Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

When I first read Paul Graham’s blog post on “High Resolution&# Financing I read it as a treatise arguing that convertible notes are better than equity. I talked about this in my social proof post where I gave some suggestions about how to get the early guys off of the fence. Markets always evolve toward higher resolution.

Finance 286

Finance Term Sheet Technical Review Warrant 286

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

You will build out features or expend to platforms — often before you have enough market feedback to warrant it. My analogy was that there are markets where it’s relatively easier to raise capital and therefore you should take a little bit more but you should create a budget where you only spend 70% of what you raise on a pace of 18 months.

Pre-Money Valuation 292

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Early Stage Startup 292

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. It’s true that some later-stage private equity firms like to fund “roll ups” (a company that acquires many related companies in it sector), but this is seldom the domain of VCs.

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

Let’s take a few minutes to examine the kind of equity financing available to small or early stage businesses. There are other classes of equity investors for small or early stage businesses that we have not yet considered. The post When should you go for equity financing? Friends and family investors.

Equity 62

Equity Finance Liquidity Event Angel Groups 62

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

As a result of the IPO window shifting we saw a massive inflow of public-market capital into the latest stages of venture. why the hell has seed financing declined so much in the past 3 years?? if you want to download the deck it’s here on SlideShare ) Why Did The Seed Market Emerge in the First Place?

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage IPO 328

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

The next reason is to establish a competitive advantage over your competition and quickly acquire a substantial market share. Let’s take an example – In the case of an internet or app business, the user traction and market penetration is a must. These usually play a role in the very early stage of your business, primarily pre-revenue.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 26, 2020

If you are building a startup, you’ll find no shortage of people who are willing to give you advice, particularly when it comes to raising financing. To do that you have to show how your market is big enough (a multi-billion dollar market) to support that kind of valuation. Why does it need to be a small market?

Finance 205

Finance Silicon Valley Valuation Startup 205

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

We are in a bubble (with so many private $1bn+ valuations). 15 years ago we were at the peak of Internet hype with the launch of many over-capitalized businesses with a market size & opportunity was limited. The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). Where are we today?

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And the loosening of federal monetary policies, particularly in the US, has pushed more dollars into the venture ecosystems at every stage of financing. With the enormous changes to our economies and financial markets?—?how how on Earth could the venture capital market stand still? What Has Changed in Financing?

Pre-Money Valuation 471

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Venture Capital Early Stage 471

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

As an early-stage company that just closed our seed round at $8.1 There are currently tons of “zombie” startups that have runway, but growth has slowed and they have valuations that they won’t be able to grow into. So what does an early-stage company do to avoid the doom and gloom plaguing the world of startups?

Early Stage 110

Early Stage Los Angeles Silicon Valley Cofounder 110

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

Was Paul Graham right in his “high resolution” financing post? What the entrepreneurs were really saying is, “I don’t want to take a lower valuation now, while I don’t have customers or a full team. This has worked very well in the 2009-2012 time frame because the tech market has boomed in this period.

Ratchet 354

Ratchet Liquidation Preference Equity Stock 354

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 7, 2010

Bottom line, early stage equity is very, very expensive. So at any point, if you are trying to raise money, and you are hearing from investors that you are too early and have too little validation, it may be a good thing. That is debt financing that converts into equity at the Series A valuation once the price for that is set.

Valuation 119

Valuation Silicon Valley Pre-Money Valuation Bootstrapping 119

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 28, 2022

This article will assist you in gaining a fundamental understanding of equity valuation, kinds of equity, and other related topics. The market regards equity as an ownership “share” in a corporation’s income revenue stream. Equities are market-linked investments that do not guarantee a fixed rate of return.

Valuation 108

Valuation Equity Warrant Common Stock 108

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. I can’t control the market. Private markets for stocks are the opposite.

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Prorata rights are one of the most important rights of a private market technology investors and yet are seldom fully understood. They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. I have seen bad behavior from later-stage VCs, believe me.

Technical Review 336

Technical Review Later Stage Early Stage LP 336

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Using NextView as an example, since we both seek to lead the seed round and only lead during this round, I’ve seen this trend manifest in one of two ways: In a priced round, the entrepreneur will often share their valuation ask (or a stated floor) for the pre-money valuation of their company much sooner in the process.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2022

Yves Sisteron , Stuart Lander & I (depicted in the photo below) have worked together for more than 22 years now and that has taken us through many cycles of market enthusiasm & panic. Obviously the funding environment has changed considerably in 2022 but as early-stage investors our daily jobs stay largely unchanged.

San Francisco 408

San Francisco Early Stage Venture Capital Los Angeles 408

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Once you have a potential investor excited about your team, your product, and your company, the investor will inevitably ask “What is your company’s valuation?” The founders now need a $1M Angel investment to do the marketing for a national NewCo rollout, build a team to manage the rollout, and maybe even pay themselves a salary.

Valuation 270

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 270

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

The key to being able to run a business that isn’t yet profitable (on operating margin) is availability of capital to finance losses and preferably at a cost that isn’t too punitive to the founders and employees. That’s because CAC needs to take into account all of your marketing spend to truly understand how much each customer costs you.

