View from Seed

JANUARY 11, 2021

Noting our own experience, we questioned whether the fast proliferation of virtual interaction introduced by the COVID-19 crisis had changed investor decision-making more broadly across the venture capital industry. Following initial decision paralysis, many venture capitalists have returned to pace.

Venture Capital 350

Venture Capital Cofounder Early Stage Seed Stage 350

VC Cafe

MAY 29, 2022

Building on my post on ‘ Advice for startups in a downturn (May 2022 edition) ‘, this week I continued to follow with interest the impact of the current correction on startups and venture capital, particularly in early stage. How much of the slowdown in venture capital is real vs. ‘doom and gloom’ headlines.

Venture Capital 183

Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation Startup 183

ReadWriteStart

JULY 5, 2023

Neko Health is well positioned to achieve its goals, as the board of directors recently welcomed notable investors such as Niklas Zennstrom, co-founder of Skype, and Klaus Hommels, founder of the venture capital firm Lakestar.

Sweden 126

Sweden Artificial Inteligence Cofounder Technical Review 126

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago. It turns out it actually takes time to build a high-growth business with differentiated intellectual property and roll out large, enterprise-class marketing solutions. 5 years ago. 5 years ago.

Los Angeles 387

Los Angeles Intellectual Property LP Venture Capital 387

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

There has been much discussion in the past few years of the changing structure of the venture capital industry. The rise of alternative sources of capital (crowd funding and the like). But it still takes VC to scale a business (thus large capital into industry winners like Uber, Airbnb, SnapChat, etc).

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

thebarefootvc

MAY 8, 2012

It is the human capital involved, both internally with company teams and externally with advisors, boards and investors, that is going to differentiate which startups survive and become the disruptive businesses of tomorrow. Money is fast turning into a commodity.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Syndicate Syndication Bandwidth 78

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. That way, if one of the partners disappears, or their role changes, a portion of the equity can be re-captured and reallocated to the other members. Now comes the reality check.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) was turned upside down by the recent Recession, and many other changes in the marketplace. I would conclude that the genesis of this trend comes from several forces, including the following: Less investment capital available.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

by Lu Zhang, founder and managing partner of Fusion Fund. Competition from other startups and established incumbents, constraints on time and capital, and limited access to talent and technology resources are just a few of the hurdles nearly every first-time founder faces while trying to build a business. Tailor your pitch deck.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2023

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. The amounts from angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range. How much help do you expect and need?

Angel Investor 246

Angel Investor IRR Venture Capital Valuation 246

David Teten

APRIL 13, 2021

Empirically, few small emerging investment managers hire placement agents, particularly in venture capital. Private equity/venture capital managers have a much longer duration than most any other fund type. Further reading: 15 Steps to Fundraising for Your New Venture Capital or Private Equity Fund.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Technical Review Management LP 60

Austin Startup

MAY 11, 2017

645 Ventures 645 Ventures makes deeply-researched investments in institutional Seed to Series A rounds for exceptional companies who demonstrate stellar early results in the areas of market validation, product differentiation, team strength, and brand narrative.

Private Equity 48

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage 48

Berkonomics

JANUARY 14, 2021

If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort.

Technical Review 62

Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital Differentiation 62

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series of posts and I need to file this one under both Raising Venture Capital and Startup Advice. I’m not even talking about your 12-page Powerpoint presentation that you need to raise venture capital or to talk with potential biz dev partners. Going to charge less?

Business Plan 334

Business Plan AJAX Venture Capital Technical Review 334

VC Cafe

APRIL 27, 2011

10 things VCs can do to differentiate themselves and provide more value to potential investments – based on feedback from dozens of entrepreneurs. Despite the VC’s obvious disadvantage in the early stages, marketing and differentiation of venture capital funds is limited today.

Venture Capital 90

Venture Capital Differentiation Incubator Angel Investor 90

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 12, 2018

Of course we have to believe that there is a viable market, a differentiated product offering and a chance to build something defensible but if you do those basics right you still get crushed without an amazingly talented founder. He did all of these and more. his insights and track record are looking stellar. He was steadfast.

Security 247

Security Los Angeles Silicon Valley Video 247

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) has been turned upside down by the recession, and the many other changes in the marketplace. I conclude that the genesis of this trend seems to come from several forces, including the following: Less investment capital available due to the recession.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

There are dozens of sources to help you construct your business model, and a good example is a classic book by venture capital investor Elizabeth Edwards, simply named “ Startup ,” which is really designed as a handbook for launching a company for less. How will you differentiate your product or service? Distribution.

Business Model 256

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 256

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

We were trying to optimize around a few criteria: price, size of round, number of syndicate partners and, of course, terms. It quickly became impossible to raise venture capital. It isn’t even a story about raising venture capital or M&A. You need your key negotiating partner and both sets of lawyers.

Technical Review 301

Technical Review Term Sheet Due Diligence Venture Capital 301

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. The amounts from angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range. How much help do you expect and need?

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Entrepreneur IRR Valuation 314

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. The functions of an early-stage board are pretty obvious and well understood: Providing introductions to customers, biz dev partners, recruits, the press, other investors, etc. In the Early Days.

