This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 18, 2024

Some of these folks are founders and CEOs, but not at high-growth tech startups. While they might be generally smart, they’re unsophisticated investors who don’t know what the market is for where you are. Role When I was a lowly Analyst at Union Square Ventures, I had so many ideas for the founders we worked with.

.Net 89

.Net Cap Table Startup Technical Review 89

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

I had joined MIPS Computers, my second semiconductor company , as the VP of marketing and also took on the role of the acting VP of Sales. I worked with engineering to try to find product/market fit ( big endian or little endian ?) I worked with engineering to try to find product/market fit ( big endian or little endian ?)

Part-Time VPE 334

Part-Time VPE Employee Cofounder Hiring 334

blog.nahurst.com

JULY 19, 2010

The graphic below balances the risks cofounders take with their relative contributions to help answer this question. This covers one of the most common situations I encounter: For a pre-funding web startup whose team includes only a non-technical cofounder, how much equity should an incoming technical cofounder get?

Technical Cofounder 43

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Equity Salary 43

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

(co-written with Jamie Finney, Founding Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. This essay is part of a series on alternative VC: I: Revenue-Based Investing: a new option for founders who care about control. III: Why are Revenue-Based VCs investing in so many women and underrepresented founders?

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Furthermore, when faced with adversity only great teams can respond to competitors, markets, funding environments, staff departures, PR disasters and the like. Don’t hire people with skills and qualifications similar to yours. Hire based on functionality and avoid having too many C’s. Early Stage.

Part-Time VPE 79

Part-Time VPE Fractional VPE Cofounder CTO Hire 79

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

One great solution I see is to hire an outstanding CFO who runs both. “We’re all equal co-founders and we don’t care about titles.&# Still, I’ll bet that functionally you divide areas of competence like sales & marketing, product, engineering, biz dev, etc. .&# But they aren’t the COO.

Operations 292

Operations CTO Hire Startup Early Stage 292

YoungUpstarts

MAY 6, 2019

You are looking for cofounders that can help you build a product. You have finally found a cofounder that can take care of the startup. Market Research. In this stage, you will also search the market to check if your idea is viable. If there is a gap in the market, there will be demand. Next is marketing.

Startup 113

Startup Technical Cofounder Merger Early Stage 113

David Teten

OCTOBER 1, 2015

Should you co-found your company with a software development shop? I’ve talked with a number of software development shops who are eager to get into the business of cofounding companies, i.e., getting product revenue and equity instead of just consulting revenue. What are the terms of their relationship with the founder?

Software Developers 60

Software Developers Software Development Software Review Technical Cofounder 60

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2010

years ago and told me, “I just got offered the chance to buy this company because the founder doesn’t want to continue. How much dilution should I take for it?&# My friend’s company was pre-revenue. Me: “Zero dilution. Sometimes this involves co-CEO’s. They often involve big hugs on stage.

Merger 276

Merger Technical Review Early Stage Dilution 276

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 16, 2016

By Bryan Miles, CEO and co-founder, Miles Advisory Group, Inc. But entrepreneurs face other concerns that compete with this growth focus, including hiring, maintaining current revenue sources and distinguishing themselves from the competition. Bryan Miles is CEO & co-founder of Miles Advisory Group, Inc.

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Balance Sheet Small Business Administration Technical Review 100

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

RBI normally requires founders to pay back their investors with a fixed percentage of revenue until they have finished providing the investor with a fixed return on capital, which they agree upon in advance. For background, see Revenue-Based Investing: A New Option for Founders who Care About Control. Capital need of up to $1.5M

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

thinkspace.com

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Marketing Intern. How to Divide Equity to Startup Founders, Advisors, and Employees. The part that I’d like to zero in on is when you’ve got a high growth company what are some of the best practices out there to distribute equity to the founders, advisors, and employees? Equity for Founders. Bookkeeper.

Equity 62

Equity Employee Founder CTO Hire 62

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 1, 2009

I was reading one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs, VentureHacks, this weekend and noticed that they are running a long piece on how to pick a co-founder. Once it’s set up I recommend bringing in a co-founder and giving them 10-30% of the company depending upon when you bring them in. You’ll be fine.

