Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give.

Incubator 231

Incubator Silicon Valley North America Small Business Administration 231

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. These tensions seep out in some angels or seed funds publicly or semi-privately deriding later-stage VCs for their “bad” behavior. I have seen bad behavior from later-stage VCs, believe me.

Technical Review 336

Technical Review Later Stage Early Stage LP 336

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. In addition to helping manage the board Chris also helps represent the interests of the angel investors / common stock holders. Have topics.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

In my role as an angel investor to startups, I’m struck by the broad variety of advisor strategies I see in investor presentations and business plans that cross my desk. If your startup team is highly technical, an advisory board member with a strong financial and business background clearly adds value.

Advisory Board 310

Advisory Board Angel Investor Later Stage Stock 310

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. Annual Deal Pipeline for Selected VCs and Angel Investor Groups. Acquirer/ Investor. 2009) [ii].

Private Equity 114

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Equity 114

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you’re a startup and you don’t have a close relationship with a few law firms you’re really missing one of the most important relationships that any entrepreneur can have. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. Every town has firms that focus on startups – find them.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

Austin Startup

JANUARY 3, 2019

Feedback to investors about what helps and doesn’t help founders when fundraising. I originally asked this question to several founders with the intent of addressing angel investors but I’ve found it doesn’t exclude other institutional investors either. People have to learn to say ‘No’ sooner rather than later.

Founder 48

Founder Angel Investor Technical Review Due Diligence 48

David Teten

MAY 9, 2012

VCAP©, the first program of its kind, bridges the gap between venture capitalists and angel investor networks and women and diverse entrepreneurs, many of whom have not traditionally had access to these sources of capital. Women-owned businesses, according to the Forte Foundation represent about 775,000 new startups per year.

Venture Capital 154

Venture Capital Programming Accredited Investor New York 154

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

I have to start with a major negative: if you have to ask if your startup can get venture capital, then it almost certainly can’t. Venture capital is a very rarified atmosphere of high-end startups and emerging businesses with experienced management teams, high potential growth, secret sauce, and so on. How to find venture funding?

Software Review 124

Software Review Due Diligence Venture Capital Elevator Pitch 124

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2021

Shots on Goal Being great as a startup technology investor of course requires a lot of things to come together: You need to have strong insights into where technology markets are heading and where value in the future will be created and sustained You need be perfect with your market timing. On Funding?—?Shots We do other things, too.

Bankruptcy 294

Bankruptcy Bridge Financing Portfolio Angel Investor 294

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor IRR Valuation Startup 120

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

But in business, you want a lot of partners. In the private equity universe, most Partners have primary training as deal-makers, not as managers. See Bessemer Venture Partners’ A comprehensive guide to security for startups. Cobalt for General Partners helps GPs to optimize their fundraising strategy. 2) Market .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give.

Incubator 218

Incubator Silicon Valley North America Small Business Administration 218

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2012

We are talking about angel investors here, meaning people who invest their own money in early-stage startups for a share of the equity. Generally, the same criteria applies to venture capital investors, although they invest other people’s money, at a later stage, in larger amounts. Marty Zwilling.

Angel Groups 237

Angel Groups Angel Investor Early Stage Startup 237

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give.

Incubator 120

Incubator Silicon Valley Startup Small Business Administration 120

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

Want to start a startup? A typical startup goes throughseveral rounds of funding, and at each round you want to take justenough money to reach the speed where you can shift into the nextgear. Few startups get it quite right. I dont mean to suggest that our investors were nothing but a dragon us. Many are underfunded.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

If you are looking for an outside investor, you need to know how they see you. Different types of investors look for startups at different levels of maturity. If your startup is at the wrong stage for the investor you are approaching, fishing for money is a waste of time for both of you.

Investment Bankers 241

Investment Bankers Venture Capital Startup Initial Public Offering 241

Reid Hoffman

JANUARY 19, 2021

True, many boards are dysfunctional, but when you build a great startup board, it will be a powerful tool that can help the CEO make the company successful. This essay, which is based on Part 1 of a two-part episode of the Greymatter Podcast, will cover the fundamentals of building great startup boards.

Startup 36

Startup Cofounder Advertising Hiring 36

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. IS THERE ROOM FOR MORE LOCAL CAPITAL IN AUSTIN?

Venture Capital 54

Venture Capital Austin Texas Private Equity 54

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). And even with the significant cost of credit card debt, many entrepreneurs aggressively use existing cards to finance a startup.

Private Equity 118

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 118

Austin Startup

MARCH 7, 2021

Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio form a massive startup Megalopolis that is attracting top talent, impact-focused investors, and the most innovative companies in the world. Startups and investors should treat Texas like one big city. These are all potential customers and strategic partners for startups.

Texas 90

Texas San Antonio Houston Dallas 90

VC Cafe

JULY 5, 2010

Janvest , a new seed fund of $5 million backed by American angel investors and chaired by the former head of the Mossad (Danny Yatom), saw an opportunity to fill the gap by making offering US-based angel investors the opportunity to tap into the Israeli startup industry. VCs are investing in later stage companies.

