Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Most of the experience so far has been cash versus the equity feature defined by the JOBS Act – Equity Crowdfunding (Title III) , introduced back in 2016 with 685 pages of rules. I would summarize the qualms and feedback from professional investors as the following: Crowdfunding platform costs trickle down to angel groups.

Equity 411

Equity Angel Groups Accredited Investor Due Diligence 411

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

It’s more possible to bootstrap today than a few years ago, as the cost of entry continues to go down. With one of the many new tools , and a dose of sweat equity, you can create a website for almost nothing -- and you are on your way to success with ecommerce, your latest invention or personal services.

Equity 349

Equity Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity 349

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

So the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90% of the equity. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone. Amount of venture funding provided.

Equity 120

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cash flow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 310

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Salary Angel Investor 310

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

It is going to cost a lot of money just to get the initial batch of products to test the market and would definitely require external funding. Forms of funding. ? Equity investment. Equity investment is the most popular and most talked-about avenue for startup funding. Equity investors. Sources of Funding.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 12, 2014

Then, the unveiling of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed equity crowdfunding rules reveals a panacea for growing your business’s coffers. Donation and equity crowdfunding both appeal to the public’s desire to participate collectively in fulfilling others’ entrepreneurial visions. Cover Upfront Costs.

Equity 125

Equity SEC Technical Review Security 125

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2023

Most of the experience so far has been cash versus the equity feature defined by the JOBS Act – Equity Crowdfunding (Title III) , introduced back in 2016 with 685 pages of rules. I would summarize the qualms and feedback from professional investors as the following: Crowdfunding platform costs trickle down to angel groups.

Angel Groups 201

Angel Groups Accredited Investor Due Diligence Equity 201

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cash flow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 223

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 223

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

The first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90 percent of the equity. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so there is no equity value in the idea alone. Amount of venture funding provided.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

So if your costs are $500,000 per month and you have $350,000 per month in revenue then your net burn (500-350) is equal to $150,000. Gross margin (GM) is the amount of profit you make per sale of your product or service taking into account your total costs of selling that product or service. Valuation.

Burn Rate 383

Burn Rate Balance Sheet .Net Valuation 383

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

Private equity and venture capital investors are copying our sisters in the hedge fund and mutual fund world: we’re trying to automate more of our job. High-frequency trading, algorithmic by its nature, is estimated to account for at least 50% of US equity markets trading volume. . But we’re doing it slowly.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

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

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Franchises Franchises Home Franchise 500 Home-Based Low Cost Top New Fast Growing Top Global Biz Opportunities Franchises for Sale Franchises A Bright Forecast for a Solar Panel Installation Franchise. What is Sweat Equity Worth? Determining how to value sweat equity is key when negotiating with investors and employees.

Sweat Equity 55

Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

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

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 7, 2010

Bottom line, early stage equity is very, very expensive. As a thumb rule, try to get enough validation so that you can get to at least a $2 million pre-money valuation before raising equity capital. That is debt financing that converts into equity at the Series A valuation once the price for that is set. (I

Valuation 119

Valuation Silicon Valley Pre-Money Valuation Bootstrapping 119

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

As an investor, these experiences have honed my ability to see beyond spreadsheets and valuations, to the core of what makes businesses thrive: the people, the vision, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Simultaneously, we conducted a thorough operational review to identify inefficiencies and areas for cost reduction.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Due Diligence Bankruptcy Intellectual Property 134

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cashflow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 262

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Salary 262

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

The cost of giving up more equity early is often more than offset by the increased flexibility to recover from mistakes. Your startup will require more money than you expect, and the cost of going back to the well is very high. Pay people with equity or future revenue. Include buffer when you raise money. Great strategy.

Burn Rate 232

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 232

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 24, 2013

One of the challenges for investing in startups has always been the lack of an established way for founders and investors to actually measure and decide on the valuation of the startup concerned. ” Ideaspotting investment pre-money valuation valuation Worthworm'

Pre-Money Valuation 150

Pre-Money Valuation Web Technical Review Angel Investor 150

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 20, 2021

Over the past 18 months, the pandemic has reset these expectations, leading to huge increases in valuations for both public and private tech companies…not to mention venture capital returns that are far better than what we have traditionally seen! And more climate posts: Zero Marginal Cost Energy. 3/ Visions of Web 3.0.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review IPO 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down. Twenty years ago, it cost several million dollars to launch an e-commerce startup, which can be done today for a few thousand dollars. Mobile and web software apps may cost even less. Super angels sometimes drive up valuations.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 28, 2015

They also need to decide whether to structure terms as an equity deal or a convertible security deal. “And if you have a valuation cap; a higher cap is always better than a lower cap.” ” The Cost of Financing. .” ” The Cost of Financing. Even $15-20,000 is too expensive. Incorporation.

