Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup 314

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. Most of what I think about startup communities came from mentorship by Brad Feld through hours of private discussion and debate.

Community 378

Community San Diego Silicon Valley Los Angeles 378

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Running or working for a startup is more of a lifestyle than a career choice.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Entrepreneur Stock Options Due Diligence 120

Gust

OCTOBER 12, 2011

To provide some reference points, I surveyed thirteen angels groups in North American to determine their recent experience in negotiating the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue companies. Because of the interest in the 2010 survey, I decided to survey a larger number of North American angel groups this summer (2011).

Angel Groups 125

Angel Groups Valuation Pre-Money Valuation St. Louis 125

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

I think you have to listen to the queue’s.” “…if you look at a lot of the early stage investors, whether it be Union Square Ventures or First Round or Jeff Clavier at Softtech or Dave McClure – we want to try the product, we want to experience the product, we want to get a sense of how the entrepreneur is thinking about it.

Technical Review 288

Technical Review Venture Capital Silicon Valley Software Review 288

Business Plan Blog

JANUARY 2, 2014

How Crowdfunding is Affecting Angel Group Investment. government’s long standing restrictions on fundraising has given life to a new type of financing called crowdfunding that allows Angel and other early stage investors to quickly assemble a group of investors over the internet. Startup Funding'

Angel Groups 51

Angel Groups Accredited Investor Angel Investor Due Diligence 51

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. Individual angel investors have been filling the gap, and now match VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Startup Portfolio 260

Berkonomics

APRIL 20, 2023

But… I read several years ago that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Here I am a professional investor in early-stage companies, and I attempt to find those with the greatest chance of success and growth in value over time. Restaurant startups would not top my list. Data does not lie. And the U.S.

SBA 62

SBA Angel Investor Early Stage Liquidity Event 62

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

In venture capital in particular, early-stage companies are often operating in frontier industries, where the rules are unpredictable and conventional analytic frameworks may be misleading. Sources like Crunchbase , Angel List , and Seed Invest even give this data away for free or very low cost.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Berkonomics

MARCH 9, 2017

I read several years ago, that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Here I am a professional investor in early stage companies, and I attempt to find those with the greatest chance of success and growth in value over time. Restaurant startups would not top my list. And risky too. What does THAT mean?

Angel Investor 106

Angel Investor Angel Groups Liquidity Event Early Stage 106

Gust

JANUARY 22, 2014

Gust is the infrastructure that underlies much of the professional world of early stage finance. As a very active angel investor myself, I frankly can’t imagine how I could keep track of all the pieces without Gust. Above is a screen shot I just took of my Gust investor dashboard.

Angel Investor 150

Angel Investor Angel Groups Accredited Investor Early Stage 150

Austin Startup

JUNE 27, 2017

For investors outside of Austin and LPs: Austin is a a vibrant startup market and this list of capital sources can help you identify firms to co-invest with and funds to invest in. We’ve compiled a definitive list of sources of startup capital in Austin.

Venture Capital 54

Venture Capital Austin Texas Private Equity 54

Austin Startup

MARCH 4, 2019

Meet the Locals Here are the most active early stage investors in town that you should meet while you’re here and do deals with. It’s a robust ecosystem so I’m only listing the ones we’ve done the most deals with here but Capital Factory is the most active early stage investor in Texas so this is a good sampling.

Silicon Valley 50

Silicon Valley Technical Review Texas Venture Capital 50

View from Seed

MARCH 16, 2016

Most impressively, there seems to be a thriving startup of every flavor, with many more joining the list of Pillar Startups on the Guide in 2016 compared to 2015. And although they’re not a startup, GE’s decision to move its global headquarters to Boston is a positive sign. To name a few: 1.

