Up and Running

NOVEMBER 12, 2014

An exit strategy is a method by which entrepreneurs and investors, especially those that have invested large sums of money in startup companies, transfer ownership of their business to a third party, or by which they recoup money invested in the business. See Also What Startups Need to Know About Exit Strategies. Management buyout.

Exit Strategy 117

Exit Strategy Lock-up Period Merger IPO 117

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2013

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Initial Public Offering 297

Initial Public Offering Startup California .Net 297

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2019

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Initial Public Offering 277

Initial Public Offering Startup California .Net 277

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2020

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. So unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks. Yet every business needs to have a good relationship with a bank, for day to day operations.

Silicon Valley 362

Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering Term Sheet 362

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

If you startup is your dream, why would you want to think about an exit? Assuming your startup takes off, you will probably find that the fun is gone by the time you reach 50 employees, or a few million in revenue. The job changes from creating a “work of art” to operating a “cookie cutter.” Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Exit Strategy 241

Exit Strategy Initial Public Offering IPO Startup 241

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 5, 2011

If you startup is your dream, why would you want to think about an exit? Assuming your startup takes off, you will probably find that the fun is gone by the time you reach 50 employees, or a few million in revenue. The job changes from creating a “work of art” to operating a “cookie cutter.” Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Exit Strategy 231

Exit Strategy Initial Public Offering Startup IPO 231

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2022

In the old days, every entrepreneur planned on taking their startup public, and making it big. Today the rate of startups going public (IPO – Initial Public Offering) is finally up from the dead zone of the last two decades, and is now double the rate back in 1999.

IPO 245

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 245

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

In the old days, every entrepreneur dreamed of someday taking their startup public, and making it a multi-national powerhouse. According to an Ernst & Young report , the number of startups that have gone public in the US over the past decade is down about 75% from the previous decade, to about 10% of startup exits.

IPO 242

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 242

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back into vogue, it is still extremely rare. companies made the IPO transition in 2009, out of thousands of startups. Only about a dozen U.S. Pressures to maintain growth pattern.

Exit Strategy 235

Exit Strategy IPO Entrepreneur Investment Bankers 235

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back, it is relatively rare. Even in most of these cases, the original startup founders were pushed out, or heavily supplemented, with “experienced” executives. business entrepreneur exit founder IPO startup'

IPO 224

IPO Founder Exit Strategy Investment Bankers 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2021

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Initial Public Offering 317

Initial Public Offering California .Net Business Plan 317

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2010

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Initial Public Offering 221

Initial Public Offering Startup California .Net 221

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2011

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. None of these investment banks offer traditional banking services, as you would expect from one of the following: Retail banks Commercial banks Credit unions Savings and loans As startup founders, you first need to deal with one of these banks, probably a commercial bank.

Silicon Valley 211

Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering Startup 211

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2011

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Initial Public Offering 295

Initial Public Offering California .Net Business Plan 295

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 29, 2021

The region is experiencing a startup renaissance, with the formation of Midwest startups on the rise and funding growing at historic rates. This has been a phenomenal year for Midwest startups. CB Insights crunched some numbers and found that In the year through the Q3, Denver-based startups raised around $3.1

Silicon Valley 190

Silicon Valley Kansas City Chicago Denver 190

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. So unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks. Yet every business needs to have a good relationship with a bank, for day to day operations.

IPO 205

IPO Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering 205

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2012

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Entrepreneur 263

Entrepreneur Initial Public Offering California .Net 263

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2023

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. So unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks. Yet every business needs to have a good relationship with a bank, for day to day operations.

Early Stage 182

Early Stage Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering 182

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 12, 2009

Almost all technology startup companies that I work with are C corps. I generally avoid LLCs as most technology startup companies need to grant options to employees and consultants, and there is no easy “off the rack&# method to do this. A C corp is also the easiest type of entity to take public in an initial public offering.

LLC 61

LLC Stock Options Preferred Stock Stock 61

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back into vogue, it is relatively rare. Even in most of these cases, the original startup founders were pushed out, or heavily supplemented, with “experienced” executives. After a record low of 39 U.S.

Exit Strategy 239

Exit Strategy IPO Investment Bankers Entrepreneur 239

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

What are they, how do they differ and what can startup do to take advantage of them? Paths to Liquidity: a quick history of the four waves of startup investing. The Golden Age (1970 – 1995): Build a growing business with a consistently profitable track record (after at least 5 quarters,) and go public when it’s time.

Internet 335

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 335

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Social value alone is not normally a sustainable advantage for a startup with limited resources, since big players can jump in with more money to replicate your social value and add more innovation. Investors look for a team with business, financial, marketing, and operational skills, as well as a social passion.

