View from Seed

OCTOBER 11, 2022

The first is that we are welcoming Stephanie Palmeri as the newest Partner at the firm. Stephanie is someone that we have known for almost a decade and have respected deeply as a co-investor and collaborator at Uncork. Specifically: – We are high-conviction, hands-on lead investors.

Cofounder 156

Cofounder San Francisco Portfolio Limited Partner 156

View from Seed

OCTOBER 24, 2019

The reality is that if a founder raised every one of these rounds, and lead investors always got their “target” ownership, the level of dilution would be ridiculous. Also, the benefit of raising a pre-seed from great partners probably outweighs the cost. Founders with limited experience.

Dilution 149

Dilution B2B Burn Rate Early Stage 149

David Teten

JANUARY 10, 2012

With a unique vision for starting and successfully managing innovative companies, he is the Managing Partner of Social Leverage, a holding company that invests in early stage web businesses. Lindzon has more than 20 years experience in the financial community acting in both an entrepreneurial and investing capacity.

Technical Review 128

Technical Review Technology North Carolina Switzerland 128

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

My job as a VC isn’t to beat myself up or any other partner up for the one deal we didn’t do. We felt proud to be the lead investor in Maker Studios at a sub $5 million valuation. . $12m on a $60m for an early-stage business is a not a bet that most LA firms could or would take.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 1, 2021

David : One of our main challenges, due to lockdown, has been not having those face-to-face meetings (with both customers and investors) – which are so much more effective. Our customer engagement has been solid, as has our engagement with partners. But we’re learning to adapt! This has been a big step forward for us.

Technical Review 125

Technical Review Founder Saudi Arabia Cofounder 125

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

You get dilution sensitive and you start optimizing on price of a financing deal, versus finding the right partners or raising enough money to grow. The right lead investor and the right amount of cushion in a raise can help with the best defense against scaling disaster—hiring. Major league baseball players have trainers.

Dilution 104

Dilution Equity Hiring Partner 104

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

Kushki recently raised a Series A round from dev labs and Magma Partners at the end of 2018. Though still in early funding stages, Truora left Y-Combinator with regional investors Magma Partners and Kaszek Ventures, and foreign investors Y-Combinator and Accel. Ayenda Rooms.

Colombia 146

Colombia America Technical Review Startup 146

The Next Web

OCTOBER 7, 2013

In a CTO Salary and Equity trends report by Safire Partners, it finds non-founder equity compensation to settle out below 2 percent. You might assume the lead investor wants a 20 percent stake and 15 percent option pool each time there’s a Series ‘Blah’ every 12 to 18 months, but this is admittedly too simple.

Engineer 129

Engineer Dilution Option Pool Vesting 129

NZ Entrepreneur

AUGUST 4, 2021

Byron van Vugt from NZ Growth Capital Partners explains. For investors, capital raises provide an opportunity to invest in a company’s ambitions. Lead investors and term sheets. Now that you’ve got investors undergoing due diligence, you must secure a lead investor. Legal documentation.

Technical Review 65

Technical Review Software Review Founder Due Diligence 65

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

I actually think a strong lead with some well-placed and experienced angels is the right mix. All of my partners at Upfront do. And from Nancy Hua … “Too many angels can also hurt a start-up and be taken as an indication that a company is not strong enough to attract any one “lead” investor, said Ms.

Cap Table 150

Cap Table Cofounder Silicon Valley Startup 150

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Look for Your Lead Investor. First you’ll want to find a lead investor — someone many other investors will recognize and respect. This list of top angel investors is a good start. Thanks to Mashable’s Supporting Event Partners. Global Syndication Partners. More Stories in Business.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

View from Seed

JANUARY 27, 2021

We believe that this fund is the perfect size for us to be the best possible partners to early-stage entrepreneurs today. My partners and I feel lucky to have been able to practice the craft of early-stage investing during these years of tremendous growth and opportunity.

