Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

We are often asked how companies get funded, why VCs make the decisions we make and what we’re looking for in entrepreneurs. At Upfront we’re totally fine funding entrepreneurs who have done multiple businesses in the past – in fact we like it. But I’m guessing the narrative is similar elsewhere. Plus physical.

Technical Review 373

Technical Review North America Los Angeles Cofounder 373

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 25, 2018

I think that young entrepreneurs today are particularly enthusiastic. That enthusiasm will go a long way when entrepreneurs are looking for venture capitalists and other investors to invest money into their operations. Even better, Attanasio says, is if they have done extensive due diligence first.

Partner 113

Partner Technical Review Management Due Diligence 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2011

Most entrepreneurs work long hours and weekends to get the job done. Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales. Thus you should do the same or more due diligence on educational background, previous work, and references. Compatible work styles. Passion for what they do.

Partner 240

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 240

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2010

Most entrepreneurs work long hours and weekends to get the job done. Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales. Thus you should do the same or more due diligence on educational background, previous work, and references. Compatible work styles. Passion for what they do. Marty Zwilling.

Partner 230

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 230

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Most healthy businesses need business financing at some point. Startups have to deal with starting costs and ongoing businesses have to finance growth and working capital. Financing options depend on what kind of business you have. Don’t waste your time looking for the wrong kind of financing. You should.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

Austin Startup

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

Any founding business requires at least two key figures: One who knows the business, the Entrepreneur; and the Architect who puts ideas into motion. Keep in mind, you can be anyone — the Entrepreneur, the Architect, or some guy with a bright idea (We’ll come back to this one later), but building a strong team tops the list.

Software Review 54

Software Review Technical Review CTO Hire San Antonio 54

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

After a couple of due diligence meetings with the investor and our attorneys, he gave us the check. Now, if you’re a savvy investor or entrepreneur, I’m sure your jaw just dropped as you read that. Now, if you’re a savvy investor or entrepreneur, I’m sure your jaw just dropped as you read that. ownership and never dilute.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Up and Running

DECEMBER 18, 2013

Kiva is a non-profit organization that partners with microfinance institutions (Kiva’s “field partners”) in third-world countries to offer small loans to budding entrepreneurs. CircleUp is an angel investor site dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs with retail and consumer goods businesses. If you’re interested in angel investment….

Kenya 119

Kenya Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review 119

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

2 : What entrepreneurs do you admire and why? If investors find your pitch interesting, they will want to begin what’s called the due diligence process. What the investor are looking for here is who are your mentors and advisers. This is a fun question. 3 : How do you track trends in your market?

Software Review 147

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Exit Strategy 147

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). And even with the significant cost of credit card debt, many entrepreneurs aggressively use existing cards to finance a startup.

Private Equity 118

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 118

VC Cafe

APRIL 8, 2011

VC Cafe asked entrepreneurs to tell us what type of help or support they wish they could get from the venture capital investors. What started originally as how can VCs differentiate themselves to stand out, quickly became an Entrepreneur’s wish list from its VCs. Several entrepreneurs asked: Not just the what but the why.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Due Diligence Hosting Harvest 101

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

To find out how real startup founders dealt with the accelerator issue, we asked eight successful entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to share their experiences – and their advice for other founders considering a startup accelerator. Match Startup Needs To Accelerator Offerings. Do Your Due Diligence.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Chile Startup Due Diligence 60

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 22, 2017

Your first instructor may or may not be the best match for you in terms of teaching style or personal chemistry. My net takeaway is that helping entrepreneurs master the startup process is analogous to my comments about teaching golf. Yes, there are a few self-taught naturals, like Bubba Watson, and, uh…Sam Snead (1912–2002).

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Incubator Software Review Vertical 48

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 6, 2017

Yet too many entrepreneurs think of their businesses as outside the traditional funding model. Make sure the offer matches your values and goals, and appeals to the kind of investors you want. Certain investors expect copious amounts of “due diligence” materials — financials, projections, analysis of competitors, and more.

Due Diligence 170

Due Diligence Bootstrapping Community Salary 170

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

You can conduct group interviews, get your candidate “liquored up” (not a recommendation), and even have a trial period on the job to see if there’s a good match. Messy cap tables can come back to haunt you when you do a financing or sell the company. You also must give thought to the priorities of tasks at hand.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 29, 2011

I had an interesting conversation with an entrepreneur last week about how he decided which VCs he was going to pitch. At the same time, I had lunch with someone yesterday who regularly ran into early stage entrepreneurs who was surprised to hear that I didn't mind if they made intros to me.