Boston 215

Boston Early Stage Artificial Inteligence Semantic 215

Gust

APRIL 23, 2014

That’s likely why SWIFT, the international banking consortium, this year named Gust the world’s most innovative financial technology startup, and why the US software industry has awarded Gust the CODiE for Best Collaboration Solution for two years in a row. original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

Angel Groups 127

Angel Groups Accredited Investor Private Equity Deal Flow 127

ithacaVC

MARCH 14, 2011

At the early stages of a startup, the founding team is probably the most important variable of success. Focusing on the early stage, the founding team typically will have a tech oriented founder and a business oriented founder. The management team continues as the critical success factor.

Early Stage 45

Early Stage Founder Burn Rate Cofounder 45

Gust

JANUARY 22, 2014

Gust is the infrastructure that underlies much of the professional world of early stage finance. As a very active angel investor myself, I frankly can’t imagine how I could keep track of all the pieces without Gust. Above is a screen shot I just took of my Gust investor dashboard.

Angel Investor 89

Angel Investor Angel Groups Accredited Investor Early Stage 89

David Teten

DECEMBER 12, 2017

As a globally focused LP in early stage VC funds, we at Blue Future Partners have observed a growing trend of firms investing substantially in software tools, whether developing proprietary solutions or adopting off the shelf tools. Results from a Survey of Early-Stage VC Funds appeared first on David Teten. Methodology.

Early Stage 60

Early Stage Technical Review Software Review Venture Capital 60

Gust

AUGUST 27, 2014

Most are somewhere in between, focusing primarily on early-stage, high-growth companies with scalable business models. But regardless of the specifics, what they all have in common is bringing together a group of active Accredited Investors interested in supporting young startups.

Angel Investor 133

Angel Investor Accredited Investor Angel Groups Syndicate 133

Gust

JUNE 25, 2014

While companies do indeed receive investor inquiries from these listings, the sheer volume of profiles on both platforms means that both are best used as tools to help the startup manage its own fundraising process. Both are useful additions to the early stage entrepreneurial ecosystem. Gust News'

Angel Groups 138

Angel Groups Curation Early Stage Search 138

David Teten

JULY 3, 2013

I hope you can join me for this: So You Want to Be an Angel? what you need to know as an early stage investor: best practices in origination, evaluation, structuring and adding value. 8 – 8:30 pm: Meet other angels. Keynote Speaker: David Teten ( Presentation sneak peek: Introduction to Angel Investing ).

Angel Investor 114

Angel Investor New York Accredited Investor New York City 114

David Teten

JULY 3, 2013

I hope you can join me for this program, cosponsored by Empire Angels ; HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York ; and the The Young Venture Capital Society. So You Want to Be an Angel? what you need to know as an early stage investor: best practices in origination, evaluation, structuring and adding value.

Angel Investor 114

Angel Investor New York Accredited Investor New York City 114

Gust

DECEMBER 1, 2011

For years there has been a pervasive opinion across the entrepreneurial landscape that the US has a shortage of capital required to startup and grow new ventures. Dr. Carl Schramm, Kauffman CEO , recently said that startup formation is stagnant or even decreasing in the US in the second half of 2011.

SBIR 120

SBIR Startup New York City Angel Investor 120

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 5, 2014

At the early stage, the ranks of the non-partner investor are disappearing. And no, analyzing startups is not a portfolio company benefit. To the company, as a recently minted MBA with no startup experience who wants to run the 4th year numbers, you''re just a pain in the ass. That''s a benefit to the VC firm.

Venture Capital 114

Venture Capital Early Stage Cofounder Angel Groups 114

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC. « Power of Angel Investing in Milwaukee | Main.   For individual angels and others investing their own money, this may be more fluid than for someone with responsibility for a managed fund.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2011

And in order to increase our groups returns, one of our goals should be to get more people and man hours involved in the diligence process. This feels about right for an early stage angel investment and no reason that the process needs to drag out for months and even weeks. Labels: angel investing , Black Swan.

