The Next Web

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

George Deeb is the Managing Partner at Chicago-based Red Rocket Ventures , a startup consulting and financial advisory firm based in Chicago. So, let’s say that one founder puts in $100,000 in seed capital, that could be worth 20 percent of a seed stage company’s valuation.

Cofounder 136

Cofounder Equity Founder Seed Stage 136

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 28, 2015

“And if you have a valuation cap; a higher cap is always better than a lower cap.” The primary terms for these types of transactions are the valuation cap and the conversion discount. ” The Cost of Financing. Startups bear the costs of their financing, from the first seed investment to the sale of Series A stock.

Convertible Security 100

Convertible Security IP Technical Review Software Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 15, 2014

I was at a dinner recently in Chicago and the table discussion was about building great companies outside of Silicon Valley. I’m a very big fan of Chicago. I started my career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) so I went to Chicago many times a year for nearly 9 years. Chicago has made strides.

Community 369

Community Silicon Valley Chicago Boston 369

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 9, 2014

The image above is an interesting project from Strava, showing a heatmat of bike paths in the Chicago area. Here’s a link to the Chicago map, but you can easily navigate to another geographic area. Unfortunately, SaaS Start-Up Valuations Are About To Fall by 50% | saastr – crowdspring.co/1j3n4bO.

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

crowdSPRING Blog

NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Demystifying 409A Valuations - crowdspring.co/18IYhky. Chicago can be better than Silicon Valley (when it comes to promoting women entrepreneurs) | by Sharon Schneider - crowdspring.co/18J09d4. … Dropbox Could Be A Bargain At An $8 Billion Valuation | TechCrunch - crowdspring.co/1gZjkaE. Forbes - crowdspring.co/188qNBM.

Social Media 96

Social Media Small Business Design Media 96

Hunter Walker

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

And Does He Think Chicago Is a Good Place for Entrepreneurs? He’s someone I really consider a ‘good egg’ as we’ve enjoyed the stories of his own entrepreneurial journeys and strongly held opinions on Chicago coffee. We don’t aspire to be venture backed, to be a mark-up, or to chase the headline of a valuation. LLH: I don’t know.

Chicago 79

Chicago Venture Capital Miami Employee 79

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

It’s insanely competitive to get into our industry so most have degrees from institutions like Stanford, Harvard, Wharton and University of Chicago (blatant plug ;-). Most VCs are book smart. Smart is simply not a differentiator. In fact, book smart can be a negative. There are times you just need help getting s**t done.

Portfolio 364

Portfolio Chicago Sales Incubator 364

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2015

” Ezra was recently a Kauffman Fellow (meaning a tribe of aspiring VCs who get apprenticeship and have a cohort of classmates, many of whom will go on to be VCs), is a senior associate at a Chicago-based fund called Chicago Ventures and is an alum of my alma mater, University of Chicago, GSB.

Iran 150

Iran Chicago Software Review Portfolio 150

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 24, 2011

Our co-host for the program was TiE Midwest, based in Chicago. Additional work in figuring out the precise go-to-market consumer, academic institution, or enterprise - each is a different business), and consequent business model and pricing model will help enhance the company's valuation.

Illinois 114

Illinois Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Chicago 114

crowdSPRING Blog

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

VC valuation spreadsheet – [link]. A quarter of all Chicago-area mortgages underwater – [link]. John Sculley on Steve Jobs and the Experience of a Lifetime – [link]. Excellent example from Uber on how to analyze data to improve your product/service – [link]. Are You Up For a Second Job?

Social Media 97

Social Media Small Business Design Media 97

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 13, 2014

Does A Billion-Dollar Valuation Buy Employee Happiness? “Chicago’s venture funding performance is improving [but] Chicago is still trailing several major metro areas.” It takes 3 years [before you know if your startup can be a real business] – crowdspring.co/1kK2ZJ8. ReadWrite – crowdspring.co/1ekm5xR.

