Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

And while there is a narrative that most LPs only want to invest in the long-standing Silicon Valley brands that have existed for the past 40 years, there is evidence that many LPs understand that it is possible for new entrants in our industry to stake out grounds of differentiation.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital LP Silicon Valley Marketing 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

VCs are finding that they don’t need the “large” funds of $100M to $500M to support a portfolio, if they focus on early-stage startups. Too many founders today face the conundrum that they need capital to get started, and even Angels defer until after you have your product built, business model proven, and a real revenue stream.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2016

It has grown recurring revenue by more than 500% and deal-size by 276%. For some of my more skeptical portfolio companies I simply asked them to run a trial of inbound sales calls and they were shocked. In the end I know the only true differentiator in venture capital is the company you keep.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Fractional CTO Cofounder Early Stage 150

Gust

AUGUST 24, 2014

The revenue model you select is basically the implementation of your business strategy, and the key to attaining your financial objectives. So what are some of the most common revenue models being used by startups today? Cost-based model. The customer advantage is a lower entry cost. Product is free, but you pay for services.

Revenue 184

Revenue Startup Retention Internet 184

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

VCs are finding that they don’t need the “large” funds of $100M to $500M to support a portfolio, if they focus on early-stage startups. Too many founders today face the conundrum that they need capital to get started, and even angels defer until after you have your product built, business model proven, and a real revenue stream.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

VC Cafe

MAY 29, 2022

Sequoia’s “Adapting to Endure” Sequoia presented this deck to a group of portfolio founders and it quickly spread online to founders worldwide. We may see many VC funds increase their reserves strategies to triage their portfolio through this high-bar Series A environment.

Venture Capital 183

Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation Startup 183

The Equity Kicker

FEBRUARY 8, 2012

Starting with ‘customer’, unsurprisingly, the more customers and revenues a company has the more a VC will look to what they are doing to tell him or her whether the product is good. VCs without experience (which can come from either investing or operating) often struggle to differentiate between a good product and a bad one.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Product Venture Capital Valuation 123

ConversionXL

JANUARY 18, 2022

And yet, revenue went up by 45% YoY. Your brand is how you differentiate, build awareness , and sear your solution into customers’ minds so they think of you when that time comes. It helps them audit existing content portfolios (blog posts, landing pages, etc.) A few successful brands differentiate themselves with a brand moat.

Marketing 109

Marketing Social Media Non-Compete Audience 109

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

” The pioneering fund of funds realize that their source of differentiation is much more about the latter than the former. Many prominent LPs have also recognized the “prorata opportunity” and have set up “direct investment vehicles” themselves to take prorata stakes in their managers portfolio companies.

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2012

The revenue model you select is basically the implementation of your business strategy, and the key to attaining your financial objectives. So what are some of the most common revenue models being used by startups today? Portfolio pricing. It’s great for customers, but not for startups, unless you have deep pockets.

Business Model 282

Business Model Revenue Portfolio Differentiation 282

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2013

The revenue model you select is basically the implementation of your business strategy, and the key to attaining your financial objectives. So what are some of the most common revenue models being used by startups today? Cost-based model. The customer advantage is a lower entry cost. Product is free, but you pay for services.

Product 290

Product Revenue Business Model Retention 290

Steve Blank

MAY 28, 2009

Our firm has a portfolio of companies across a broad range of markets and the way we look at it is pretty simple – the deals fall into two types: those with customer/market risk and those with invention risk.” are much more differentiating than technology. These two numbers have direct impact on revenue and financial health.

Vertical 162

Vertical Silicon Valley Marketing Customer 162

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

I’ve written on the expert network industry a fair amount in the past: see How to Earn More Consulting Revenue from Expert Networks and How Executives Can Work with Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Companies. Again, our value can really be differentiated in its scale and depth. We kind of bring it all together.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

View from Seed

DECEMBER 6, 2018

This was back in January 2012, a simpler time… when there was only one kind of seed round, when Series A firms invested pre-revenue, etc. Some Series A are very active at the seed stage, with a lot of Series A rounds they lead coming from their seed portfolio (True Ventures and Accomplice are good examples of this).