Intellectual Property 48

Intellectual Property Initial Public Offering Merger Acquisition 48

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2010

None really provide funds for early-stage startups. None of these investment banks offer traditional banking services, as you would expect from one of the following: Retail banks Commercial banks Credit unions Savings and loans As startup founders, you first need to deal with one of these banks, probably a commercial bank.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Private Equity Startup Initial Public Offering 120

The Startup Magazine

MAY 4, 2018

Thus far, he has managed and operated multiple companies that attained enough success to serve as conversation-starting topics for other entrepreneurs. In most cases, these types of entities operate through joint efforts of all the partners yet only those who are deemed “general” have the final word and carry most of the risk.

Limited Liability Company 133

Limited Liability Company Initial Public Offering LLC Salary 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2015

The visibility of Google, Facebook and a few others continues to propagate the myth that the ultimate objective of every entrepreneur should be to take their startups public via an initial public offering at the earliest opportunity. All strategy and operational moves become public.

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering Entrepreneur Private Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2016

Every startup founder knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Even still, it was another five years before Microsoft went public in 1986, making him an overnight success worth $350 million.

Initial Public Offering 148

Initial Public Offering California .Net Business Plan 148

ReadWriteStart

JULY 20, 2023

The tech industry is witnessing a monumental shift in the dynamics of startup success. While venture-backed startups struggle to find relief amidst a backlog of richly priced ventures, some tech companies are defying expectations and going public with resounding triumphs. Startup success is not a one-size-fits-all equation.

IPO 107

IPO Startup Initial Public Offering eCommerce 107

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

We expanded to Houston, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles within months, and we were generally doing all the things and seeing all the things that a startup needed to do and see in order to feel good about VC funding prospects. startups with billion-dollar valuations) in recent years. Certainly. It’s not my goal to bash anyone.

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Technical Review Venture Capital San Francisco 48

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 11, 2015

But it’s an important consideration, especially for companies that plan to offer alternative compensation such as employee stock options, which will usually require a 409A valuation. Startup companies are often cash poor and have little in the form of current monetary compensation to offer their employees.

Valuation 100

Valuation Stock Options CPA Merger 100

Growthink Blog

MAY 23, 2011

With this capital, the company propels itself to $50 million+ in revenues, and to either a sale to a strategic acquirer or to an initial public offering. By definition, companies that receive venture capital cannot fund their businesses from operations, and thus need to seek outside capital.

Angel Investor 112

Angel Investor Venture Capital Sweat Equity Cram Down 112

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2011

A while back, I published an article on “ Startup Due Diligence Is Not a Mysterious Black Art ,” describing what investors do to validate your startup before they invest. I’ve had startup founders tell me that it’s only about the color of the money, but I disagree – particularly if you are desperate.

Due Diligence 119

Due Diligence Entrepreneur Offshore Angel Groups 119

VC Cafe

JANUARY 15, 2024

M&A/ Exits – This situation is compounded by a narrowing window for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and initial public offerings (IPOs). Ready to IPO – there are several Israeli startups with over $200 million of ARR who are waiting to IPO when the window opens.

IPO 88

IPO Valuation Israel Private Equity 88

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2020

Despite the fact that the number of IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) for startups have continued to stay low, I still hear it touted often as the preferred exit strategy. The public company corporate culture may not fit you and your startup. Everyone dreams of becoming a billionaire overnight.

Cost 319

Cost IPO Exit Strategy Initial Public Offering 319

Growthink Blog

MAY 10, 2012

Nevertheless, this is when you get the startup money to kickstart your business with the bare essentials needed to begin making and fulfilling your first sales. Necessary machinery, an initial website, your first batch of inventory-things you can't function without. Series B is the round that follows series A in early stage financing.

Equity 88

Equity Mezzanine Later Stage Venture Capital 88

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 19, 2019

And from a financial perspective, any investor would be better off buying stock in Amazon than buying and share of a corner bookshop; if you invested $100 in Amazon’s 1997 initial public offering (IPO), those shares would have been worth about $120,000 in 2018. The second is a lack of operational scalability.

Cofounder 28

Cofounder Business Model IPO Non-Compete 28

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 4, 2018

I’ve been involved with well over twenty successful exits and four initial public offerings over the years, some of them with monstrous gains, some more modest. Because, many of us investors will give a bonus instead of a pass when considering a second startup from the ashes of a failed team.

Sales 54

Sales Investment Bankers Initial Public Offering Cofounder 54

Version One Ventures

JULY 20, 2015

I often get asked about how to determine the valuation for a marketplace startup that is starting to scale. You can see in their chart below that marketplaces get some of the highest revenue multiples because of their operational leverage and high defensibility at scale. So what about early-stage marketplaces?

Valuation 60

Valuation Early Stage IPO eCommerce 60