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. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Angel Investor 246

Angel Investor IRR Venture Capital Valuation 246

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 13, 2024

Startups in the cybersecurity sector are facing a daunting market environment , contending with decreased valuations and increasing pressure to sell while competing for vital funding and collaborations.

Down Round 154

Down Round Marketing Artificial Inteligence Startup 154

Gust

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

We recently started a series of posts on establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup companies for purposes of investment by seed and startup investors. He has invested in more than 70 startup ventures. Add to Pre-money Valuation. If present, then Dave’s valuation is sound. Characteristic.

Valuation 79

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Southern California 79

Austin Startup

APRIL 25, 2017

In summary: Snap’s current business doesn’t justify a $20B valuation. How can one justify a $20B valuation for Snap? While not all of our investments will pay off in the long run, we are willing to take these risks in an attempt to create the best and most differentiated products in the market.”

Valuation 48

Valuation Technical Review Forecast Social Network 48

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The default answer, to keep peace in the family, is to split everything equally, but that’s a terrible answer, since now no one is in control, and startups need a clear leader. Now comes the reality check.

Equity 238

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 238

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 21, 2017

Startups shouldn’t act smug about this. Even for startups, it takes years for a new product to become good enough to demand many millions of dollars in revenue.). Even if this costs more than 2 years of in-house assembly, it’s still worth it, due to accelerating revenue growth due to up-sales and market-differentiation.

Balance Sheet 242

Balance Sheet Vertical Acquisition Revenue 242

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The default answer, to keep peace in the family, is to split everything equally, but that’s a terrible answer, since now no one is in control, and startups need a clear leader. Now comes the reality check.

Equity 120

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. Venture capital dispensed quarterly to startups continues to decline, down to about $3 billion in the first quarter, which is the lowest level since 1997. Tags: entrepreneur startup investor super angels founder. That model doesn’t seem to work any more.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

For early-stage startups, the goodwill component can easily exceed the size of all the financial elements together, or can just as easily mark a company with good financials as not investable. For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Performance accountability processes.

Leadership 120

Leadership Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation 120

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

We are in a bubble (with so many private $1bn+ valuations). pre-money valuation you certainly would want to exercise your right to continue investing if you had prorata rights. ” The pioneering fund of funds realize that their source of differentiation is much more about the latter than the former. Where are we today? .”

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

Two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The default answer, to keep peace in the family, is to split everything equally, but that’s a terrible answer, since now no one is in control, and startups need a clear leader. Now comes the reality check.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. Venture capital dispensed quarterly to startups actually declined again in the first quarter of 2013 to $6.3 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.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

While there is much discussion about VCs starting to pull back on their investments into startups, the LPs we surveyed don’t expect to slow the pace of investment into VC funds themselves – at least for the foreseeable future. That’s money that fuels our startup ecosystems.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital LP Silicon Valley Marketing 150

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

In the startup world, opportunities are fleeting, and obstacles are ubiquitous. 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.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

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. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Entrepreneur IRR Valuation 314

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. Which Startup Investors Pulled Back The Most So Far In 2022? The bull market is over.

Venture Capital 183

Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation Startup 183

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2021

In startup business plans, a bubble is too many entrepreneurs and too many investors chasing the latest “next big thing,” like Google search engine, Facebook social network, or Amazon e-commerce site. In startups, a great success like Google causes busts by stimulating more supply, without regard to demand. High valuation, low profit.

Demand 362

Demand Government Venture Capital Valuation 362

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

You need a set of innate skills that differentiate you from the thousands of others who set out on your similar journey. My partner Steven Dietz is an auto enthusiast and more than just an admirer of amazing cars he has worked around the auto industry for 20 years and backed a couple of billion-dollar startups in the category.

Video 373

Video Valuation Differentiation Distribution 373

Start Up Blog

DECEMBER 30, 2013

I’ve been reviewing my notepad from 2013 and thought I’d share my insights into what’s changed and the big issues from my perspective in startups, business and technology. Now the only differentiator is size preference and UX. . Tech valuations & bubblenomics: Crazy company valuations continue to astound.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Valuation Software Review Social Media 100

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. 90% of the airtime around ownership and valuations is focused on what happens when the first check is written. Also, being too dogmatic isn’t very fun J.

IRR 205

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 205

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. 90% of the airtime around ownership and valuations is focused on what happens when the first check is written. Also, being too dogmatic isn’t very fun J.