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Early Stage Software Review Los Angeles 325

VC Cafe

AUGUST 17, 2023

I learned so much about the culture, current events, and the Israeli venture capital industry. After spending just two months in the industry, I recognize the importance of venture capital for spurring innovation, especially in Israel. I learned so much aboutIsraeli venture capital and generative AI.

Generative AI 78

Generative AI Venture Capital ChatGPT 78

The Equity Kicker

AUGUST 8, 2017

For those of you who are time poor here’s the tltr: Forward Partners operates a focused investment strategy because it helps us make better investment decisions and provide better support to our companies. For the three and a half years that we’ve been going, Forward Partners has operated a focused investment strategy.

Artificial Inteligence 78

Artificial Inteligence eCommerce Early Stage Algorithm 78

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2017

I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. A huge thank you to all of the Limited Partners who have entrusted us with your capital, time and reputations. So what does one actually do with $400,000,000?

Los Angeles 287

Los Angeles Las Vegas Venture Capital San Francisco 287

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 11, 2020

Valence is led by a talented CEO, Guy Primus and was the brainchild of my partner, Kobie Fuller. If you want to follow two great Black executives who work at the intersection of technology and venture capital make sure to click on those links and follow them on Twitter. So what exactly is Valence and why does it matter?

Founder 314

Founder Database United States Networking 314

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

And I also now have to raise money myself, but this time from bigger institutions that our industry calls LPs (limited partners). Partners make investment decisions. Also recognize that WITHIN a VC you have partners who focus on different areas. Most VC partners do 2-3 deals per year max (except for the higher volume shops).

Developer 366

Developer Silicon Valley PR Las Vegas 366

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Of partner? Smart is simply not a differentiator. And so is venture capital. Picking a VC is hard. You don’t really have much to go on to decide who would make a good fit. Reputation of firm? Deals done in your industry? It’s a bit of all of these. In fact, book smart can be a negative. Commitment.

Portfolio 364

Portfolio Chicago Sales Incubator 364

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 10, 2020

See below for a good description of what we like to see in deals at Forward Partners and what makes us different from other VCs. An interview with Nic Brisbourne, Forward Partners. Nic is also the author of one of Europe’s most popular venture capital blogs – www.theequitykicker.com. Let’s start with the obvious question.

Partner 68

Partner Early Stage Portfolio Metrics 68

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

If you’re a venture capitalist … you have limited partners that give you money to invest on their behalf, and you’re responsible for giving them outsize returns. As an entrepreneur, you’re always fighting that external war whether that’s with partners or with investors. Nayeem : (Nods.)

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Ohio Columbus Entrepreneur 120

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2017

Every year Upfront Ventures surveys Limited Partners (LPs) who are the main source of capital that invests in VC funds and thus the main source of capital that goes to startups to get an early-warning sense of the year ahead, leaving aside any Black Swans. Note that all of these names were not started in Silicon Valley.

LP 286

LP Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup 286

Genuine VC

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Last September I wrote a post outlining my view of the venture capital industry: increasingly evolving like the beer industry as it continues to mature. What’s pouring = individual partners matter. Local brewers = geography matters. For some that’s important, but for some that’s a negative.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Seed Stage Entrepreneur LP 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2014

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. The amounts from Angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range. How much help do you expect and need?

Angel Investor 266

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Venture Capital IRR 266

VC Cafe

MARCH 22, 2021

Hila spent 12 years as the VP Marketing for Israeli venture capital fund Viola before embarking on an independent CMO career for startups. These steps are vital to securing initial funding and attracting pilots, design partners, and customers. . Are brand and storytelling important before product-market-fit? Hila Shitrit Nissim.

B2C 145

B2C Marketing Stealth 145

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 30, 2015

You incorporate expected company returns, mortality rates, and fee structures to try to predict how a venture capital fund works from a cash in, cash out, and NAV standpoint. And no, the numbers don't exactly add up--but they're more than close enough for venture capital. It's also not the "average fund".

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation IRR Valuation 60

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

List key partners and resources you will need, and then list your core team as well as their roles. List key partners and resources you will need, and then list your core team as well as their roles. Step 3: Brand and differentiate yourself. If you don’t yet have a team yet, list the roles you need to hire for. or even be a U.S.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Hunter Walker

MARCH 25, 2015

Forerunner represented the best of both worlds to me – an opportunity to invest in new and innovative consumer businesses combined with an opportunity to build a new and innovative venture capital firm. HW: Is venture still an “apprenticeship” business? . EK: Absolutely.

Naming 48

Naming Technical Review Early Stage Green 48

Austin Startup

MARCH 26, 2019

Even pre-launch, there’s work you can do here to differentiate yourself. product costs, packaging, forward shipping, fulfillment, merchant fees, discounts, resellers/partners, credit card errors, returns shipping and processing, etc. At Silverton Partners, I’ve been leading the charge on our investments in fast-growing DTC brands.

Technical Review 49

Technical Review Software Review China Acquisition 49