Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2015

If you are a 20-something tech entrepreneur you could be forgiven for thinking that seed-stage investors, Angellist Syndicates and widely available angel money always existed. I was out to raise my first seed money in my second startup of $500,000. Some quick highlights include: The Role of a Seed Stage VC.

Seed Stage 150

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 150

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

This post assumes that, for a company’s early seed round, they’ve decided to use convertible notes or SAFEs; because the majority of startups do. SAFEs and Notes are optimized for speed and simplicity, with a cost of future uncertainty and dilution. They have their downsides, which are discussed in some of the above links.

Valuation 48

Valuation Dilution Silicon Valley Seed Stage 48

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

So they set up seed programs that allowed for rapid decisions for $500k or less, often done as convertible debt for both speed and cost reasons. And I’ve just completed my first seed deal of Ad.ly ($500k) with another exciting deal I hope to announce within 30 days. They do many early-stage deals. What gives?

Software Review 283

Software Review Term Sheet Due Diligence Southern California 283

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

It wasnt because they werent accredited investors that I didntask my parents for seed money, though. When we were starting Viaweb,I didnt know about the concept of an accredited investor, anddidnt stop to think about the value of investors connections.The reason I didnt take money from my parents was that I didntwant them to lose it.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76

www.paulgraham.com

AUGUST 1, 2008

This is a problem for founders, because it makes raising money take longer and cost more in legal fees. Back when it cost a lot to start a startup, you had to convince investors to let you do it. The mobility of seed-stage startups means that seed funding is a national business. Ask anyone whos done it.

Web 54

Web Startup Silicon Valley Technical Review 54

pandodaily.com

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

If you are raising a seed round now, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself. There are still the same debates on whether or not you should take seed money from VCs. Lastly, seed-stage entrepreneurs who have pushed for the maximum valuation possible haven’t done themselves any favors.

Technical Review 93

Technical Review Silicon Valley Incubator Syria 93