VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

Commercial open source companies – being open source is a powerful way to gain developer adoption and sell to enterprises a lot sooner. New enterprise resource planning software (ERPs) – new startups that build software that helps businesses run. Looking for startups solving practical use cases that go beyond gaming.

Artificial Inteligence 176

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 176

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

The problem is that professional investors (Angels and Venture Capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. Apply for contests and business grants. Nevertheless, it’s an option that doesn’t cost you equity.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The problem is that professional investors (Angels and Venture Capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. Apply for contests and business grants. Nevertheless, it’s an option that doesn’t cost you equity.

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 16, 2020

For example, a rapidly growing business is often purchasing lots of inventory, investing in fixed assets, and not managing their accounts receivable. If your business model is profitable but you’ve mismanaged one of the above categories, you need to build a 13-week cash forecast to manage your short-term crisis.

Recapitalization 200

Recapitalization Forecast Software Review Finance 200

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

The other aspect of the people roadmap is org-level team building necessary to unlock or accompany certain stages of the business. Enterprise SaaS/B2B software – account executives (AEs) and sales developement reps (SDRs). Businesses with a geo/city-based operations – city GMs/on-the-ground ops teams.

Part-Time VPE 195

Part-Time VPE Seed Stage CTO Hire Forecast 195

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development. In general, banks won’t give you a loan until the business is cash-flow positive, but there are notable exceptions.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

Once the order is fulfilled and paid for, the funds can be paid back. ? Research and development. In very few specific cases, depending on the nature of the business, the business model might demand a considerable gestation period or extensive research and development. Forms of funding. ? Equity investment.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

From traditional equity VC, Flexible VC borrows the option to pursue and reap the rewards of an outsized exit. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Equity Ownership. Yes, typically preferred equity. On average, founders own just 43% of equity by Series B , declining thereafter. Flexible VC 102: Variations.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. In general, banks won’t give you a loan until the business is cash-flow positive, but there are notable exceptions.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 7, 2011

Ironically one of the things that’s holding back the Finnish cluster is Tekes , the government organization for financing research, development and innovation in Finland. It’s hard enough to pick which existing companies with known business models to aid.

Finland 324

Finland Venture Capital Government Russia 324

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 7, 2016

The rub is that a startup likely has the ideas to take it straight to the top, but it’s also likely that the company lacks the business skills to make it truly successful. A Startup Lab invests guidance, strategy, and takes equity in a carefully selected collection of early and seed stage startups. Who does it help?

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Incubator Asia 100

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

This structure offers some of the benefits of traditional equity VC, without some of the negatives of equity VC. I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. We have a special program if you are pre-seed and need product development.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

www.startuplessonslearned.com

MAY 4, 2012

Founders Dilemmas: Equity Splits. Noam is one of a rare breed of business academics: he studies entrepreneurship using a rigorous empirical approach. The following is an exclusive excerpt which sets up a common pitfall regarding equity splits. Lessons Learned. by Eric Ries. Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Uncertainties abound.

Equity 72

Equity Founder Technical Cofounder Cofounder 72

The Startup Magazine

JULY 1, 2022

The three main components of a company are production or service, marketing and sales, and finance. Production or service is the business’s core activity, which generates revenue. Finance is how you manage your finances, including budgeting, accounting, and bookkeeping. Financing Your Startup.

Technology 136

Technology Venture Capital Finance Startup 136

Tim Keane

MARCH 9, 2011

. | How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan » March 09, 2011. How should I finance my new venture? It’s a deceptively simple question:  what is the optimal way to finance a new startup? This seems like an easy topic – debt where there is appropriate cash flow, equity when there isn’t. 

Finance 83

Finance Bootstrapping Startup Equity 83

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

When you accept outside money, particularly a private equity (PE) investment, however, that changes. In this article, I’ll provide some personal stories of how investors have navigated the balance between raising private equity capital and not losing control of their startup. You make all the decisions, when you want, how you want.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2012

Develop the solution with your technology, and develop a strategy to maximize your impact in the marketplace. Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: Increase return on equity invested. Attract investors and financing.

Intellectual Property 248

Intellectual Property Startup IP Finance 248

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat.

Sweat Equity 400

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Startup Viral 400

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

Fifty years later another Harvard professor, Clayton Christensen, developed his theory of disruptive innovation, which actually described how creative destruction worked. Disruptive innovation leads to the creative destruction of businesses that once seemed pre-eminent and secure. We legalized robbing the corporate treasury.

Private Equity 325

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 325

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Small Business Success | Mondays and Thursdays. The Goods: Your Business Toolbox | Thursdays. Finance | Tuesdays. Todays Small Business News | Daily. Financing a Small Business. Buying a Small Business. RUNNING A BUSINESS. Financing A Small Business. Business Taxes.

Arizona 40

Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Develop the solution with your technology, and develop a strategy to maximize your impact in the marketplace. Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: To increase return on equity invested. To attract investors and financing.