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Early Stage Differentiation Lead Investor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2010

The revenue model you select is basically the implementation of your business strategy, and the key to attaining your financial objectives. So what are some of the most common revenue models being used by startups today? Portfolio pricing. It’s great for customers, but not for startups, unless you have deep pockets.

Product 247

Product Startup Portfolio Revenue 247

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

We seed funded a company a few years ago called Parachute Home that has grown 180% CAGR (compounded annually) and is now doing tens of millions of revenue with very little capital raised. I will use some examples from Parachute and some other portfolio companies to give you examples from our experiences of watching successful brands grow.

Curation 296

Curation Los Angeles Differentiation Channel 296

David Teten

AUGUST 6, 2015

My colleague Paul Bianco serves as interim CFO for a number of ff Venture Capital ’s portfolio companies, and has built and reviewed hundreds of financial models. This allows readers to differentiate your file from all of the other files they receive, and also easily track the evolution of your document as it changes.

Balance Sheet 60

Balance Sheet Software Review Forecast Acquisition 60

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

How do they currently meet your target market’s needs, and how will you differentiate your product or services? That means you need to prepare for the ups and downs of inconsistent revenue. You need to know how much revenue you need to cover the times when things are leaner. Competitive analysis. Sales and marketing plan.

Business Plan 64

Business Plan Small Business Administration Hiring Social Media 64

Women Entrepreneurs Can

JUNE 11, 2021

With minimal risk and critical savings, you can start your portfolio investment. What Is Portfolio Investment? Portfolio Investment covers a wide range of assets that include stocks, government, and corporate bonds. The power of taking risks and the time frame are the key elements determining the portfolio.

Stock 52

Stock Securities and Exchange Commission Portfolio Dividend 52

abovethecrowd.com

OCTOBER 17, 2013

I immediately reached out to the founder and CEO, Katrina Lake , who had previously worked for another Benchmark portfolio company in the fashion space, Polyvore. The special differentiation of the company gives it not only the opportunity to be a leader in its field, but also the opportunity to revolutionize an entire industry.

eCommerce 62

eCommerce Technical Review North America San Francisco 62

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

Unless you have a differentiated angle / approach to the problem AND/OR significant traction, an investor won’t be able to understand why you stand out and why to back your horse instead of someone else’s. Note: by differentiation, I’m not talking about product or feature differentiation but outcome differentiation.

Sales Cycle 54

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 54

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 20, 2023

Provide exceptional customer service Exceptional customer service is a key differentiator in the real estate industry. If you’re an investor, you could diversify your portfolio by exploring different property types or locations. Focus on providing a seamless and memorable experience for your clients from start to finish.

Technical Review 158

Technical Review Social Media Networking Differentiation 158

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

Unless you have a differentiated angle / approach to the problem AND/OR significant traction, an investor won’t be able to understand why you stand out and why to back your horse instead of someone else’s. Note: by differentiation, I’m not talking about product or feature differentiation but outcome differentiation.

Sales Cycle 48

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 48

Lightspeed Venture Partners

DECEMBER 14, 2012

To bring an additional perspective to the conversation, I invited Lightspeed portfolio companies BloomReach, EdgeSpring, MapR, Nutanix, PernixData and Virtual Instruments who are focused on helping companies store, manage, analyze, and surface next-generation data and content.

Business Model 159

Business Model Distribution Aggregator Channel 159

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 10, 2020

They find a niche in the market where they can grow some revenues and then they raise some more money. At Forward Partners, we’ve invested massively in a team of people to support our portfolio companies – a bigger investment than any other fund in the UK. It’s got a big burn rate, it’s too big to pivot, and it goes bust.

