ReadWriteStart

JULY 9, 2023

At the same time, startups are indeed exciting and highly satisfying for their founders. A founder needs certain skills and knowledge. They impact fundraising, hiring, intellectual property rights and patents, and many more things around starting and running a business. A good founder is always a good communicator.

Intellectual Property 122

Intellectual Property Startup Burn Rate Metrics 122

Tim Keane

DECEMBER 14, 2009

  Angels can allow founders to partially cash out if they choose to.  the disasters of the Bubble showed that generic business guys don't make such great CEOs (in reference to replacement of founders.)    A low burn rate is a pearl of great price.    Good angel groups, too. 

Burn Rate 60

Burn Rate Angel Groups Seed Stage Startup 60

Steve Blank

JUNE 1, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may offer venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Yet boards of large companies exist to monitor efficient strategy and execution of a known business model. VC’s sit on 6 – 12 boards at a time.

Silicon Valley 290

Silicon Valley Business Model Venture Capital Balance Sheet 290

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Startups that are searching for a business model need to keep score differently than large companies that are executing a known business model. Yet most entrepreneurs and their VC’s make startups use financial models and spreadsheets that actually hinder their success. Managing the Business. Here’s why.

Balance Sheet 298

Balance Sheet Startup Burn Rate Metrics 298

Steve Blank

JUNE 1, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may offer venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Yet boards of large companies exist to monitor efficient strategy and execution of a known business model. VC’s sit on 6 – 12 boards at a time.

Silicon Valley 258

Silicon Valley Business Model Venture Capital Balance Sheet 258

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2014

At least wait until later, when you ready to scale, and have some “leverage” based on a proven business model, some real customers, and real revenue. Focusing on the burn rate and prioritizing every possible expense will keep overhead down, help you stay lean, and achieve a higher profit earlier.

Bootstrapping 276

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Burn Rate 276

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 9, 2017

by Tina Hay, founder and CEO of Napkin Finance. This will also prepare your business for filing taxes. Estimate your monthly “burn rate.” Define Your Business Model. There are numerous types and will determine how you grow and run your business. Determine Operating Expenses. Keep Detailed Records.

Burn Rate 100

Burn Rate B2C Finance Later Stage 100

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Yet you might be surprised how easily business owners are stumped by questions like these. That’s why we asked nine members from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) what metrics all founders should be aware of — always. After all, a sustainable business model requires repeat customers! Cash on Hand.

Metrics 146

Metrics Burn Rate Entrepreneur Forecast 146

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2013

At least wait until later, when you ready to scale, and have some “leverage” based on a proven business model, some real customers, and real revenue. Focusing on the burn rate and prioritizing every possible expense will keep overhead down, help you stay lean, and achieve a higher profit earlier.

Startup 264

Startup Burn Rate Bootstrapping Valuation 264

Gust

DECEMBER 7, 2014

At least wait until later, when you ready to scale, and have some “leverage” based on a proven business model, some real customers, and real revenue. Focusing on the burn rate and prioritizing every possible expense will keep overhead down, help you stay lean, and achieve a higher profit earlier.

Bootstrapping 191

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Burn Rate 191

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

Investors like $1B markets with double-digit growth rates. Business model. Show breakeven point, burn rate, and growth assumptions. Define the characteristics of the overall industry, market forces, market dynamics, and customer landscape. Explain how you will make money and who pays you (real customer).

Elevator Pitch 234

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 234

YoungUpstarts

MAY 20, 2015

“Looking to scale is a “rinse and repeat” function, as a start-up the job is to identify a repeatable and scalable business model. Most of the times, founders make a mistake of not executing this and it becomes a massive set back later on. Here’s their advice: 1.

Colombia 100

Colombia Burn Rate Startup Agile 100

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

Benchmarks are typically specific to stage/business model/geo. In Rob Go’s words: For seed and Series A deals, investors will also need to see a high-potential team with founder/market fit , a large and attractive market opportunity , and a business model with increasing returns to scale.

B2C 141

B2C Technical Review Startup Retention 141

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 13, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may offer venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Yet boards of large companies exist to monitor efficient strategy and execution of a known business model. VCs sit on six to 12 boards at a time.

Silicon Valley 117

Silicon Valley Balance Sheet Metrics Early Stage 117

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2011

There are so many unknowns at this stage and the only known is that the business model is going to change at least once, or in the current most overused term in the Silicon Valley, there will be a "pivot". Instead, they are going to rely on an algorithm to select companies. So, after my initial reaction of "Are they friggin serious?",

Technical Review 31

Technical Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley San Jose 31

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

RCSMs premise is that they can reach an investment decision (and valuation) based on an application completed by the founders and take gut feel out of the decision process. I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases.

Technical Review 38

Technical Review Early Stage San Jose Angel Investor 38

Professor VC

MARCH 10, 2009

Certainly not to say they couldnt have raised more cash and built this in to a bigger company, but was nice to have the option of going either way and doing what was right for the founders and employees. Finally, Ilya Ronin, shared the Marpo Kinetics story, a true bootstrapped garage start-up. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► July. (1).

Bootstrapping 28

Bootstrapping San Jose Silicon Valley Software Review 28

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases. I guess if youve run a pattern across the middle with Ray Lewis waiting to knock your head off, a 6 minute pitch in front of a bunch of geeks is a piece of cake. ► October. (1).

Technical Review 38

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 38

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

This got me thinking about the business model that Mike Keiser has built at the resort and a lecture began to form in my head. Mike Keiser (the founder of Recycled Paper Greetings) had a vision to create a true links experience in the US. Labels: Bandon Dunes , business models , golf. Steve Bennet. at 12:00 PM.