IRR 156

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 156

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

Here are five financial concepts that every startup founder should know to build an everlasting company. Asset valuation. The concept of asset valuation may seem counterintuitive, but it is an important idea. The basic lesson that founders can learn about asset valuation is that Accounting is past and Finance is future.

Founder 118

Founder Valuation Dividend Startup 118

Up and Running

DECEMBER 22, 2015

We don’t just reject startups; we explain why. Angel investors are individuals willing to invest their own money to fund new startups. Most of them have made money with startups; they’ve been through the ringer, they’ve succeeded, and they are in a position to share. So if you’re a startup, always focus on listening first.

Angel Investor 60

Angel Investor IRR Software Review Startup 60

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Smart is simply not a differentiator. Politics are a part of human nature and thus a part of all startups. As I like to say “ Startups are all naked in the mirror ” (we see our own flaws but see everybody else in their Sunday best.). Startups are hard. Startup Advice VC Industry' FourSquare.

Portfolio 364

Portfolio Chicago Sales Incubator 364

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. 90% of the airtime around ownership and valuations is focused on what happens when the first check is written. Also, being too dogmatic isn’t very fun J.

IRR 136

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 136

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

Waterloo, Canada-based Kik recently passed 80 million users, which was given particular significance from local media who noted that it took the 4-and-a-half year old startup past BlackBerry and its BBM mobile messaging solution. Far from a publicity stunt, the deal was a win-win for Kik’s investment and the startup scene in general.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur CTO Hire Startup Mobile 167

The Equity Kicker

AUGUST 8, 2017

To do that they must pass valuation milestones. The major concern we had is that AI more generally has been a popular investment theme with other investors for some time and we wanted to make sure that Applied AI is sufficiently differentiated to be a viable investment focus for Forward Partners.

Artificial Inteligence 78

Artificial Inteligence eCommerce Early Stage Algorithm 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor IRR Valuation Startup 120

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 8, 2023

At the time, this is last quarter and the stock market has trended upwards nicely since then (a potential leading indicator of private tech valuations), we all agreed venture portfolios were probably still 25-40% overvalued. Valuations. Lower performing VCs will disappear faster and new entrants will differentiate themselves.

Portfolio 98

Portfolio Cap Table LP Valuation 98

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. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup.

Angel Investor 266

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Venture Capital IRR 266

The Equity Kicker

FEBRUARY 8, 2012

VCs without experience (which can come from either investing or operating) often struggle to differentiate between a good product and a bad one. Valuation for Pre-revenue, pre-traction startup (jackyyapp.com). Finally, investors often ask ‘third party’ experts for an opinion. Related articles. askthevc.com).

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Product Venture Capital Valuation 123

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 15, 2017

As is often the case in startups, the desire to create may be outweighing the motivation to monetize, particularly if there are no hungry investors expecting venture returns. That last sentence gets at the heart of the primary monetization tension in a startup. A good example is the marketing technology sector.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Nevada Silicon Valley 48

Hippoland

JULY 24, 2016

Valuation is a nebulous topic amongst early stage startups, so I thought I’d really spell it out in detail. In short: Valuations for seed stage companies are fairly arbitrary and driven solely by supply and demand. Your startup’s valuation is not based on a proforma of your revenue.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Valuation Vertical Demand 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2016

But in my experience as a startup advisor, too many entrepreneurs get stuck there, and always find excuses for not really exploring mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and alliance alternatives. Of course, they all prefer cash, but some may work for future revenue or startup equity. Investigate strategic alliance alternatives.

Merger 120

Merger Intellectual Property Startup Acquisition 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2011

In startup business plans, a bubble is too many entrepreneurs and too many investors chasing the latest “next big thing,” like Google search engine, Facebook social network, or Amazon e-commerce site. In startups, a great success like Google causes busts by stimulating more supply, without regard to demand. High valuation, low profit.

Startup 225

Startup Demand Green Government 225

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Advisory Board Liquidity Event Startup 120

Venture Chronicles

MAY 26, 2010

Back in March, Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz wrote a post called The Case For The Fat Startup, where he outlined some of the reasons why a fledging company might want to consider taking a large amount of funding — a strategy that contrasts with the ‘lean startup’ model that has become common in Silicon Valley.

Lean 40

Lean Early Stage Valuation Startup 40