YoungUpstarts

JUNE 26, 2020

by Rizwan Virk, author of “ Startup Myths and Models: What You Won’t Learn in Business School “. If you are building a startup, you’ll find no shortage of people who are willing to give you advice, particularly when it comes to raising financing. My first institutional financing came from people who were in the “MIT” network.

Finance 205

Finance Silicon Valley Valuation Startup 205

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

I recently wrote about my views that startups rounds should be priced. But Paul Graham really did have a point in his “ high resolution fundraising ” post – that there is a problem – particularly in angel financing – with herding cats. Almost every startup needs an anchor. And a few others.

Pre-Money Valuation 294

Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Warrant 294

Gust

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

The most successful serial entrepreneurs in the world may found three or four, perhaps even eight or ten venture-backed startups over the course of their careers. It should therefore come as no surprise that an asymmetry of information exists, mostly gleaned from experience, between founders and investors in a venture financing deal.

Finance 178

Finance Term Sheet Preferred Stock Bridge Financing 178

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 7, 2012

Week three’s breakdown covered topics like how hard momentum is to turn around, and how participating preferred stock works. The company likely will run out of money well before it hits its projected Q4 sales ramp, which is why it needs an emergency financing today. This time I’ll break down week four of this season.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 110

Steve Blank

APRIL 26, 2022

At the turn of the century after the dotcom crash, startup valuations plummeted, burn rates were unsustainable, and startups were quickly running out of cash. They offered desperate founders more cash but insisted on new terms, rewriting all the old stock agreements that previous investors and employees had. They’re Back.

Cram Down 417

Cram Down Founder Venture Capital Recapitalization 417

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 12, 2009

Almost all technology startup companies that I work with are C corps. Any company that raises venture financing will need to be a C corp in order to issue preferred stock. In any event, the S corp election can be easily revoked at the time of a financing. citizen/resident stockholders. Governance/Structure.

LLC 61

LLC Stock Options Preferred Stock Stock 61

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. For angel groups, the distinction between groups and VCs on this issue is dwindling, especially as angel groups do bigger rounds of financing.   Note that this applies only to earl stage Series A-type equity financings and assumes no cash dividends are paid to investors.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

View from Seed

OCTOBER 15, 2014

Over the summer, based on feedback from our portfolio and the broader startup community, NextView created pre-formatted board deck templates for seed-stage startups — part of our Growth Guides series. Finance is mission critical, for instance – it just appears on a recurring basis.

Seed Stage 331

Seed Stage Cap Table Metrics Burn Rate 331

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

Funnily enough I just answered this question yesterday on Quora when somebody asked, “Why would an early-stage investor specifically NOT prefer a convertible note structure to straight equity (e.g. a priced/valued preferred stock financing)?&#. Tags: Raising Venture Capital Startup Advice.

Equity 319

Equity Early Stage Angel Investor Valuation 319

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Does the traditional VC financing model make sense for all companies? 2018 also had the fewest number of angel-led financing rounds since before 2010. However, many industry experts question the accuracy of early-stage market data, given many startups are no longer filing their Form Ds. Absolutely not.

Revenue 60

Revenue Term Sheet Founder Technical Review 60

Business Plan Blog

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Most startup founders do not have enough capital to launch their companies and need to raise money at some point. Individual investors who provide financial funding to startups are called ‘Angel Investors.’ Convertible Debt Financing. Convertible debt provides startups with a relatively easy way to procure financing.

Finance 93

Finance Accredited Investor Angel Investor Seed Capital 93

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

Find Questions, Topics and People Add Question Add Question Venture Capital Venture Capital Term Sheets Startups Term Sheets What are examples of good startup term sheets? Mark Suster • Nov 1, 2010 Here is a post on Brad Feld's blog on the seed financing docs he found, some of which you mention: [link] chives/.

Term Sheet 41

Term Sheet Startup Angel Investor Wiki 41

Scott Edward Walker

APRIL 9, 2012

Introduction We are in the golden age of seed financing. Venture capital funds, seed funds, super angels, angel groups, incubators, and “friends and family” are all playing the seed financing game and investing early in startups in an attempt to land the next Facebook. This post was originally published on TechCrunch.]

