David Cohen

JUNE 8, 2016

The term “lead investor” is often code. ” Let me know when you have a lead investor. ” You see, many angel and seed investors view it as their job to establish a “free option” on investing in your company. Fight through this using direct communication. Break it down.

Lead Investor 48

Lead Investor Software Review Due Diligence Startup 48

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2012

The second reason is that investors want to know that YOU believe in your own startup…and the best way for you to demonstrate that is to show that you have personally put your own money where your mouth is. Start by letting absolutely everyone know that you’ve got a great startup looking for early investors.

Software Review 164

Software Review Term Sheet Technical Review Angel Investor 164

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. While I had been part of a few failed startups, none of them had fallen squarely on my shoulders until Rocket Science Games where my business card said CEO. “What’s gone and what’s past help.

Redemption 225

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 225

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 18, 2009

But then I got a call from my lead investor (coincidentally it was GRP Partners where I now am a partner) and they told me not to lose confidence. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. We started drafting out plans for what we were going to do in order to have an orderly winding up of the company.

Germany 298

Germany Entrepreneur Merger Los Angeles 298

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

I love how open Danielle has been throughout the development of her startup Mattermark including honest reflections of when she has changed her opinion. They now have a strong VC lead from Foundry Group and from experience when you get advice from Foundry it comes with authority, experience, empathy and the right amount of straight talk.

Cap Table 150

Cap Table Cofounder Silicon Valley Startup 150

David Teten

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

But in practice, these phenomena create a tremendous volume of startups, which investors then have to filter. Most investors rely on their network of colleagues and service providers to source investments. Companies like PrivCo and Navon Partners (my old startup) are working on automating this signal identification process.

Private Equity 114

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Equity 114

David Teten

MARCH 31, 2012

I’m exceptionally excited to announce that I’m now Chairman and lead investor with some other angels in a new company, Spright Governance Inc. (An aerial view of Parliament House in Singapore. Photo credit: Wikipedia).

Government 154

Government Singapore New York City Non-Compete 154

Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

Browse through the many hundreds of video answers to startup questions that we’ve filmed from the world’s leading VCs and angels. You really should have spent a heck of a lot of time beforehand in thinking through all of the issues surrounding your startup.

Angel Groups 159

Angel Groups Elevator Pitch Software Review Deal Flow 159

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

We are hugely appreciative of their successes because it’s helped grow technology talent in Los Angeles and some time down the line we know the “Snapchat Mafia” will be armed with millions of dollars and fund and create startups all over LA. We felt proud to be the lead investor in Maker Studios at a sub $5 million valuation.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

techcrunch.com

APRIL 26, 2013

For Startups And Winning SEC Approval, AngelList Opens Up Investment Platform To More Companies. 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.

SEC 61

SEC Accredited Investor San Diego New York City 61

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 1, 2021

As part of The Startup Magazine Founder Interview Series , we interviewed Maha and David Harper, wife and husband co-founders of Atlas Group London, a construction-tech startup that has digitized the building of healthcare facilities. David : If I’m the train, then Maha is the engine. Co-Founder & CEO. Maha Harper.

Technical Review 128

Technical Review Founder Saudi Arabia Cofounder 128

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 12, 2017

To outside investors, the future of early stage and startup companies can be murky. When investors believe in the founders, products, or ideas they will provide companies with funding. For many startups this results in a need to raise additional financing through debt or equity arrangements.

San Francisco 133

San Francisco Forecast Early Stage Term Sheet 133

NZ Entrepreneur

AUGUST 4, 2021

And if you’re a high-growth startup looking to get off the ground or expand, it’s likely you’ll need an injection of capital to do that. For investors, capital raises provide an opportunity to invest in a company’s ambitions. Lead investors and term sheets. As the saying goes, you need to spend money to make money.

Technical Review 73

Technical Review Software Review Founder Due Diligence 73

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 9, 2021

Matt Blumberg has a new book out titled Startup CXO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Company’s Critical Functions and Teams. It’s a follow-up to his previous book, Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business. Fred Wilson was his lead investor. I was the lead investor for Veripost.

Fractional CTO 70

Fractional CTO Cofounder Startup Lead Investor 70

David Cohen

MARCH 18, 2019

Let me explain why you should never ask anyone to be your lead investor. If they want to invest, they’re going to want to lead and will throw out a term sheet. If they want to invest, they’re going to want to lead and will throw out a term sheet. You never have to ask them to be your “lead investor.”

