue and profit, today it’s common for companies to get acquired for their user base. A 20th century VC was likely to have an MBA or finance background. This allows founder(s) to sell part of their stock (~10 to 33%) in a future round of financing. 4. Founder-friendly VCs.

Founder 281

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 281

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

They need to believe your valuation, based on current revenue and intellectual property, and feel the equity offered gives them a real return for the risk. These show a focus on the business elements required for success, and metrics for ensuring accountability, management control, and feedback along the way.

Intellectual Property 352

Intellectual Property Equity Bootstrapping Valuation 352

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

This structure allows for alignment on the front end, and real-time flexibility for performance metrics,” says Samira Salman , a family office investor and advisor. . Flexible VCs have created structures based on other company performance metrics than revenues, such as profits or founder salaries. Flexible VC 102: Variations.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

This financial leader could well have come through the finance org at another startup or at a larger company but they often also can come from strategy consulting (Bain, BCG or McKinsey) or through investment banking (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.).

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It’s like we need a finance 101 course for entrepreneurs. There were no metrics. Him: On metrics. Me: There is no rational explanation for valuations of A round companies by ANY objective financial measure. If we priced it based on any metrics your company would likely be worth less than 7 figures at your A round.

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417

VC Adventure

MARCH 17, 2022

With the markets down significantly, financings (at least at the later stages) slowing down, and inflation and interest rates on the rise, perhaps now is a good time to talk about your burn rate. Hopefully, you took advantage of the robust financing markets of the past few years to put some money on your balance sheet.

Balance Sheet 121

Balance Sheet Burn Rate Valuation Metrics 121

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Lean Case provides standard business models & metrics, so you can apply a standard approach to business planning, modeling, and profitability tracking. The simplest way to track a company’s performance: have them give you access to their internal metrics dashboard. If you have one, please contact me. 7) Negotiate .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Here’s the punchline: if you run your company as if you have closed a VC equity financing round even though you actually closed a convertible debt round, you’ll be in much better shape when it comes time to raise your Series A financing. No updates, screen comps, or metrics have been publicly shared yet.

Burn Rate 152

Burn Rate Equity Software Review Early Stage 152

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

Cracking the Code

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

Detailed SaaS Spreadsheet (Valuation and CAC benchmark). SaaS 13 Index Valuation. SaaS business metrics: why are they different? Yahoo Finance. Thoughts from a Venture Capitalist on Software, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Cloud Computing, Internet and more. Wednesday, February 23, 2011. SaaS Multiples: Recovery or Bubble?

Software Review 101

Software Review Technical Review Valuation Europe 101

View from Seed

MAY 31, 2019

Some of the founders in our portfolio have an exceptional ability to raise additional capital (and at loftier valuations) remarkably ahead of where the underlying metrics of the business current would yield.

Valuation 149

Valuation Portfolio Metrics Founder 149

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 20, 2018

Finance is one of the biggest areas in which the entrepreneurs lack knowledge. Valuation of finance metrics shall certainly give you an edge in the field. You must do your own research and find out that is talking what about you on your back before blindly trusting them.

Cofounder 178

Cofounder Valuation Finance Metrics 178

Genuine VC

JULY 19, 2010

The difference now is that given the structural changes in the market, seed-stage investors are more likely to be rewarded in valuation given the value which is created during this segment of the company’s life cycle. During an initial seed round, companies are able to test and validate live product/market theses.

Seed Stage 175

Seed Stage Technical Review Dilution Offshore 175

View from Seed

JUNE 10, 2020

When the culmination of an accelerator is a Demo Day show, then that is what teams prepare for and the resulting metrics by which they’re measured. To Participating Founders : To avoid signaling issues, we intentionally will not lead the next round of financing.