Hiring 289

Hiring Cofounder Dilution Startup 289

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

What is it, and how should founders think about it? note: We’d like to be extra clear that founders should not take on venture debt if they don’t have 100% visibility into repaying the loan, as banks that need to recoup their loan my force the company or you as the guarantor into liquidation or bankruptcy.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 7, 2022

Optimizing Your Agency For Profitability written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Marcel Petitpas. In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast , I interview Marcel Petitpas. More About The Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network: Learn more here. Like this show?

Cofounder 75

Cofounder Hosting Networking Software Review 75

crowdSPRING Blog

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Chapter 7: How To Translate Your Brand Identity Into Actual Marketing. brand awareness – the ability of customers to identify a brand in a crowded market. Poor design, ineffective marketing, inconsistent messaging, and bad partnerships can all tarnish a brand. Conduct market research and perform a competitor analysis.

Marketing 162

Marketing Charlotte Naming Design 162

www.avc.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

The most common comment in this long and complicated MBA Mondays series on Employee Equity is the question of how much equity should you grant when you make a hire. For your first key hires, three, five, maybe as much as ten, you will probably not be able to use any kind of formula. Or it can be a public market comp analysis.

Equity 64

Equity Employee CTO Hire Fractional CTO 64

JANUARY 9, 2014

No clear vision or purpose This should be the starting point for any startup founder, but it’s often overlooked. By trying to appeal to everyone and adding features left, right and centre, you will actually dilute your message and could end up with a complex, bloated product. Life’s too short to build something nobody wants.”

Early Stage 102

Early Stage Startup Cofounder Design 102

The Next Web

AUGUST 19, 2013

He is the co-­founder and CEO of Quote Roller and PandaDoc. It’s always better to be earn money, not just raise it, as money you earn doesn’t dilute your ownership and reassures your investors. It’s always better to be earn money, not just raise it, as money you earn doesn’t dilute your ownership and reassures your investors.

Belarus 137

Belarus Viral Channel Startup 137

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 7, 2017

Employee options pools, typically created at the point of financings, shouldn’t be treated as haggling over dilution, but rather a strategic resource that will help founders build the best team and, by extension, a more valuable company.

Equity 94

Equity Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Founder 94

Austin Startup

JUNE 30, 2017

Background / Related Reading: Founder Education Gatekeepers and Ecosystems What is the purpose of universities? in exchange for a price: usually 6–9% of equity, with (sometimes) heavy anti-dilution rights, and pro-rata rights. Top accelerators have corrected an imbalance between the strength of founders’ networks and those of VCs.

Curation 48

Curation Startup Cofounder Equity 48

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 9, 2013

Should you increase your burn rate by adding 2 senior hires who will help you ship faster or sell more but then have less time for fund raising? Should you raise $3 million in stead of $2 million even though it means more dilution so that you will have a longer runway? Or maybe their existence itself will help accelerate fund raising.

Burn Rate 413

Burn Rate Cofounder Dilution Valuation 413

betashop.com

OCTOBER 8, 2012

A huge untapped market opportunity.?. 1 year later we sat down and had an honest conversation with ourselves and realized that our One Thing, the thing we were most passionate about, that we could realistically be the best in the world at, and that was a huge untapped market opportunity was: Design. Only do your One Thing.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Technology Software Review Valuation 108

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 5, 2010

I have personally sold many copies of his book, and continue to recommend it as one of the most important books a startup founder can read. Brant and Patrick undertook a difficult challenge: to provide a generally accessible introduction to Customer Development, without diluting its impact or dumbing-down its principles.

Customer Development 166

Customer Development Developer San Francisco Customer 166

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

For starters let me use “CEO” as a proxy to include her “inner circle” which might mean co-founders or might just mean senior execs of the business. The Mind of the Founder. A $1 trillion global market. The mind of a founder is wired differently than most people. Dilution / valuation.

Startup 417

Startup Dilution San Diego Stock Options 417

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Sales & Marketing | Wednesdays. SALES & MARKETING. Online Marketing. Bringing Innovation to Market. Back in 1997, Randy Parker was staring at a blank whiteboard, wondering where hed find the money to hire the employees and consultants he needed to build his new product. "We Finance | Tuesdays. Innovation | Fridays.

