Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which In the U.S. contributes more than $25 billion to fund 70,000 startups every year. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes. Marty Zwilling

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Accredited Investor Syndicate Syndication 265

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. This must be matched with the intellectual courage to change business models multiple times to remain viable, based on real-time feedback from the market.

Angel Investor 297

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Startup 297

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

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Expanding the product line.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. Assume passion level defines business opportunity.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which actually funds more startups then all other venture sources combined (over $25 billion annually). Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Accredited Investor Venture Capital Startup 120

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Picking the right attorney in your startup is as important as picking the right business partner. You can’t underestimate the importance of selecting an attorney who “gets” your business model, your market opportunity, and most importantly, your fundraising and exit strategy. My business partner and I were elated.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which In the U.S. contributes more than $25 billion to fund 70,000 startups every year. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes. Marty Zwilling.

Search 317

Search Accredited Investor Angel Investor Venture Capital 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Expanding the product line.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 31, 2020

So I’ve found that when you’re not already ‘in the door’ at a firm (ie went to school with the senior GP’s kids, worked at a startup they backed) that there are four different types of “qualifications” they are seeking. Qualification #4: You have an emerging track record as a good angel investor.

North Carolina 91

North Carolina Hiring Angel Investor Technical Review 91

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

As an angel investor, what I’m looking for is key data from your business plan, including financial projections, how much money you are looking for and a quantification of my potential return. Focus on a specific market segment to match your solution. Clearly define your business model.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Technical Review 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup. Congratulations!

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. Assume passion level defines business opportunity.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

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

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. This must be matched with the intellectual courage to change business models multiple times to remain viable, based on real-time feedback from the market.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Matching 359

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know starts out with a strong conviction that their solution is a perfect match for their target market, and yet almost every one later admits a need to “pivot” before finding their groove. Few entrepreneurs know that even the most successful startups had pivots, which rarely get mentioned.

Angel Investor 143

Angel Investor Dilution Matching Business Model 143

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2018

As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. This must be matched with the intellectual courage to change business models multiple times to remain viable, based on real-time feedback from the market.

Angel Investor 215

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Matching 215

YoungUpstarts

JULY 18, 2012

Even with a down economy, the time is ripe for enterprising young startups to make their mark. These five companies — some of them well-known, some not as much — moved their ideas into real-world success and pulled down some serious cash in public offerings or from angel investors. AirBnB (Launched 2008).

Startup 182

Startup Angel Investor Green Valuation 182

Tim Keane

MARCH 9, 2011

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC. How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan » March 09, 2011. It’s a deceptively simple question:  what is the optimal way to finance a new startup? Funding startups.

Finance 83

Finance Bootstrapping Startup Equity 83

Up and Running

OCTOBER 30, 2017

This article is part of our “ Business Startup Guide ”—a curated list of our articles that will get you up and running in no time! People often ask us for a list of steps they can use to start their own business. From business type to business model to physical location, there are so many variables!

Venture Capital 166

Venture Capital Business Plan Limited Liability Company Finance 166

Transformify

JULY 23, 2018

When speaking of startups’ funding, most founders first consider VC or Angel Investor funding. Somehow, it is perceived in the startup world that this is the way to go. EUR 3 billion are available to fund a maximum of 7,500 startups by 2020! The startups are not selling equity or issuing new shares.

Intellectual Property 66

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Dilution Startup 66

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2015

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Expanding the product line.

Product Development 120

Product Development Developer Product Angel Investor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2017

If you are proposing a merger or acquisition, or simply seeking an investor for your business, the process is the same. This may seem intuitively obvious, but as an angel investor, I have heard hundreds of new business pitches that focus heavily on the product, but don’t tell the rest of the story.

Merger 146

Merger Angel Investor Social Media Audience 146

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

I’ve seen hundreds of startups pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists, and most of them—at best— are just okay. Outline your business model. Your business model tells an investor how your idea will (or does) convert into being economically viable. How much do they pay?

Sweat Equity 122

Sweat Equity Churn Rate Elevator Pitch Forecast 122

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2016

If you expect an equity investment from reputable investors for your new startup, you need to know the boundaries that often limit their interest. In the jargon of investors, certain businesses may be viable but not fundable. Poorly written or missing business plan. Team not a good match for the challenge.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Investor Reputation 120

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

We recently had Tim Berry, Palo Alto Software founder and business planning expert, present our Bplans audience with his latest advice on lean business planning. I’m not going to go into background, benefits, principles, what’s lean and how lean started in the 1930s and 40s and lean startup and all that.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2016

As an Angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. This must be matched with the intellectual courage to change business models multiple times to remain viable, based on real-time feedback from the market.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Leadership Social Network 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

That means there are far more entrepreneurs looking for money than there are investors, and entrepreneur entitlement is not a realistic expectation. The same hold true for venture capital investors. Here are the top five, as outlined by Rice in his book, which match my own experience: Management team. Funding risk.

Cram Down 269

Cram Down Angel Investor Intellectual Property Venture Capital 269

Steve Blank

JULY 15, 2010

If you take funding from a venture capital firm or angel investor and want to build a large, enduring company (rather than sell it to the highest bidder), this isn’t the decade to do it. VC’s invested their limited partners’ “risk capital” in a portfolio of startups in exchange for illiquid stock. Startup Lifecycle Today.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital IPO Liquidity Event Entrepreneur 299

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

"Every investor and entrepreneur knows there is something scary about the current startup economy. There is an enormous amount of angel capital available, while at the same time there is a small amount of Series A and a large and concentrated amount of late stage capital. It's actually a great situation for the ecosystem.

Angel Investor 104

Angel Investor Valuation Startup Revenue 104

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

As a member of the local Angel group selection committee, I’ve seen a lot of startup presentations to investors, and I’ve never seen one that was too short - maybe short on content, but not short on pages! Every startup needs both a business plan and an investor presentation, completed before you formally approach any investors.

Elevator Pitch 247

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 247

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Image via Flickr by Side Wages Some entrepreneurs forget that they need an innovative business model along with an innovative solution to have a successful startup. Inventors alone, or business gurus alone, generally fail. That’s why I say “two heads are better than one” in a startup.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Startup Angel Investor Social Media 120

Up and Running

JANUARY 8, 2019

Here’s how to get the most of any sample business plan. What is a sample business plan? A sample business plan gives you an idea of how another small business or startup in your industry built their own plan. Mistake 1: Looking for a sample plan that’s an exact match.

Business Plan 118

Business Plan Lean Oregon Matching 118

Tim Keane

JULY 16, 2008

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC. Here are nine simple thoughts about entrepreneurial ventures that apply to most startups. Here are nine simple thoughts about entrepreneurial ventures that apply to most startups.

Wisconsin 60

Wisconsin Startup Angel Investor Business Model 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2017

I have found that the most successful entrepreneurs and business executives have an impressive work ethic, and they surround themselves with a team of comparable commitment. Business is more about people than product. Match their focus on work ethic, and you too can join them.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Technical Review Matching Hiring 120

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. The goal of their startup in this stage becomes “getting funded.”

Customer Development 264

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 264

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Not all startups need outside investment to grow. What most founders don’t realize is: Every stage of a startup requires a different set of metrics and milestones and founder skills. Knowing these will help a founder position her pitch to get investors’ attention. Here’s the first 2½ years of a startup journey.

Cofounder 429

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 429