Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. At these stages, it’s all about you, and your ability to communicate and execute effectively.

Due Diligence 308

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 308

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2020

As a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs and startups, and an angel investor, my passion is to find and nurture those entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas and acumen, to make them into successful business owners. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Matching 317

Matching Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 317

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

techcrunch.com

OCTOBER 13, 2012

He is on the board of the Angel Resource Institute, and is a partner with Montlake Capital (a late stage growth capital fund) and with Revenue Capital Management (a royalty based lender). Conventional wisdom dictated that they made reckless investments in very early-stage ventures mostly doomed to fail. So which is it?

Angel Investor 103

Angel Investor Venture Capital Seed Stage Silicon Valley 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2011

If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. Don’t be embarrassed, since even professional investors are often confused these days by the new terms, as well as old terms used with new meanings. Super Angels.

Early Stage 231

Early Stage Seed Stage Angel Investor Silicon Valley 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2012

If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. Don’t be embarrassed, since even professional investors are often confused these days by the new terms, as well as old terms used with new meanings. Super Angels.

Early Stage 253

Early Stage Finance Seed Stage Entrepreneur 253

Hippoland

DECEMBER 15, 2015

The IPO markets have been tough, and late stage investors are realizing their unicorns actually are just My Little Ponies in a Halloween costume. It’s just really hard to get liquidity these days in the late stage game. 2) Angel investors will reduce their seed investments. Image credit: Giphy.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Angel Investor Bootstrapping Startup 48

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages.

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

If you are new to the startup space and Angel investing, you probably don’t realize that some groups of Angel investors charge entrepreneurs a fee to pitch to their groups. Consider your startup stage. Does their “sweet spot” match your type of business?

Angel Groups 237

Angel Groups Angel Investor Due Diligence Seed Stage 237

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

A founder asked me what makes a $2M round “pre-seed”? especially if the startup already has a product and revenue? And why do we still sometimes hear about pre-seed rounds that look more like a series A in pricing and size? So far there’s not much that has changed, so why should pre-seed look any different in 2024?

Valuation 186

Valuation Software Review Generative AI Technical Review 186

Gust

JULY 8, 2012

If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. Don’t be embarrassed, since even professional investors are often confused these days by the new terms, as well as old terms used with new meanings. Super Angels.

Early Stage 177

Early Stage Finance Seed Stage Entrepreneur 177

Diego Basch

MARCH 14, 2013

Whether I like it or not I’m an angel investor , even though I prefer a different label. I avoid the entertainment industry, and anything where the revenue stream is based on advertising. I wrote this post because I felt like it, but hopefully I did a decent job at selling myself as a potential investor.

San Francisco 55

San Francisco Startup Silicon Valley Seed Stage 55

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2010

If you are new to the startup space and angel investing, you probably don’t realize that some groups of angel investors charge entrepreneurs a fee to pitch to their groups. Consider your startup stage. Does their “sweet spot” match your type of business?

Angel Groups 234

Angel Groups Entrepreneur Angel Investor Due Diligence 234

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2016

As a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs and startups, and an Angel investor, my passion is to find and nurture those entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas and acumen, to make them into successful business owners. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Angel Investor Business Model 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2016

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. At these stages, it’s all about you, and your ability to communicate and execute effectively.

Due Diligence 120

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 120

Steve Blank

JUNE 15, 2011

In the stealth phase , prescient angel investors and Venture Capitalists (VCs) start investing in an industry or market segment that others have not yet found. Long before others, they saw that these applications could have hundreds of millions of users with “off the chart&# revenue and profits.

Silicon Valley 327

Silicon Valley Stealth Valuation Mississippi 327

K9 Ventures

JULY 19, 2012

which was a $6.25M fund designed to be deployed over 3-4 years, making initial investments between $100K – $250K in concept and seed stage technology companies located in the San Francisco Bay Area. This will allow us to potentially lead the seed round, while maintaining an active engagement with these companies (as with Fund I).

Technology 132

Technology Seed Stage San Francisco Limited Partner 132

K9 Ventures

JULY 19, 2012

which was a $6.25M fund designed to be deployed over 3-4 years, making initial investments between $100K – $250K in concept and seed stage technology companies located in the San Francisco Bay Area. This will allow us to potentially lead the seed round, while maintaining an active engagement with these companies (as with Fund I).

Technology 132

Technology Seed Stage San Francisco Limited Partner 132

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2015

As a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs and startups, and an Angel investor, my passion is to find and nurture those entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas and acumen, to make them into successful business owners. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2015

Others spend money on mailing lists and investor contacts and “cold calling” a few thousand people, hoping to find someone willing to take a risk on an unknown company. As an angel investor, I believe this approach is a waste of time, since no honest investor is likely to seriously consider a request for money from a stranger.