Technical Review 31

Technical Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley San Jose 31

Steve Blank

JULY 1, 2014

Investors sitting through Incubator or Accelerator demo days have three metrics to judge fledgling startups – 1) great looking product demos, 2) compelling PowerPoint slides, and 3) a world-class team. What’s been missing for everyone is: a common language for investors to communicate objectives to startups. Here’s John’s story.

Sacramento 306

Sacramento Framework Customer Development Lean 306

SoCal CTO

MAY 19, 2010

I’m planning on going to a Tech Coast Angels mixer tomorrow and the topic for me is whether there is angel funding out there for startups that don’t meet classic VC models. By way of background for the question, there’s a great post by Bob Aholt, a Pasadena Angel: An Angel Investor’s Thoughts on Valuation.

Hockey Stick 205

Hockey Stick NPV IRR Valuation 205

David Teten

MARCH 8, 2013

How to make the most out of angel group participation. Latest trends in angel investing and where the industry is headed. INTRO BY: Dan Rosen, Partner at Commerce Ventures & Learning Officer at HBS Angels. How to assess opportunities (idea, team, valuation). How to source great deals.

San Francisco 114

San Francisco Venture Capital Angel Groups LLC 114

David Teten

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

. - Susan Balloch, Managing Director, Golden Seeds; formerly Executive Director and Principal, The Blackstone Group. Karen Bantuveris, CEO of VolunteerSpot ( ff VC and angel-backed startup with 2.5m David Teten, Partner, ff Venture Capital ; Chairman, HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York. How to source great deals.

Private Equity 114

Private Equity North America Cofounder Angel Groups 114

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

Let’s take a few minutes to examine the kind of equity financing available to small or early stage businesses. There are other classes of equity investors for small or early stage businesses that we have not yet considered. Often grouped into formal organizations, these investors are sophisticated, helpful, and connected.

Equity 62

Equity Finance Liquidity Event Angel Groups 62

VC Adventure

JANUARY 24, 2014

I’ll be speaking at an Impact Angel Group event on February 12th. With a few other angel investors, I’ll be talking to other angel investors, along with prospective angel investors, about the role of impact investing the community, as well as in our own portfolios.

Angel Investor 92

Angel Investor Denver Angel Groups Early Stage 92

Early Growth Financial Services

MAY 6, 2014

INTERVIEWED BY ROGER VOZAR “Friends and family are still the largest source of capital for companies in the early stages of development, but the current funding market presents several additional options for young companies. Smart Business spoke with Armstrong about the financing options available to startups and emerging enterprises.

Investment Bankers 35

Investment Bankers Angel Groups Equity Angel Investor 35

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 10, 2017

(For more, you can take this 3-minute video tour: [link] ) Dallas 30,000 Feet Rather than talking about UT Dallas, I wanted to share some initial observations about the Dallas startup scene, for the ATX’rs back home. In the early days of the current internet age, the center of Dallas venture capital was the Galleria area.

Dallas 60

Dallas Austin Texas Cofounder 60

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

LaunchBox is one of several Y Combinator-like startup programs in the area. Others include Joystick Labs , an accelerator program aimed at indie gaming startups that launched this summer. Allen points to the support that StatSheet received from the NCIDEA , a program that grants very early stage companies funding.

North Carolina 151

North Carolina Raleigh United States Angel Groups 151

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 13, 2012

What entrepreneur hasn't dreamed that our startup will experience the same magical beginnings as Google ? In 1998, before they even incorporated, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were trying to present their concept to early-stage, or "angel" investors, with limited success. There's a lot at stake.

Angel Investor 128

Angel Investor Syndicate Syndication Exit Strategy 128

Up and Running

JUNE 25, 2014

Then on the planned side, I know many of you work with Palo Alto and BPlans on new business plans, obviously a startup. Sabrina: Scott, I’ll jump in right here to just mention to you that a few people have asked whether you’ll be, throughout, covering both startup and existing businesses. The third here for startups is the SBA.

Small Business 89

Small Business SBA Finance Bankruptcy 89