Oregon 28

Oregon San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

JUNE 6, 2008

It seems appropriate to have this discussion as Kent Desormeaux grabs Big Browns reins and goes after the Triple Crown tomorrow at Belmont.There is an age old debate in the venture business on whether it is better to bet on the horse (business/market) or the jockey (management team/founders).

San Jose 28

San Jose Technical Review Norway Angel Investor 28

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 27, 2011

Persistent is breaking out of the mold of labor arbitrage, and looking at new and exciting business models. My friend Tony Scott did an outstanding interview with Anand Deshpande , their CEO recently in which Anand discussed his vision for where he wants to take the OPD business. You can register for the next roundtable here.

Dilution 114

Dilution Revenue Finance Entrepreneur 114

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2008

In addition to the case study analysis, the students also have the opportunity to develop a business model and financial model for a new concept, which always proves a lot more challenging. There used to be a fairly standard career path in the venture capital industry. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► October. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Venture Capital 28

Professor VC

APRIL 1, 2010

I will be speaking on a related topic next week at an SVASE event in Palo Alto, " Founders vs. Investors - Are we all on the same page " Hope to see some of you there and promise I wont show up in my pajamas. Steve Bennet. at 11:15 AM. Email This BlogThis! Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► October. (1). Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine.

Term Sheet 32

Term Sheet Angel Investor San Jose Venture Capital 32

Professor VC

JANUARY 17, 2008

While currently free to angel groups, their business model revolves around aggregating the angel investment data. There needs to be enough equity to go around for founders, early investors, later investors, and employees. Now the investors have 65% (35% for first round and 30% for second round), while founders have 35%.

Pre-Money Valuation 28

Pre-Money Valuation Angel Investor Angel Groups Valuation 28

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2012

They need to realize that investors ask for projections, not merely as predictions, but more as commitments from the founder and his team. In reality, you need to set these projections as goals for your own use, to convince employees as well as investors that you have a business which is challenging, but achievable. Cash flow is king.

Forecast 238

Forecast Burn Rate .Net Business Model 238

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 19, 2016

While you absolutely need to keep an eye on earnings and burn rate, human capital is ultimately the fuel that makes the machine run. He wants to hire “someone who is not afraid to go figure it out on her own, who has the capacity to discover what is needed and then present the business case for how to get that skill.”.

Startup 100

Startup Burn Rate Cofounder Salary 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2013

They need to realize that investors ask for projections, not merely as predictions, but more as commitments from the founder and his team. In reality, you need to set these projections as goals for your own use, to convince employees as well as investors that you have a business which is challenging, but achievable. Cash flow is king.

Forecast 238

Forecast Business Plan Burn Rate .Net 238

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 26, 2008

As I mentioned in the previous post, Jeff Fluhr (founder of StubHub) recently stopped by my Entrepreneurial Finance class to share his 4 Lessons of Entrepreneurship with the students. Dan Gordon, founder of Gordon Biersch , came by my class this week. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► October. (1). Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine.

Technical Review 28

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

APRIL 11, 2008

Not to worry, I was busy working on closing the Series B financing for iControl Networks. I started working with the founders of iControl at the concept stage, prior to the first $100K of angel financing. We ended up raising $15.5M, led by John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins. This got me thinking about my role in helping companies grow up.

San Jose 28

San Jose Angel Investor Venture Capital Balance Sheet 28

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 12, 2008

I started thinking about this yesterday when Jeff Fluhr, founder of Stub Hub spoke at my San Jose State class. I first met Jeff about 8 years ago when he was finishing his first year at the Stanford GSB and was beginning to raise money for a business plan he developed for a secondary market ticket exchange. February 15, 2008 2:08 PM.

San Jose 31

San Jose Technical Review Venture Capital Angel Investor 31

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2011

They need to realize that investors ask for projections, not merely as predictions, but more as commitments from the founder and his team. In reality, you need to set these projections as goals for your own use, to convince employees as well as investors that you have a business which is challenging, but achievable. Cash flow is king.

Forecast 230

Forecast Burn Rate Startup .Net 230

pandodaily.com

JULY 18, 2012

But it’s possible that as the secret sauce of new media swings farther from disruptive technology and business models to a focus on curated and quality content, it’s the older entrepreneurs who are in the pole position. Sarah Lacy is the founder and editor-in-chief of PandoDaily. “This one is just so much fun.”

Entrepreneur 45

Entrepreneur San Francisco Silicon Valley Technical Review 45

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases. If you are interested in getting involved in the E-Lab, there are a few opportunities. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► October. (1). Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► July. (1).

San Jose 43

San Jose Silicon Valley Las Vegas Venture Capital 43

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 17, 2009

If you can’t find enough paying customers in the Customer Validation step, the model returns you to Customer Discovery to rediscover what you failed to hear or understand the first time through the loop.

Customer Development 242

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 242

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2010

They need to realize that investors ask for projections, not merely as predictions, but more as commitments from the founder and his team. In reality, you need to set these projections as goals for your own use, to convince employees as well as investors that you have a business which is challenging, but achievable. Cash flow is king.

Forecast 151

Forecast Startup Burn Rate .Net 151

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 18, 2011

Techcrunch called it one of the " most like-minded and forward-thinking acquisitions I’ve ever seen " I met with the founders of CardMunch several months ago when they were out raising their Series Seed round. This is a cool way to solve the stack of business cards sitting on your desk and through geocoding lets you know where you met.

Acquisition 31

Acquisition San Jose Angel Investor IPO 31

Professor VC

JUNE 20, 2011

Since the iControl system chronicles all meetings, I was able to find the automatic picture snapped from my first meeting with the founders, Reza Raji and Chris Stevens on April 22, 2004. Now that iControl has raised over $100M, this got me thinking back to our original business plan. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? ► October. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Angel Investor Term Sheet Venture Capital 28