Intellectual Property 231

Intellectual Property Startup IP Finance 231

genylabs.typepad.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Working for Equity Instead of Cash. has an article on service firms waiving their fees and instead taking equity in their clients. Interest in this waned when the Internet bust resulted in most tech start-up equity becoming worthless, but it seems to be coming back. Not all start-up stock is created equally.

Equity 40

Equity Technical Review San Jose Stock 40

Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 15, 2020

In this post, I’ll provide an overview of these recent developments as well as a sense of the grand vision I see forming for Lightning around payments and Web3 applications. In contrast to DeFi’s “move fast and break things” attitude, Lightning development has been intentionally slower and more methodical. 1) Generalizable Payments .

Networking 168

Networking Global OTC Security 168

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

Most technologists have little interest in the mechanics of starting and building a business. That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. Outside investors are most interested in scaling a proven business model, not research and development.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 1, 2023

Make a budget and keep a close watch on the finances , ensuring that there are no unnecessary expenses. Thanks to Corey Philip, Acumen Equity Advisors ! #7- The businesses should find the most profitable revenue channels using unit economics, then guard both the revenue sources and the profits they produce.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Software Review Technical Review Revenue 96

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 6, 2012

Students will even receive a minor in entrepreneurship as they develop their own business plans. The Sandbox is designed to accelerate the process of business creation through a 12-week experiential-based program, producing either investment-ready firms or ready-to-go, revenue-generating entities. Harvard Innovation Lab.

Incubator 202

Incubator New York City Boston Intellectual Property 202

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. These funders often offer convertible notes, rather than the traditional priced equity. Business accelerator funding. Yet, knowing this distinction is important.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Finance Early Stage Startup 120

Board Effect

DECEMBER 19, 2019

One thing that they don’t always agree on is how to clarify the role of the board and the role of management in developing and implementing the strategic plan. Questions may arise that require boards to make new decisions about debt and equity that affect the capital structure. The central question is who actually sets the strategy.

Management 64

Management Software Review Acquisition Merger 64

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 24, 2012

." - Eric The following is an exclusive excerpt which sets up a common pitfall regarding equity splits. In Noam’s dataset, 73% of founding teams split equity within a month of founding, a striking number given the big uncertainties early in the life of any startup. But such a best-case approach is hazardous. Uncertainties abound.

Equity 168

Equity Founder Cofounder Vesting 168

Steve Blank

MARCH 4, 2014

These groups are adapting or adopting the practices of startups and accelerators – disruption and innovation rather than direct competition, customer development versus more product features, agility and speed versus lowest cost. Every large company, whether it can articulate it or not, is executing a proven business model (s).

IRR 335

IRR Startup Business Model Agile 335

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

business models. Even though they’re next to Zhongguancun, the hottest place for startups in China, there seems to be a lower appetite for risk, a lack of interest in equity (instead optimizing for a high salary) and very little loyalty to any one company. business models. Of course “copy” is too strong a word.

China 323

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 323

Up and Running

APRIL 24, 2014

We asked nine company founders the following question: What is one creative way to quickly finance a new product-based business OTHER than crowdfunding? Have Your First 10 Customers Finance Development. Be honest and upfront, and say, “We can develop this product to make your life easier. Consult for Cash.

Finance 115

Finance Product Equity B2B 115

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

Whether it is credit or equity, funding is very, very tight. VCs ONLY want to invest in momentum deals, which means you already have serious customer validation and traction and you are looking to raise money to scale your business. I call it drip-financing. In 1M/1M, our preferred financing strategy is customers.

Cloud 115

Cloud Silicon Valley Incubator Finance 115

ReadWriteStart

JULY 17, 2023

The platform has raised over $225 million through equity and debt financing to date. Furlenco’s innovative business model has disrupted the traditional furniture industry in India. On the other hand, Sheela Foam will benefit from Furlenco’s innovative business model and expertise in the furniture rental space.

India 104

India Acquisition Merger Curation 104

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 13, 2011

Steve Blank is a retired serial entrepreneur, educator, thought leader and creator of the rigorous "Customer Development" methodology detailed in his book, "The Four Steps to the Epiphany." It's hard enough to pick which existing companies with known business models to aid.

Finland 158

Finland Venture Capital Government Russia 158

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

But this mania to not miss out on the next big thing is driving some investors to pay growth-equity prices for traditional market risk (as in, they’re paying up before it is clear there is product / market fit). Or worse yet they may never get financed. Those with strong business models suddenly stand out when the tide goes out.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

At this point, we had already developed the first phase of the platform by bootstrapping. We got back on our feet and successfully pivoted the business. Consider convertible debt Before diving into a seed round, you may want to consider convertible debt over equity financing. We were able to raise $750k this way.

Strategic Investors 49

Strategic Investors Austin Angel Investor Bootstrapping 49