Preferred Stock 87

Preferred Stock Finance Common Stock Liquidation Preference 87

Gust

JUNE 7, 2014

5) Senior Preferred Stock and warrants. 6) Any preference multiple on (5). 7) Junior Preferred Stock and warrants. 8) Any preference multiple on (7). 9) Common Stock (including any Preferred that converted to Common, any exercised options, and all Founders stock) and Common stock warrants.

Warrant 157

Warrant Preferred Stock Early Stage Common Stock 157

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 7, 2011

But recognizing that the funding landscape has changed - more angels, more Web startups - this year the firm conducted its first Angel/Seed Financing Survey. Seed stage funds led 45% of the financings, individual angels led 31% and venture capital funds led 24%. The median amount raised in preferred stock financings was $1.1

Preferred Stock 115

Preferred Stock Silicon Valley Seed Stage Venture Capital 115

Gust

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Last week , we gave some attention to the “why” behind convertible note financing for early stage startups. As with so many subjects in law and finance, mastering the jargon is half the battle. This may seem like a no-brainer now that you understand the basic structure of a convertible debt financing.

Finance 79

Finance Preferred Stock Term Sheet Early Stage 79

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

To give you a better idea of what entrepreneurs in this industry are thinking about during each phase of the startup process, I interviewed SaaS entrepreneurs from all over the world, including our own COO Noah Parsons. Eric Ries, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and author of The Lean Startup, popularized this strategy for web applications.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Gust

JULY 18, 2012

Yet I’ve rarely seen entrepreneurs more fired up than when recounting war stories of startups whose founders had control of the company wrested from them, were forced to take financing or compensation deals on outrageously onerous terms , or worst of all, fired from their own companies.

Stock Options 188

Stock Options SEC Stock Government 188

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Historically, different financial institutions specialized in different stages, because the assessment of risk and opportunity was considered unique at each stage — for example, a seed investor was unlikely to do late-stage financing, and vice versa. These liquidation preferences give the investor a debt-like downside protection.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

Scott Edward Walker

APRIL 22, 2012

This post is the second part of a three-part primer on convertible note seed financings. Part 1, entitled “ Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Convertible Note Seed Financings (But Were Afraid To Ask) ,” addressed certain basic questions, such as (i) what is a convertible note? (ii) What Is a Conversion Discount?

Pre-Money Valuation 72

Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Founder 72

www.mattbartus.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Perspectives on issues affecting founders, startups and investors from a veteran startup lawyer in Silicon Valley. Sometimes the consultant has a reasonable basis to think this, since lean startups are programmed to get things for free and may call on the consultant from time to time for free advice. A View from the Valley.

Equity 40

Equity Vesting Silicon Valley Intellectual Property 40

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2010

In straight preferences the investors only get this money in a “downside&# scenario as protection that they get their money back if your company isn’t successful. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Raising Venture Capital Start-up Advice Startup Advice. But pass they will. Brain damage. Reputation.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Common Stock Dividend 289

Gust

OCTOBER 21, 2011

To account for scenarios in which the startup is acquired before it has a chance to complete a priced equity financing round, most term sheets and deal documents contain a “ change in control ” provision. In descending order of preference from the founders’ point of view: 1. What happens to the outstanding convertible notes?

Finance 79

Finance Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Liquidity Event 79

Scott Edward Walker

MAY 15, 2012

This post is the third part of a three-part primer on convertible note seed financings. Part 1, entitled “ Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Convertible Note Seed Financings (But Were Afraid To Ask) ,” addressed the basics. Part 2, entitled “ Convertible Note Seed Financings: Econ 101 for Founders ,” addressed the economics.