Cofounder 177

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 177

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 24, 2020

Whether you’re interested in selling a website you built from scratch, or want to sell your Amazon-based B2C brand, there are many different baseline factors that go into determining an appropriate website valuation number. While it’s true that valuations can get quite technical, the basics are relatively easy to understand.

eCommerce 91

eCommerce Valuation B2C Revenue 91

View from Seed

OCTOBER 15, 2014

Examples of housekeeping include the following list, though not every item will appear every time: Finance: Cash out date, burn rate, 409A valuation, cap table, common/preferred stock dashboard. Finance is mission critical, for instance – it just appears on a recurring basis. The seed stage is all about traction.

Seed Stage 331

Seed Stage Cap Table Metrics Burn Rate 331

Ben's Blog

MARCH 24, 2011

As we do so, keep in mind that the relevant bubble statistic is not valuation. High valuations are fine if the underlying value is there. In the great bubble of 1998-2000, the boom in public valuations mirrored the boom in private valuations. If too much venture capital hits the streets, valuations will bubble up.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Valuation Venture Capital Database 78

Genuine VC

MAY 29, 2014

Some are pre-product, while all the way on the other side of the spectrum, some have meaningful revenue and clear up-and-to-the-right metrics. The other is valuation of the next round of Series A financing. The risk associated with raising a subsequent round of capital are different for different profile startups.

Syndicate 166

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Valuation 166

Growthink Blog

APRIL 15, 2015

Now given that the company has yet to even come close to breaking even, this can be viewed as either a great validation of Domo''s business model, or as more evidence of the “Bubble Mania” of the current technology financing landscape and a screaming signal to get out while you still can.

Valuation 48

Valuation Venture Capital Finance Acquisition 48

Women Entrepreneurs Can

MAY 13, 2024

Economic indicators are metrics used to assess the overall health and performance of an economy. Impact on Corporate Earnings and Stock Valuations Economic indicators play a crucial role in shaping corporate earnings and stock valuations. Traders analyse economic data releases to anticipate potential shifts in stock valuations.

Stock 52

Stock Valuation Marketing Conversion 52

The Next Web

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

One of the questions I get, more often than not, is what is the appropriate valuation of my business. This is typically in conjunction with an upcoming financing or pending takeover offer. multiple interested investors competing for the deal, and driving up your valuation in the process). The more scarce a supply (e.g.,

Valuation 167

Valuation Forecast Seed Stage .Net 167

Gust

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

It’s like we need a finance 101 course for entrepreneurs. There were no metrics. Him: On metrics. Me: There is no rational explanation for valuations of A round companies by ANY objective financial measure. If we priced it based on any metrics your company would likely be worth less than 7 figures at your A round.

Liquidation Preference 153

Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet Stock 153

Cracking the Code

JANUARY 16, 2012

Detailed SaaS Spreadsheet (Valuation and CAC benchmark). SaaS 13 Index Valuation. SaaS business metrics: why are they different? Yahoo Finance. S&M productivity (CAC ratio) for the SaaS 13 Index. Note: high CAC ratio means high productiviy (see blog post for definition). My Investments. CornerstoneOnDemand.

Software Review 95

Software Review Europe Technical Review Spain 95

Gust

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Entrepreneurs and investors who have spent any time dealing with convertible debt seed financing transactions are likely to have encountered the subject of valuation caps. Valuation caps can come into play in settings other than seed-stage convertible note financing rounds. Read on for a fuller explanation.

Valuation 98

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Merger Vesting 98

abovethecrowd.com

APRIL 20, 2016

Why the Unicorn Financing Market Just Became Dangerous…For All Involved. The pressures of lofty paper valuations, massive burn rates (and the subsequent need for more cash), and unprecedented low levels of IPOs and M&A, have created a complex and unique circumstance which many Unicorn CEOs and investors are ill-prepared to navigate.

IPO 40

IPO Term Sheet Silicon Valley Valuation 40

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 30, 2014

He’d gotten a random note asking about his valuation when we invested relative to another financing that was just announced. The other company, which was much smaller at the point of investment, got an 11x ARR valuation. My response to the specific situation was: Valuations have increased on a relative basis.

Valuation 143

Valuation Stock Angel Investor IPO 143