Partner 68

Partner Early Stage Portfolio Metrics 68

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2010

The strategy of GigaOm and where they differentiate in the market. Software Helps companies rapidly convert unstructured online data and content into structured data assets that can be used to create new products, revenue Streams, and enhance current online data sets. No Financial details disclosed. Read More: TechCrunch.

Venture Capital 225

Venture Capital Non-Compete Vertical Europe 225

Hippoland

MAY 8, 2016

My colleague at 500 Startups pinged me last night with a pitch deck of one of our portfolio companies. Unfortunately, their deck was completely representative of what I see in about 99% of email pitch decks I receive. if you’re in a competitive space, how is it differentiated and 10x better than alternatives? Gawd it was TERRIBLE.

Differentiation 48

Differentiation Email Portfolio Revenue 48

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

billion in revenue and has a public enterprise value of $44 billion. And it’s easy to run circles around them as our product differentiation shows. Fragmented markets can be a great target for disruption. Public Storage does about $2.4 Why is it so valuable? They have high-priced property and zero innovation.

Video 150

Video DC Chicago Washington 150

David Teten

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

The cover note should include: name, website, location, revenues (if any), detailed financing history (if any), and precise terms on which you are seeking to raise capital. What are the expected revenues, expenses, and EBITDA three years out? ” Investors value getting a sense of your expectations. Financial Overview.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation Prospectus Early Stage 60

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 4, 2012

Multiple streams of income will be necessary — I can’t stress enough the importance of having all three types: earned, passive, and portfolio — and kids need to get their minds around this reality now. You need a differentiator. Know the difference between revenue and profits. Maybe they’re eco-friendly.

Differentiation 241

Differentiation Reputation Conversion Customer 241

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

It doesn’t matter whether an entrepreneur is in our portfolio, whether we’re considering an investment, or whether we’re casually meeting for the first time. we had no revenue. As a result, we knew that our pitch would need to steer into investors’ biggest concern: the lack of revenue. Investors see a lot of pitches.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Revenue Viral Networking 111

Hippoland

JULY 10, 2016

Let me give you an example: several of our newer portfolio companies are both marketplaces and SaaS workflow tools. If you have multiple revenue streams, please just list your primary revenue model. Part of the reason you need to do so many investor meetings is to be able to iterate on your specific messaging.

Metrics 48

Metrics Revenue Business Model Differentiation 48

www.virtuosimedia.com

MARCH 8, 2012

If the idea was reliant on ad revenue for profit, it quickly becomes apparent that there will be no incoming money at all. If there isn’t enough differentiation from competitors, the venture will fail. Your projections should provide a range of best-case/worst-case revenue scenarios over a number of years.

Technical Cofounder 41

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Technical Review NDA 41

Hearpreneur

MAY 18, 2015

One of the primary ways we extend our caring philosophy and ultimately differentiate ourselves in the marketplace is through innovative technology. This system allows us to create electronic portfolios and track developmental milestones for each child. Put them first and the revenue will follow.

New Jersey 48

New Jersey Technology Maryland Pennsylvania 48

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 14, 2010

These are areas that may be gaps in the portfolio of large companies, and are perfect for M&A deals in three to five years after building enough validation and $10-$20 million in revenue. Raymond has built a nice business through efficient distribution deals and will do about $250,000 in revenue this year. Ma Mi Skin Care.

Bootstrapping 114

Bootstrapping Marketing Angel Investor Silicon Valley 114

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 25, 2018

But, as he contended, if you can show someone that for every $5 spent you generate $25 in revenue, you have their attention. Tom Tunguz offers a framework that uses a scale from 1 to 10 to assess demand generation portfolios: 1. How many customers and much revenue could this channel bring if successful? Expand methodically.

Demand 132

Demand Vertical Campaign Channel 132

BeyondVC

JUNE 3, 2006

I recently sat in a presentation which a portfolio company CEO gave for a potential strategic partner. As one of our marketing consultants, Richard Currier, has always told our portfolio companies, "you market the vision, and sell the product."

Portfolio 60

Portfolio Early Stage Differentiation Revenue 60