Technical Review 114

Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence Venture Capital 114

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). And even with the significant cost of credit card debt, many entrepreneurs aggressively use existing cards to finance a startup.

Private Equity 106

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 106

genylabs.typepad.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

The Changing Face of Entrepreneurs. The Connected World of Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Magazine Blog. I wont bother going into details on start-up financing terms ( see this post for an overview of typical VC terms) except to say if you dont know and understand: the firms cap table and valuation. Disclosure Policy.

Equity 40

Equity Technical Review San Jose Stock 40

The Equity Kicker

JULY 4, 2012

Regular readers will be well aware that through 2011 and into early 2012 Nicholas Lovell and I were writing a series of 50 blog posts designed to help entrepreneurs with the fundraising process, and that we intended to publish them in book format once we were finished. The deal almost dies during due diligence.

Venture Capital 107

Venture Capital Due Diligence Participating Preferred Dilution 107

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

. × At Greylock , my partners and I are driven by one guiding mission: always help entrepreneurs. 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. Entrepreneurs often ask me for help with their pitch decks.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Revenue Viral Networking 111

Berkonomics

JANUARY 20, 2010

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder is able to self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). And even with the significant cost of credit card debt, many entrepreneurs aggressively use existing cards to finance a startup.

Private Equity 69

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 69

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

He is the known guru in business planning, particularly for small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs, although he’s worked with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies as well. ” and our first instinct as entrepreneurs and business owners is yes, let’s do drive-through. We want to do everything for everybody.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. The Traditional VC Pitch Entrepreneurs who pursue the traditional product development model don’t have customer data to answer these questions. How many are there? Is there a profitable business model?

Customer Development 264

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 264

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. I never suggest that entrepreneurs just randomly pitch VCs. ” These are people with whom there is a likely match for your product or service. You’ll never make a great entrepreneur. Tell a friend!

Developer 366

Developer Silicon Valley PR Las Vegas 366

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Fred Wilson warns that it is starting to feel like a bubble again, with VCs writing $5 and $10 million dollar checks with very little due diligence, sometimes showing up to a first meeting with a term sheet… Israeli startup headlines for Nov 15, 2010. Dear Entrepreneur, Are You Happy? Funding news. venturebeat ].

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Matching Venture Capital 79

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Fred Wilson warns that it is starting to feel like a bubble again, with VCs writing $5 and $10 million dollar checks with very little due diligence, sometimes showing up to a first meeting with a term sheet… Israeli startup headlines for Nov 15, 2010. Dear Entrepreneur, Are You Happy? Funding news. venturebeat ].

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Matching Venture Capital 79

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Fred Wilson warns that it is starting to feel like a bubble again, with VCs writing $5 and $10 million dollar checks with very little due diligence, sometimes showing up to a first meeting with a term sheet… Israeli startup headlines for Nov 15, 2010. Dear Entrepreneur, Are You Happy? Funding news. venturebeat ].

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Matching Venture Capital 79

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Fred Wilson warns that it is starting to feel like a bubble again, with VCs writing $5 and $10 million dollar checks with very little due diligence, sometimes showing up to a first meeting with a term sheet… Israeli startup headlines for Nov 15, 2010. Dear Entrepreneur, Are You Happy? Funding news. venturebeat ].

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Venture Capital Matching 79

crowdSPRING Blog

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Ramon Ray , a successful entrepreneur, speaker, best selling author, and one of the country’s top small business experts, meets with thousands of small business owners every year. Entrepreneur outlined this in their look at USP : Pinpointing your USP requires some hard soul-searching and creativity. Typography.

Marketing 162

Marketing Charlotte Naming Design 162

www.chubbybrain.com

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

We love a good entrepreneurial success story – entrepreneur as protagonist overcomes obstacles and builds a thriving, successful company (and become wealthy while doing so). I would advise any entrepreneur or investor considering content to think twice, as Howard Lindzon from Wallstrip warned us. It’s free.

Software Review 79

Software Review Startup Technical Review Vesting 79

Up and Running

OCTOBER 29, 2015

While some entrepreneurs think it’s unnecessary to write a business plan—especially if outside financing is not needed—I highly disagree. Plan for your buyer’s due diligence . In most instances, buyers use due diligence to ensure against the downside risk. In short, it’s just good business.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Due Diligence Intellectual Property Valuation 60