Finance 64

Finance Founder Accredited Investor Preferred Stock 64

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Typically, employers that offer employees equity compensation will do so in the form of common stock, preferred stock, or stock options. It’s called restricted stock because it often comes with restrictions, such as vesting. See Also: 10 Tips for Dealing With Startup Stock Options.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 23, 2010

B ack in March, Andreessen Horowitz and Fenwick & West, LLP published a series of documents that would help structure early stage investments in startups. Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement Series Seed Form SPA. The documents have since been used in many deals already according to the site, SeriesSeed.

Early Stage 79

Early Stage Term Sheet Preferred Stock Equity 79

Gust

OCTOBER 3, 2011

For a first time entrepreneur trying to figure out the arcane world of startup financing, it can be very confusing to understand the roles that different types of investors play in funding promising companies, as well as the point in a company’s life at which they enter the stage. From +/- $1.5m

Finance 70

Finance Venture Capital Intellectual Property Early Stage 70

Early Growth Financial Services

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

From time to time on Founders Workbench we give a brief primer on common terms and issues in venture financings. This post by Ian Engstrand first appeared on Founders Workbench. management). management). Participating versus non-participating: what’s the difference?

Preferred Stock 28

Preferred Stock Stock Finance Participating Preferred 28

K9 Ventures

MAY 14, 2011

The companies go through a 3-6 month long startup bootcamp and then typically try to raise angel/seed funding. Most angels invest for a couple of reasons – some do it because they genuinely love the startup space and this is their way of continuing to be involved in a startup, sometimes vicariously. Common Stock.

Preferred Stock 125

Preferred Stock Seed Stage Incubator Early Stage 125

The Startup Lawyer

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Great news — your startup just got accepted to an incubator! But before your startup signs up and cashes that $[XX,000] check, your startup’s co-founders should sit down and evaluate the incubator’s offer. Pre-money valuations startups receive from incubators are typically low…really low.

Incubator 105

Incubator Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Advisory Board 105

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.

Finance 79

Finance Term Sheet Covenant Accredited Investor 79

Startup Company Lawyer

JANUARY 9, 2011

Convertible debt with a price cap seems to be the preferred structure for early-stage financings. Over the last 12 months, I’ve noticed a trend where early-stage startup companies raise seed financings of between $250K and $1M using a convertible note with a price cap.

Liquidation Preference 57

Liquidation Preference Finance Preferred Stock Common Stock 57

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 1, 2010

“The Series Seed Documents are a standardized set of documents that can be quickly and easily deployed for a seed investment: to help get a company financed properly, legally, quickly, and intelligently.&#. The drafters are “open sourcing&# the documents so that they may be continually improved by the startup community.

Preferred Stock 79

Preferred Stock Term Sheet Redemption Registration Rights 79

The Startup Lawyer

JUNE 22, 2010

If you follow this blog, you know that I think convertible debt is a good structure for a startup’s angel round. For this article, let’s assume this equity is the Series A Preferred Stock purchased by a venture capital fund. For example, if a venture capital fund purchases Series A Preferred Stock at $1.00

Pre-Money Valuation 82

Pre-Money Valuation Angel Investor Preferred Stock Valuation 82

ithacaVC

APRIL 25, 2014

This cap table can be used by a pre-funded startup and then a financing can be layered in. The model includes a simple waterfall analysis using both participating and non-participating preferred (see line 44 and then columns M and O). Dealing with VCs Management Startup Life' Here are things to note: 1.

Cap Table 79

Cap Table Preferred Stock Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference 79

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 28, 2022

With the rise of startups and growing businesses , it has become more critical for investors to have a thorough understanding of equity to be aware of all of the advantages they are receiving from the companies they have invested in. Why do startups issue company equity? You have a financial stake in a startup if you have equity.

Valuation 108

Valuation Equity Warrant Common Stock 108

The Startup Lawyer

JULY 13, 2011

I’ve done quite a few recent seed deals using various ‘standard’ seed financing docs ( Series Seed , TechStars Series AA , etc.). While using these document sets can help reduce transaction costs and the time to close, a startup can run into trouble by trusting deal documents without verification.

Preferred Stock 68

Preferred Stock Liquidation Preference Participating Preferred Stock 68