Lead Investor 129

Lead Investor Term Sheet Seed Stage Venture Capital 129

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

As the seed-stage startup fundraise process has received more transparency in recent years, ranging from published advice on how to raise seed capital to increased availability through AngelList, Funders Club, and various accelerator programs, I’ve noticed another trend emerging. Lower-Than-Market Value.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Seed investing is a fun way to stay actively engaged in the startup ecosystem. I find the best angels tend to do great not because they are fixated on making money but because they want to participate in the startup community and be involved in the most exciting projects. A Primer on Angel Investing. Why Invest? Investment Strategy.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Seed investing is a fun way to stay actively engaged in the startup ecosystem. I find the best angels tend to do great not because they are fixated on making money but because they want to participate in the startup community and be involved in the most exciting projects. A Primer on Angel Investing. Why Invest? Investment Strategy.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Specifically: – We are high-conviction, hands-on lead investors. VC-backed startups used to be an industry that was hyper-concentrated in a few clusters and dominated by very tight profiles of people. We make very few investments on a per-partner basis, which is why we are quite top-heavy as a firm.

Cofounder 156

Cofounder San Francisco Portfolio Limited Partner 156

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

I was excited to see that GLG (formerly Gerson Lehrman Group), the industry leader, is now offering a professional network service geared to the needs of the startup community: GLG Share. Like many established finance & media companies, GLG knows that the tech startup sector is a growing part of the economy.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

Gust

NOVEMBER 16, 2013

In unusual (but not unique) cases, a well-respected or high-profile individual angel may be able to successfully lead the first professional funding round of an early-stage startup with a very small investment, accounting for only a small percentage of the round.

Lead Investor 150

Lead Investor Term Sheet Early Stage Angel Groups 150

BeyondVC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2006

However, your technical co-founder decided to work full-time at another company and ended up just consulting with your startup post-funding. While this person may have signed an assignment of inventions agreement with you, he also signed one with his current employer.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Due Diligence 78

ithacaVC

MARCH 9, 2017

Good corporate governance is critical at startups and other companies alike! The importance of the Board is why institutional investors (like VCs) often get a seat on the Board after an investment. We followed in line with the lead investor and went along with the structure. The list goes on and on.

Seed Stage 58

Seed Stage Software Review Institutional Investors Lead Investor 58

www.readwriteweb.com

MARCH 7, 2011

In his post, Roberts says he was not turned off by the quality of startups, but by the investment philosophy pushed by the service. Chris McCann is the co-founder of StartupDigest , the members-only guide to the tech startup world. Theres now a heated discussion in the investor class about AngelList. social proof?

Technical Review 50

Technical Review Due Diligence Startup Angel Investor 50

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 84

Africa Ethiopia Elevator Pitch Technical Review 84

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). The carry is between Foundry Group and the investor and has no direct impact on the AngelList company.

Syndicate 93

Syndicate Syndication Technical Review Due Diligence 93

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

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. The irony is 15 years later, no longer doing startups, these two VC’s truly have become my friends.

San Francisco 333

San Francisco Silicon Valley Limited Partner Venture Capital 333

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

At first I was cynical about his ability to have 500 startups (or some fraction of that which is still larger than any VC has). He stresses the importance of his initial legwork getting his “champions” on board before going to AngelList and feels this is a crucial first step for any startup. Is this a potential issue with AngelList?

Valuation 292

Valuation Deal Flow Lead Investor Cofounder 292

SiliconHills

DECEMBER 7, 2024

Austin and Paris-based startup GROWL has officially launched, unveiling an innovative fitness platform that transforms traditional boxing training and announcing a $4.75 million seed funding round.

Stealth 80

Stealth Technology Venture Capital Lead Investor 80

BeyondVC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2006

However, your technical co-founder decided to work full-time at another company and ended up just consulting with your startup post-funding. While this person may have signed an assignment of inventions agreement with you, he also signed one with his current employer.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Due Diligence 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . See best practices in building financial models , a template financial model , and valuing startup employee options. : Best Practices of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds in Originating Investment Opportunities. 5) Manage deal flow.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . See best practices in building financial models , a template financial model , and valuing startup employee options. : Best Practices of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds in Originating Investment Opportunities. 5) Manage deal flow.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

Gust

AUGUST 6, 2014

25 individual angel investors funding a startup on a convertible note. This means that it is a “buyer’s market”, and it is infinitely more common for an investor to decline to make an investment offer than it is for a company to decline to accept an investment offer.

Term Sheet 170

Term Sheet Lead Investor Preferred Stock Common Stock 170

Lightspeed Venture Partners

APRIL 12, 2016

His full time job is CEO of Cheddar , the OTT video company he founded, and where Lightspeed is the lead investor. In Venture Capital as in rugby, a well functioning team is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Technical Cofounder 60

Technical Cofounder Cofounder SCRUM Committed Capital 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2010

First-to-market is meaningful for a large company, like IBM or GE, which has the resources to sustain their move, but is not relevant for a startup, when surrounded by “big gorillas.” This is a variation on the first mover argument, implying a paradigm shift that gives you a tremendous lead. This advantage is not sustainable.

Viral 223

Viral Advertising Lead Investor Revenue 223