Fractional CTO 40

Fractional CTO Equity Iowa Technical Cofounder 40

maplebutter.com

JANUARY 8, 2013

You are here: Home » Hiring » Crazy! Written By Dan Martell on February 2nd, 2012 | Category: Hiring LeanStartup Marketing Metrics Startup Life | 6 Comments. Take the market and break it down into smaller chunks. Whats is the best way to find a co-founder for your startup? you can hire for those.

Technical Review 44

Technical Review Startup Cofounder Software Review 44

Austin Startup

JANUARY 11, 2020

Capital Factory’s Saturday Startup Spotlight series, where we chat with an exciting new startup and get to know their story, returns this week with the co-founder and CEO of TaxTaker : Ari Palmer. It’s now the #1 non-dilutive source of capital for businesses to continue to grow and scale, but it’s highly overlooked.

CPA 62

CPA Startup Non-Compete Cofounder 62

Rob Go

JUNE 10, 2013

A great team and a great market are both critically important—you have to have both. Write code, talk to users, and build the company (hire the best people you can find, get the culture right, fundraise, close sales, etc.) Most other things that founders do are a waste of time. Hire slow; fire fast. Schleps are good.

Startup 49

Startup Technical Cofounder Hiring Cofounder 49

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

Many cups of coffee and pizzas later, the weekend culminates in a round of presentations from the teams, which clearly articulate the startup’s pitch: problem, market, solution, team, etc. Very cool concept and I want to thank the founder Adil Mohammed for inviting me to take part in it. Know your market. Be a salesman.

Elevator Pitch 103

Elevator Pitch Incubator Technical Review Startup 103

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

And since a startup thatsucceeds ordinarily makes its founders rich, that implies gettingrich is doable too. A lot ofwould-be startup founders think the key to the whole process is theinitial idea, and from that point all you have to do is execute.Venture capitalists know better. Ideally you want between two and four founders.

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105

www.quora.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Type to Add and Search Questions; Search Topics and People Startups Startup Compensation Entrepreneurship Compensation Stock Options Major Internet Companies Silicon Valley Why is there such a large founder to early employee equity drop-off? They've got a handful of customers, maybe a few thousand users, and some initial traction.

Equity 40

Equity Employee Founder Cofounder 40

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 19, 2019

Andy Rachleff co-founded the venture capital firm Benchmark Capital in 1995. In the old days, when companies built hardware, they were all examples of high technical risk and low market risk. It was 20 to 30, not 100, because of the dilution from the capital. You knew you could build what you set out to build.

Silicon Valley 159

Silicon Valley Lean Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation 159

Startup Company Lawyer

MAY 4, 2009

Adeo Ressi , the founding member of TheFunded , recently announced the establishment of TheFunded Founder Institute. The Founder Institute helps founders launch innovative companies by providing training, services, and company-building assignments, such as incorporating the business, filing provision patents, and setting up books and records.

Founder 28

Founder Warrant San Francisco Intellectual Property 28

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 26, 2009

They had their own private forum, and a company founder (aka me) personally ran the group in its early days. Every time you listen to customers, you fear diluting your vision. They had their own private forum, and a company founder (aka me) personally ran the group in its early days. Here’s what it looks like.

Advisory Board 151

Advisory Board Customer San Francisco Lean 151

Up and Running

MARCH 13, 2013

” “Do you trust – really trust – your prospective business partners and cofounders?” ” “Hire slowly. ’ But if you do that, your efforts will be diluted. Instead, by first focusing on a market niche you can become truly great at addressing, your startup has the best shot at success.”

Entrepreneur 90

Entrepreneur Cofounder Dilution Hiring 90

Up and Running

DECEMBER 9, 2014

It started in college when I started my own music marketing and production company. My founders and I started the company about three years ago. I’m the CEO of Executive Speaking Success and I’m a long-time entrepreneur. Tell us a little bit about your entrepreneurial experience. Jared Hecht: Wonderful.

Small Business 95

Small Business Finance Forecast Metrics 95