Social Media 96

Social Media Small Business Design Media 96

crowdSPRING Blog

JANUARY 5, 2011

An open letter to the Chicago entrepreneurial community – [link]. Goldman Invests in Facebook at $50 Billion Valuation – [link]. Three economic trends for 2011 (fueled by startup goodness) – [link]. HOW TO: Attract Early Adopters to Your Social Startup – [link]. Top Startup Trends of 2010 – [link].

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

Early Growth Financial Services

APRIL 23, 2014

Outsourced financial services firm launches in Chicago to support local startups, small, and mid-sized businesses. San Jose, CA (PRWEB) April 22, 2014 Chicago-based small businesses can now access a full suite of outsourced financial services from small business financial experts, Early Growth Financial Services (EGFS).

Chicago 31

Chicago Las Vegas San Jose Operations 31

The Next Web

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

George Deeb is the Managing Partner at Chicago-based Red Rocket Ventures , a startup consulting and financial advisory firm based in Chicago. One of the questions I get, more often than not, is what is the appropriate valuation of my business. Each industry typically has its unique valuation methodologies. Your industry.

Valuation 167

Valuation Forecast Seed Stage .Net 167

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

An interesting drill-down into Apple’s valuation – [link]. Here’s crowdSPRING’s @chrisdetmer playing an original tune at a recent performance in Chicago – [link]. Outsourcing, crowdsourcing and crowdSPRING – [link]. Understanding J.C. Penney’s Risky New Pricing Strategy – [link].

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

Austin Startup

JUNE 21, 2018

Our pre-money valuation for the seed round is 2 trillion dollars.” It all begins with Ronald Coase at the University of Chicago, Laureate for the 1991 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (yes, it does have a cool sounding official name). It will revolutionize produce sales globally.

Securities and Exchange Commission 61

Securities and Exchange Commission SEC Pre-Money Valuation Security 61

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 30, 2012

Billion Valuation, Multiple VCs Say – [link]. How Chicago Is Beating Silicon Valley At The Patent Game – [link]. Bill Gates: We need crazy energy entrepreneurs – [link]. Why the Best Product Doesn’t Always Win – [link]. Spotify Is Raising At A Stunning $3.5 Why Don’t Young Americans Buy Cars?

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I have been talking about my concerns about valuations for the past couple of years because, well, they’ve been rising very rapidly the past two years! ” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.” Do Investors WANT Valuations to Drop? The Motive for Speaking Up. Mostly, no.

Valuation 150

Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

Eric Friedman

AUGUST 18, 2021

Before Giftly, Dan was a Booth Scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. with Honors) in International Relations from the University of Chicago where he won numerous awards. Previously, he was the COO of digital gift card start-up Giftly from its inception in 2010 to its acquisition by Giftcards.com in 2013.

Silicon Valley 88

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Cofounder Africa 88

Gust

APRIL 11, 2014

Apologies to my Chicago friends: This metaphor ignores the depth of the dish.) A growth company, by definition, is not a zero-sum enterprise. Suppose it raises $2 million at a $6 million pre-money valuation. As one well-worn saying asks, “Would you rather own 1% of a billion-dollar company or 100% of a worthless company?

Dilution 162

Dilution Equity Pre-Money Valuation Prospectus 162

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

Values Are More Important Than Valuation. John holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, an MS in Computer Science from the University of Chicago and a BA from Harvard University. Billy Bosworth, CEO of DataStax, had a saying for this process of exclusion. It’s not like physics hard, it’s like dieting hard.”

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Dilution Chicago Partner 100

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

In townslike Houston and Chicago and Detroit its too small to measure. If you get an offer from a reputablefirm at a reasonable valuation with no unusually onerous terms,just take it and get on with building the company. [ 8 ]Some VCs will offer you an artificially low valuation to seeif you have the balls to ask for more.

Startup 108

Startup Software Review Hiring Detroit 108

thebarefootvc

JULY 3, 2016

After spending time in Silicon Valley (from 1999-2003), Boston, London and Chicago, I moved back to NYC in 2004 and have been fortunate to witness the technology and startup growth for the past 10+ years. FPV is well positioned in 2016 given the Fund’s discipline around valuations and terms through the past year.