Technical Review 106

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2016

In my role as an angel investor to startups, I’m struck by the broad variety of advisor strategies I see in investor presentations and business plans that cross my desk. If your startup team is highly technical, an advisory board member with a strong financial and business background clearly adds value.

Advisory Board 151

Advisory Board Angel Investor Later Stage Stock 151

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2010

If you are looking for an outside investor, you need to know how they see you. Different types of investors look for startups at different levels of maturity. If your startup is at the wrong stage for the investor you are approaching, the courting is a waste of time for both of you. Early or embryonic stage.

Investment Bankers 231

Investment Bankers Venture Capital Startup Initial Public Offering 231

Up and Running

AUGUST 17, 2015

As I read stories of college dropouts who had successfully sold tech companies, or entrepreneurs with innovative ideas who made it big on Shark Tank, it became clear that there was no set path to startup success. See Also How to Find a Business Partner. It helps mitigate startup risk. It’s a place to form a founding team.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Cofounder Angel Investor eCommerce 60

Gust

JULY 1, 2012

We are talking about angel investors here, meaning people who invest their own money in early-stage startups for a share of the equity. Generally, the same criteria applies to venture capital investors, although they invest other people’s money, at a later stage, in larger amounts.

Angel Groups 143

Angel Groups Angel Investor Early Stage Startup 143

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.” Most prefer not to say this publicly for two reasons: 1) they have an entire portfolio of startups, many of whom are raising capital and 2) they prefer not to be attacked publicly or seem “anti entrepreneur.” All of these are false.

Valuation 150

Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Want to start a startup? August 2010 Two years ago I wrote about what I called " a huge, unexploitedopportunity in startup funding :" the growing disconnect betweenVCs, whose current business model requires them to invest largeamounts, and a large class of startups that need less than theyused to. Get funded by Y Combinator.

Startup 93

Startup Valuation Non-Compete Deal Flow 93

Growthink Blog

JUNE 28, 2010

Quite simply, investing in just one or a handful of private companies is way, way too risky for most investors and should be avoided at all costs. Famed technology investors like Vinod Khosla and Ron Conway have taken this approach, with personal investment positions in literally dozens (if not more) of companies.

Private Equity 63

Private Equity Technical Review Silicon Valley Los Angeles 63

Growthink Blog

JUNE 28, 2010

Quite simply, investing in just one or a handful of private companies is way, way too risky for most investors and should be avoided at all costs. Famed technology investors like Vinod Khosla and Ron Conway have taken this approach, with personal investment positions in literally dozens (if not more) of companies.

Private Equity 63

Private Equity Technical Review Silicon Valley Los Angeles 63

Gust

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

If you are looking for an outside investor, you need to know how they see you. Different types of investors look for startups at different levels of maturity. If your startup is at the wrong stage for the investor you are approaching, fishing for money is a waste of time for both of you. Growth stage.

Venture Capital 171

Venture Capital Investment Bankers Angel Investor Initial Public Offering 171

Up and Running

JANUARY 30, 2014

My partner is a full-time developer and math teacher, and I’m an engineer. Accelerators focus on early-stage startups, while incubators are geared toward later-stage startups. One good source for finding an accelerator was AngelList, a platform for startups. Coding the site was straightforward.

Incubator 105

Incubator New York City Venture Capital Startup 105

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2010

We are talking about angel investors here, meaning people who invest their own money in early-stage startups for a share of the equity. Generally, the same criteria applies to venture capital investors, although they invest other people’s money, at a later stage, in larger amounts. Marty Zwilling.

Angel Groups 121

Angel Groups Angel Investor Early Stage Later Stage 121

pandodaily.com

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

I’ve been hearing about the so-called Series A Crunch for at least six months, and in recent weeks, I’ve spoken with more than 20 venture capitalists, angel investors, incubator heads, lawyers, and other necessary cogs in the ecosystem trying to get some details about it. A name like 500 Startups says it all.

Technical Review 93

Technical Review Silicon Valley Incubator Syria 93

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). And even with the significant cost of credit card debt, many entrepreneurs aggressively use existing cards to finance a startup.

Private Equity 106

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 106

Hunter Walker

APRIL 6, 2015

Charlie: What’s on your priority list to learn how to do better as an investor? Hunter: Two main priorities – refine my own playbook and iterate/learn with the urgency of a startup, not a typical VC fund. or any other notable investors) but Hunter Walk 1.0. Angel – Scott Belsky. Brad Feld 2.0

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Later Stage Venture Capital Valuation 48

Gust

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

How to finance a new seed-stage startup? Convertible debt is a venerable instrument, originally created to “bridge” a later-stage startup from one VC round to the next quickly and easily. Convertible debt? Convertible equity? A convertible note financing is not a loan in the conventional sense.

Finance 134

Finance Convertible Security Equity Seed Stage 134