Cost 120

Cost Angel Groups Due Diligence Silicon Valley 120

Gust

OCTOBER 16, 2012

This summer I conducted our third annual survey of the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue companies recently funded by angel groups in North America. Access to our 2010 and 2011 surveys can be found at 2011 Valuation Survey of North American Angel Investor Groups. Pre-revenue software, internet, mobile and telecom deals.

Angel Groups 169

Angel Groups Valuation Pre-Money Valuation North Dakota 169

Agile VC

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Objective Logistics has created a game layer on top of very sophisticated scheduling algorithms which increase revenue, save time, and improve customer and staff satisfaction. seed round from NextView, Atlas Venture, and Google Ventures, and angel investors. Objective Logistics just closed a $1.5M Author howerl.

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 100

Hippoland

JANUARY 29, 2016

Even though there are a lot of web resources on how to put together a pitch deck for seed-stage companies, most don’t address how many decks you need and for what purpose. If you’re meeting with an angel investor, this first meeting may be all that you need to secure funding.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Angel Investor Entrepreneur Forecast 48

Gust

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

How to finance a new seed-stage startup? ” Ressi in particular seems to be passionate about removing the “debt” component from convertible debt seed financing transactions. Convertible debt? Convertible equity? As of August 2010, Paul Graham famously proclaimed , “Convertible notes have won.

Finance 134

Finance Convertible Security Equity Seed Stage 134

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

There are two reasons to raise money: You have a killer idea that is only partially validated, that you think can get to $50M+ of revenue in 5 years with 80%+ gross margins (if margins are lower, you need a lot more revenue)and you need money to get to product-market fit, or. Pre-seed Round of Funding.

Cofounder 429

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 429

Jeff Hilimire

AUGUST 30, 2013

One inhibiting factor is Atlanta’s community of angel investors and venture capital firms, many of whom have little experience with B2C startups. “We just need more successful B2C companies to take advantage of the talent,” he said. Backed by his $5 million Atlanta Ventures fund, Cummings hopes to “de-risk” such investments.

Atlanta 77

Atlanta B2C Georgia Los Angeles 77

Gust

OCTOBER 20, 2011

Individual accredited investors in typical angel deals put personal capital at risk for an equity share of growth-oriented, start-up companies. These angel investors generally invest $25,000 to $100,000 in a round totaling $250,000 to $1,000,000. A local network of angels is critical to achieving a diversified portfolio.

Valuation 146

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Technical Review 146

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Etc… At the pre-seed stage, a big way to stand out is if you have a V3 statement (as opposed to a V1 statement). At a high level, business is simple! :) You bring revenue in and your costs send money out the door. You want your revenue to be higher than your costs. But the execution is hard. And that’s ok.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Etc… At the pre-seed stage, a big way to stand out is if you have a V3 statement (as opposed to a V1 statement). At a high level, business is simple! :) You bring revenue in and your costs send money out the door. You want your revenue to be higher than your costs. But the execution is hard. And that’s ok.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

If your friends or family happen to be rich, the line blurs betweenthem and angel investors. At Viaweb we got our first $10,000 ofseed money from our friend Julian, but he was sufficiently richthat its hard to say whether he should be classified as a friendor angel. There never has to be atime when you have no revenues.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 28, 2022

The market regards equity as an ownership “share” in a corporation’s income revenue stream. It is not possible to shift costs and revenues in a linear manner. It is also essential for an investor to know how much of the company’s stock they would get in exchange for the money they committed at the seed stage.

Valuation 108

Valuation Equity Warrant Common Stock 108

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Joshua Baer is the co-founder and CEO of Otherinbox , a prolific angel investor and the director of Capital Factory , Austin’s seed-stage incubator. Include screenshots of your product , a video walk-through and one or two charts that display traction or revenue. This list of top angel investors is a good start.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

We had raised a small round of funding in 2013, led by a local angel investor who was a member of Central Texas Angel Network, and used the funds to build our first product (a mobile website) and launch with recommendations from friends of mine in Austin the week before South by Southwest Festival. Certainly. Most definitely.

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Technical Review Venture Capital San Francisco 48

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Usually you get seed money from individual rich people called"angels." the seed stage, investors dont expect you to have an elaboratebusiness plan. Plus he introduced us to one of the two angel investors who supplied our next round of funding. A rich companyis one with large revenues.

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105

Women Entrepreneurs Can

MAY 9, 2019

This is the point where a lot of startups are ready for an angel investor- individuals who have earned income that is exceeding $200,000 or have a net worth of more than $1 million. Venture capitalists are used only after a startup has begun to show a significant amount of revenue. You’ve Read The Fine Print.

Programming 40

Programming Sweat Equity Startup Private Equity 40

rapidrollout.wordpress.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Until your wireframe is done, it’s too early to talk to developers or potential investors. Or you can find seed-stage investors who will give you the money to hire a developer. You’re asking someone to take a chance that with the code they deliver you can get funding or gain some revenue traction.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Fractional CTO Partner CTO Hire 40