Agile VC

NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Aggregate VC investment in 2009 hits a low of roughly $20B, a figure last seen in 2003 in the wake of the bursting of the dotcom and telecom bubble and 2001 recession. Companies are retrenching, VC firms are going through their own upheavals, and IPOs are non-existent. Survival is the order of the day.

IPO 100

IPO Early Stage Cofounder B2C 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

Just ask anybody who was trying to close funding the fateful week of September 11, 2001 or even March 2000. Three reasons: There is a relative valuation between the price a VC pays and their expectations of what it will exit for in an IPO or trade sale. I argued for literally a year to slash burn.

Burn Rate 263

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Private Equity 263

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. But in bad economies many angels get burned.

LP 311

LP Technical Review Early Stage Silicon Valley 311

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

Dot.com Bubble ( 1995-2000): “ Anything goes” as public markets clamor for ideas, vague promises of future growth, and IPOs happen absent regard for history or profitability. VC’s worked with entrepreneurs to build profitable and scalable businesses, with increasing revenue and consistent profitability – quarter after quarter.

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

At an accelerator … Me: Raising convertible notes as a seed round is one of the biggest disservices our industry has done to entrepreneurs since 2001-2003 when there were “full ratchets” and “multiple liquidation preferences” – the most hostile terms anybody found in term sheets 10 years ago. Your A round?

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 30, 2014

He had just read my post on being uncomfortable with the phase of the current cycle and told me an anecdote from the great Internet bubble of 2001 that I hadn’t heard. In it, he talks about how he handles public company stocks that he ends up with either via an IPO or a sale of a company he’s involved in to a public company.

Valuation 143

Valuation Stock Angel Investor IPO 143

VC Cafe

JUNE 8, 2010

J erusalem Venture Partners successfully raised $25 million for an annex fund to strengthen the portfolio companies in the Israel-focused JVP IV which closed in 2001. If the IPO market recovers, the Annex Fund could serve as a life support oxygen pump, but JVP’s LPs will surely want to warrant that no good money is thrown after bad.

Warrant 74

Warrant IPO Portfolio 74

Campus Entrepreneurship

DECEMBER 23, 2010

When I attended between 1998-2001, there were a few course on entrepreneurship (entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial strategy, etc.), Booth has announced a course called Building Interet Strartups: Risk, Reward, and Failure and it is being taught by two of Groupon’s co-founders.

Cofounder 61

Cofounder Chicago Founder IPO 61

Gust

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Me: Raising convertible notes as a seed round is one of the biggest disservices our industry has done to entrepreneurs since 2001-2003 when there were “full ratchets” and “multiple liquidation preferences” – the most hostile terms anybody found in term sheets 10 years ago. Revenue multiple? Maybe an IPO – who knows? Employment.

Liquidation Preference 153

Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet Stock 153

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 3, 2012

With over $1 billion in revenue, 2000 employees and a market capitalization of over $6 billion, Akamai has become a role model for scalable start-ups. billion in revenue, over $1 billion in gross profit and $500 million in EBITDA. The first year of revenue (1999) was $4 million – a remarkable achievement. Gross Profit. $(60).

Distribution 49

Distribution Lean Massachusetts Cofounder 49