North America 40

North America Early Stage New York City Portfolio 40

thebarefootvc

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

After spending time in Silicon Valley (from 1999-2003), Boston, London and Chicago, I moved back to NYC in 2004 and have been fortunate to witness the technology and startup growth for the past 10+ years. FPV is well positioned in 2016 given the Fund’s discipline around valuations and terms through the past year.

North America 40

North America Early Stage New York City Portfolio 40

Austin Startup

MAY 11, 2018

Don’t bring up valuation unless I ask first. Talking about your company valuation is kind of like bragging about how much you paid for your pants. If you don’t respect other’s time, it also speaks to a lack of empathy and possibly integrity. For fun tips on how to perfect your pitch deck, go here.

Elevator Pitch 48

Elevator Pitch Valuation Conversion Portfolio 48

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Don’t bring up valuation unless I ask first. Talking about your company valuation is kind of like bragging about how much you paid for your pants. If you don’t respect other’s time, it also speaks to a lack of empathy and possibly integrity. No one wants to hear about it, unless they intend to buy some for themselves.

Entrepreneur 50

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Valuation Conversion 50

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 8, 2015

How to Make a Dent in “The Women Problem” in Chicago – buff.ly/1FKFUQy. Valuation As A Scorecard – buff.ly/1F0CUyC. Twitter’s multibillion-dollar mistake happened five years ago – buff.ly/1PlkslT. Inside Google’s Insanely Popular Emotional-Intelligence Course bit.ly/1cRpmuK. 1PYXpiM.

Small Business 48

Small Business Design Social Media Startup 48

Rob Go

JANUARY 16, 2013

I went to Groupon to find the daily deal site has just launched a couple weeks prior in Boston, after running a few deals in CHicago in late 2008. To make a long story short, I cold called Andrew Mason and fought like crazy to try to invest in what was ultimately a huge round at a $250M valuation led by Accel in the fall of that year.

Seed Stage 38

Seed Stage Chicago Aggregator Bootstrapping 38

Seeing Both Sides

OCTOBER 21, 2011

I want Groupon to settle in at a strong valuation that generates wealth and further fuels the Chicago entrepreneurial ecosystem while returning capital to liquidity-starved investors.

Silicon Valley 45

Silicon Valley IPO Chicago Boston 45

Bryce Dot VC

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

What that meant is that six companies a year could achieve a hundred million in revenue or a billion in valuation. That being the case, what if we surrounded our founders with other people who weren’t focused on fundraising and valuation, but focused on revenue and customers? company is Tapster Robotics in Chicago.

Venture Capital 40

Venture Capital Valuation Los Angeles Chicago 40

Small Business Force

OCTOBER 22, 2017

Having an unrealistic valuation. While one of my favorite phrases is “valuation is like beauty; in the eye of the beholder,” you need to have a realistic sense of how the investment community might value your company. Examples of unrealistic valuation mistakes are evident weekly on the aforementioned “Shark Tank.”

Entrepreneur 25

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Valuation Investment Bankers 25

Venture Chronicles

APRIL 19, 2010

cities, including Chicago, Boston, New York and San Francisco, for large groups of potential buyers on the Web, through email or via social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. From Groupon Grabs $135 Million From DST and Battery–Valuation Above $1 Billion for Social Buying Site | Kara Swisher | BoomTown | AllThingsD ].

San Francisco 39

San Francisco Stock Options Valuation Chicago 39

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 10, 2017

Dallas at night I would venture to say it is shared by other non-Dallas-ites, as a city whose residents consider themselves more cosmopolitan, a bit more reserved, and a cut above the rest of the Texas social scene, more in the national league of NY, LA, or Chicago.

Dallas 60

Dallas Austin Texas Cofounder 60

dondodge.typepad.com

JANUARY 15, 2011

The entrepreneur expects the company to be worth many times this valuation and so does the investor. The key is to have several VCs or investors competing for the deal to arrive at a "fair" valuation. So they will give you a pre-money valuation somewhere around the amount you raise. That is how much you should raise.

Equity 40

Equity Employee Dilution Valuation 40