LP 411

LP Early Stage Seed Stage Venture Capital 411

techcrunch.com

APRIL 26, 2013

In December, AngelList , a service that matches early-stage startups with investors, debuted the ability to allow accredited investors to actually invest in startups on the platform with as little as $1,000. AngelList also partnered with SecondMarket to create an investment vehicle for these investments. 2011 Holiday.

SEC 61

SEC Accredited Investor San Diego New York City 61

Genuine VC

JANUARY 15, 2015

In other words, as much as feasible, to gate all of the VC discussions so that they’re progressing along essentially the same pace – with the goal to receive multiple terms sheets near simultaneously in order to best select the best offer and best partner, with full information. But reality doesn’t always play out as neatly.

Lead Investor 100

Lead Investor Term Sheet Venture Capital Portfolio 100

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Today our clients include major corporations, consulting and law firms, and nonprofits, in addition to investors, and we connect them to experts in every field, from everywhere around the world. We’re backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake Partners, and individual investors like Ron Conway, among others.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

(And although this is written for angel investors, I think entrepreneurs can only benefit by increasing their knowledge around these investors and hope you’ll continue reading if that’s you. And if you just want to learn about different types of angels and what motivates each, my partner David has written about that before here.).

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

(And although this is written for angel investors, I think entrepreneurs can only benefit by increasing their knowledge around these investors and hope you’ll continue reading if that’s you. And if you just want to learn about different types of angels and what motivates each, my partner David has written about that before here.).

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 2, 2020

I think the other thing that sort of made me jump pretty early on the testing is we had been setting up this clinical trial with a partner for probably about six months, with a collaborator who had typically been incredibly responsive and would jump on the phone at a moment's notice. Eric Ries : So, what was the investor reaction like?

Curation 60

Curation Government Los Angeles Partner 60

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

× At Greylock , my partners and I are driven by one guiding mission: always help entrepreneurs. Investors see a lot of pitches. In a single year, the classic general partner in a venture firm is exposed to around 5,000 pitches; decides to look more closely at 600 to 800 of them; and ends up doing between 0 and 2 deals.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Viral Revenue Networking 111

Lightspeed Venture Partners

APRIL 12, 2016

The partners here had made many great investments in consumer companies before then — companies that resulted in successful IPOs like BlueNile and eHealth in the late 90s. For that reason I was thrilled when Aaron Batalion joined as my partner in November. In addition, Jon Steinberg has also joined us, as a Venture Partner.

Technical Cofounder 60

Technical Cofounder Cofounder SCRUM Committed Capital 60

David Teten

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Existing investors have said they’d be glad to invest…if she gets a new lead investor, which 6 months of searching have failed to generate. Consider approaching one of the small number of funds which acquire tech startups, e.g., Constellation Software , Think3; Vista Equity Partners. The CEO comes to us.

Startup 60

Startup Later Stage Technical Review Software Review 60

View from Seed

MAY 29, 2019

But there wasn’t always a clear lead investor that really rolled up her sleeves to work with a company. As each fund focuses more and more on winning a lead or co-lead slot in a syndicate, it will be more and more important to show that they can deliver on the value and responsibility of being a lead investor.

Syndicate 267

Syndicate Syndication Cofounder Cap Table 267

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

If we assumethe average startup runs for 6 years and a partner can bear to beon 12 boards at once, then a VC fund can do 2 series A deals perpartner per year. In the future, angel rounds will less often be for specific amountsor have a lead investor. forstartups was to find one angel to act as the lead investor.

Startup 93

Startup Valuation Non-Compete Deal Flow 93

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

“Steve, we thought we’d tell you this before the board meeting, but both our firms are going to pass on leading your next round.” I felt like I had just been kicked in the gut and stabbed in the back These were my lead investors. Their fiduciary responsibility was to manage a portfolio of investments for their limited partners.

