Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Please see later version of this post on May 16, 2010 Entrepreneurs are often not experts in the area of term-sheet negotiations and all of the surrounding issues.   Investors sometimes “present” the terms they’d like and expect the entrepreneurs to react. Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

Together this means that Seed stage companies need to run longer and at a higher expense structure, meaning they need to raise a lot more capital. A re-jiggering of deal stages and sizes had begun in 2013. I still wanted K9 to be the first institutional money in a company and work with “frighteningly early-stage” companies.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

David Teten

AUGUST 21, 2019

Revenue-Based Investing (“RBI”) is a new form of VC financing, distinct from the preferred equity structure most VCs use. These entrepreneurs want to maintain two major options: 1) To raise VC later (or not), and/or. 2) To sell their businesses when they want – early, mid term, or never.” . But should they?

Revenue 60

Revenue Liquidation Preference Equity Cofounder 60

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 2, 2015

The other day, Mark Suster wrote a critically important post titled One Simple Paragraph Every Entrepreneur Should Add to Their Convertible Notes. As an angel investor, I have never asked for a liquidation preference on conversion that is greater than the dollars I’ve invested. Go read it – I’ll wait.

Liquidation Preference 70

Liquidation Preference Cap Table Angel Investor Post-Money Valuation 70

Austin Startup

AUGUST 1, 2017

TL;DR: In a market that has historically idolized huge, splashy financings and exits, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are realizing that everyone else’s definition of success — particularly among certain large VCs — isn’t necessarily aligned with their own. Most individual VCs can only support about 7–10 companies at a time.

Liquidation Preference 48

Liquidation Preference Common Stock Valuation Silicon Valley 48

genylabs.typepad.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

The Changing Face of Entrepreneurs. The Connected World of Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Magazine Blog. Before you agree to take equity in lieu of cash, you need to understand that any individual early stage start-up company equity is most likely going to be worthless. immigrant entrepreneurs. OReilly Radar.

Equity 40

Equity Technical Review San Jose Stock 40

Professor VC

APRIL 1, 2010

was part of a Dow Jones VentureWire webinar last week titled Negotiating An Angel Deal: What Angels, Entrepreneurs & VCs Need to Know. I prefer the traditional face to face where you can interact with the other panelists and audience, but was the first panel I did wearing my favorite flannel penguin pajamas. Well, not exactly.I

Term Sheet 32

Term Sheet Angel Investor San Jose Venture Capital 32

Feld Thoughts

JULY 14, 2015

Assuming equity is raised at or above that cap, the total dilution, before the new money, is 16.6% (equivalent to an equity financing of $1m at a $6m post money valuation. In some cases this turned into nothing, but in a few cases it had magnificent outcomes for me and my gang, along with the entrepreneurs. Sure – it happens.

Recapitalization 70

Recapitalization Pre-Money Valuation Post-Money Valuation Angel Investor 70

VC Adventure

AUGUST 30, 2010

I think the answer to these questions are that 1) it’s not at all clear that this trend is as definitive as Graham suggests; 2) it’s a mixed bag for entrepreneurs (more positive in the short run, potentially negative in the long term); and 3) it’s clearly not a positive trend for early-stage investors.

Angel Investor 103

Angel Investor Early Stage Equity Valuation 103

K9 Ventures

MARCH 23, 2011

The convertible note was really intended as an instrument for a “bridge financing” – when an equity round was imminent, and likely to occur, but the company needed some money in between. In that case, it made good sense to have a debt instrument, where the note holder then converted into equity when the financing occurred.

Pre-Money Valuation 132

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Equity Liquidation Preference 132

techcrunch.com

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

This is probably why investors’ case for a company to sell early f ocuses exclusively on the founder : in most early-stage acquisitions, the liquidation preferences and deal-sweeteners only work for investors and founders. There is no liquidation preference, severance payment or earn out.

Liquidation Preference 63

Liquidation Preference Founder Option Pool Acquisition 63

Spencer Fry

APRIL 17, 2017

But as an early stage startup, accountability is so important. You can also getaway with giving up zero-to-little equity if you finance the business out of your own pocket or through other means, such as consulting. More respect from other entrepreneurs. Nobody can tell you what to do.

Bootstrapping 63

Bootstrapping Cap Table Liquidation Preference Cofounder 63

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Historically, different financial institutions specialized in different stages, because the assessment of risk and opportunity was considered unique at each stage — for example, a seed investor was unlikely to do late-stage financing, and vice versa. You must subtract it from your top-line revenue.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

dondodge.typepad.com

JANUARY 15, 2011

Entrepreneurs face some pretty tough questions at a very early stage. How much equity should I grant to early employees? Both the entrepreneur and the investor have much higher expectations than just "even money" on their bet. Dont worry about giving up too much equity at an early stage.

Equity 40

Equity Employee Dilution Valuation 40

abovethecrowd.com

APRIL 20, 2016

Why the Unicorn Financing Market Just Became Dangerous…For All Involved. Many modern entrepreneurs have limited exposure to the notion of failure or layoffs because it has been so long since these things were common in the industry. By the first quarter of 2016, the late-stage financing market had changed materially.

IPO 40

IPO Term Sheet Silicon Valley Valuation 40