Convertible Security 100

Convertible Security IP Technical Review Software Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 28, 2011

The cost of giving up more equity early is often more than offset by the increased flexibility to recover from mistakes. Your startup will require more money than you expect, and the cost of going back to the well is very high. Pay people with equity or future revenue. Include buffer when you raise money. Great strategy.

Burn Rate 231

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 231

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2020

It’s more possible to bootstrap today than a few years ago, as the cost of entry continues to go down. With one of the many new tools , and a dose of sweat equity, you can create a website for almost nothing -- and you are on your way to success with ecommerce, your latest invention or personal services.

Hockey Stick 423

Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 423

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. A startup incubator is a company, university, or other organization which provides resources for equity to nurture young companies, helping them to survive and grow during the startup period when they are most vulnerable. Friends and family.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

Boards are not appointed to be founder-friendly lapdogs for the 1–3 founders who start companies and usually own the largest equity positions in the company. Executives run the day-to-day so often the board is more involved as a sparring partner at key intervals. The administrative work we actually do at board meetings?

Cofounder 217

Cofounder Stock Options Equity Technical Review 217

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

When I first read Paul Graham’s blog post on “High Resolution&# Financing I read it as a treatise arguing that convertible notes are better than equity. Either would be fine with startups, so long as they can easily change their valuation. He’s fine with equity provided it’s cheap to paper it legally.

Finance 286

Finance Term Sheet Technical Review Warrant 286

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2022

Here is where projections of cost, pricing, volumes and cash flow are critical. Ancillary objectives, like retiring existing debt, buying a building or paying salaries to people with equity ownership will not get traction. How much equity ownership are you willing to offer? Can you project a compelling rate of investor return?

Preferred Stock 304

Preferred Stock Exit Strategy Equity Angel Investor 304

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2011

Or the Cliff Note’s version: Open Source & Cloud Computing (led by Amazon) drove down tech startup costs by 90%. A normalization of the venture capital market will bring more rational valuations over time but should produce more stable companies and better returns for VCs and LPs. The Coming Brick Wall.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation Angel Investor 289

VC Adventure

AUGUST 15, 2018

However the board could determine what that fair market value was and, generally speaking, there wasn’t a practical way that these valuations could be challenged. Over night a cottage industry was created to conduct these valuations. So what should this discount be?

Valuation 48

Valuation Common Stock Cap Table Software Review 48

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cash flow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Will Work for Equity. Dave Graham Business Venture Capital Private Equity GlobalLogic Inc. Determined not to miss another opportunity, Graham has begun waiving fees and instead taking equity in clients he thinks have a good shot at success. Theres a huge opportunity cost in not taking equity," he says.

Arizona 40

Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

Altgate

JUNE 25, 2012

—————– Dead equity — equity held by employees and founders no longer working at the company — is a large and growing problem. Choe opted to forgo a cash payment “in the thousands” for the equity equivalent at the time. Dead equity has always been a significant issue for startups.

Equity 44

Equity Vesting Cap Table Technical Review 44

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2011

Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. A startup incubator is a company, university, or other organization which provides resources for equity to nurture young companies, helping them to survive and grow during the startup period when they are most vulnerable. Friends and family.

Technical Review 233

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 233

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2020

Here is where projections of cost, pricing, volumes and cash flow are critical. Ancillary objectives, like retiring existing debt, buying a building or paying salaries to people with equity ownership will not get traction. How much equity ownership are you willing to offer? Can you project a compelling rate of investor return?

Startup 337

Startup Preferred Stock Exit Strategy Equity 337

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

When the need is high… For the rest of us, desiring to build large, valuable enterprises quickly, the need for outside capital is high on our list of requirements and even the source for some sleepless nights as we worry over the availability and cost of capital.

Private Equity 118

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 118

Steve Blank

MARCH 12, 2014

We realized that past K-12 Entrepreneurial classes taught students “the lemonade stand” version of how to start a company: 1) come up with an idea, 2) execute the idea, 3) do the accounting (revenue, costs, etc.). We wanted to teach our students how to think like entrepreneurs not accountants.

Lean 334

Lean Customer Development Startup Silicon Valley 334