San Francisco 333

San Francisco Silicon Valley Limited Partner Venture Capital 333

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Lead investors are few. Leads that are true force-multipliers are exceedingly rare. Although seed funding has exploded since we started Nextview, we continue to hear the refrain from founders that there are tons of investors that will pile-in on a round that is coming together, but that lead investors are few and far between.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

In previous blog posts I’ve written about the two main approaches to building a seed round syndicate – the subscription method (where an entrepreneur presets a structure with a convertible note or SAFE and recruits investors who subscribe to the round, all without a term-driving lead investor) and a term-driving lead investor approach.

Syndicate 257

Syndicate Syndication Lead Investor Venture Capital 257

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Sharing these pricing expectations early with potential lead investors fundamentally qualifies your conversations, but it also runs the risk of prematurely losing a potential financing partner, or else it can reduce options to maximize your fundraise outcome. And as my partner Rob Go likes to say, “Time kills all deals.”).

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 18, 2017

The opening keynote session will define directions on Aligning the Role of Government Policymakers, Incumbent Banks, FinTech Innovators, Investors, Multilateral Agencies, MNOs and the Private Sector to Create a Dynamic Ecosystem for FinTech in Africa.

Africa 81

Africa Ethiopia Elevator Pitch Technical Review 81

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

I notice some founders (from YC in particular) have been trained to say something like: “we are just starting the process, but things are moving faster than we expect and we are already scheduling follow-up conversations and partner meetings.”. Some founders lay out a specific time frame for when they hope to get the round closed.

Term Sheet 364

Term Sheet Burn Rate Founder Partner 364

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Just as with any company, the most important issue is the team; see “ How to Negotiate a Partner Role at a Venture Capital or Private Equity Firm “ . See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . Another critical design consideration is your tech stack. See Where Are the Deals?!:

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Just as with any company, the most important issue is the team; see “ How to Negotiate a Partner Role at a Venture Capital or Private Equity Firm “ . See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . Another critical design consideration is your tech stack. See Where Are the Deals?!:

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

There is a well-known trope that choosing a VC to partner with is like marriage. It’s a super important, near permanent relationship, especially for a lead investor that is likely to take a board seat for many years. I know many VC’s that are amazing partners to founders in thick and thin. This is true.

Founder 280

Founder Lead Investor Portfolio Reputation 280

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

I still think it’s best to take money from Dave when you’re also partnered with a more focused, hands-on seed-stage VC who brings different things to the table – like more ability to write larger checks in a downturn (for one) or solving a deep crisis that involves super hands-on involvement.

Valuation 292

Valuation Deal Flow Lead Investor Cofounder 292

View from Seed

JUNE 11, 2019

Aside from the early commitments, the next most important thing to focus on is nailing down your lead investor. I’ve found that the lead investor will end up doing 90% of the work for a startup (or will cause 90% of the pain if you get the decision wrong). Often one of the leads in the mix is a larger, multi-stage fund.

Syndicate 202

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Lead Investor 202

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2011

We’re almost always the lead investor and usually the most active, too. We wanted to emphasize the number of truly big wins that have been created by the partners at GRP in their 20+ years of investing. Look more modern than our previous website, which had a very 2000 feel to it.

Early Stage 260

Early Stage Lead Investor Portfolio Partner 260

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 1, 2010

Many (Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, True Ventures, GRP Partners, Mike Hirshland at Polaris Ventures) do it the right way – we treat it as a normal investment and we don’t have a “options&# strategy with our investment. The investor strategy is really determined by the management team. Ask their strategy.

Post-Money Valuation 298

Post-Money Valuation Term Sheet Warrant Partner 298

VC Adventure

MAY 21, 2014

A few months ago AngelList announced Syndicates - enabling investors on AngelList to create fund-like groups of investors to invest together in AngelList companies (following a single lead investor). We were the first formal venture fund to do this. And they do look at terms so structuring a fair deal is important.

Syndicate 93

Syndicate Syndication Technical Review Due Diligence 93