Metrics 150

Metrics Cost Acquisition Startup 150

View from Seed

JANUARY 27, 2021

. $100M is a meaningful increase from our $50M third fund, though it’s still quite small in the grand scheme of venture, especially amid the recent wave of late stage financings and SPACs. We believe that this fund is the perfect size for us to be the best possible partners to early-stage entrepreneurs today.

LP 411

LP Early Stage Seed Stage Venture Capital 411

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

As an early-stage VC I love this phase. What sized team can I afford in order to sell, market & provide service to these customers? But expanding beyond our core customers was going to take more effort than simply launching in new markets. How profitable is my product or service?

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

David Cohen

DECEMBER 9, 2020

Back in April of this year I wrote “ Are financings and M&A slowing down during the pandemic? The M&A data implies that the market “flinched” in April 2020. But, as the stock market came back so did the acquirers, just as quickly. Total Financing YTD. Here’s an update to that data through the end of October, 2020.

Finance 115

Finance Early Stage Startup Valuation 115

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

The value ascribed by subsequent investors (in a secondary); buyers (acquisition); or the public markets (IPO). Yes, via conversion rights at a valuation cap. Yes, via conversion rights at a valuation cap. On average, founders own just 43% of equity by Series B , declining thereafter. Volatile, uncapped.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

View from Seed

APRIL 20, 2020

As we have discussed elsewhere, the world of early stage investing is shifting from FOMO ( F ear O f M issing O ut) to FOLD (Fear Of Looking Dumb). Starting today, we will begin accepting our first cohort of startups into the program: WHO : Pre-Seed & Seed stage startups located anywhere focused on the U.S.

B2B 436

B2B Seed Stage B2C Programming 436

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

That’s because obtaining a pre-money valuation for a concept level technology company in excess of $1 million is difficult, particularly for a startup founder without a proven track record. By contrast, obtaining a pre-money valuation of $5 million for a business with a new viable product and even very minimal sales is somewhat reasonable.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

The Valley has obsessed with a quick up-and-to-right momentum story because we were thought to live in “winner take most” markets. But markets have changed and I think investors, founders and experienced executives who want to join later-stage startups can all benefit from playing the long game. It literally drove FOMO.

Venture Capital 363

Venture Capital LP Valuation Later Stage 363

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 11, 2015

With the daily demands of running a business along with the financial pressures and challenges inherent in early-stage companies, a business valuation may not be the first thing an entrepreneur thinks of when he awakes each morning. When does a startup company need a business valuation?

Valuation 100

Valuation Stock Options CPA Merger 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Once you have a potential investor excited about your team, your product, and your company, the investor will inevitably ask “What is your company’s valuation?” How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? This is the most concrete valuation element, usually called the asset approach.

Valuation 234

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Startup 234

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2015

If you didn’t notice that the stock markets in the US dropped nearly 4% today (after falling last Thursday and Friday) then you were probably completely off-the-grid and on vacation. And by this I assume he meant that “market prognosticator twitter” was vomitous. It was a nerve racking morning. Neither do I.

Stock 150

Stock Finance Marketing Valuation 150

Gust

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Once you have a potential investor excited about your team, your product, and your company, the investor will inevitably ask “What is your company’s valuation?” The founders now need a $1M Angel investment to do the marketing for a national NewCo rollout, build a team to manage the rollout, and maybe even pay themselves a salary.

Valuation 187

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 187

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

In liquid markets, most of the calories expended on technology and analytics are focused on trade selection, or “ origination ”. I use another live Google doc to maintain my database of companies I’m marketing to other VCs. 2) Market . Many tools designed for B2B marketing in general are also relevant to investors.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

I recently wrote a post on angel financing covering the topic of convertible notes but I realized I was thinking about the issue more from investor perspective and a very narrow topic of how to price the round. So if you’re casually reading and don’t really care about angel financing – abort now!

Silicon Valley 291

Silicon Valley Ireland Technical Review Valuation 291

David Cohen

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

Back in April of this year I wrote “ Are financings and M&A slowing down during the pandemic? The M&A data implies that the market “flinched” in April 2020. But, as the stock market came back so did the acquirers, just as quickly. Total Financing YTD. Here’s an update to that data through the end of October, 2020.

Finance 95

Finance Early Stage Startup Valuation 95

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Bottom Up Market Sizing » January 12, 2010. Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations. The Valuation Question. When companies seeking their first round of serious funding are good enough to receive a term-sheet from an investor, the first issue that always arises is valuation.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Steve Blank

AUGUST 19, 2013

In the last six years half the VC’s in the space have disappeared , unable to raise new funds, and the number of biotech and device startups getting first round financing has dropped by half. And while the vast majority of Life Science exits remain below $125M, other sectors have seen exit valuations soar. WTF is going on?

Venture Capital 301

Venture Capital Startup Lean Philadelphia 301

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2020

In the interim, there is no market for the shares, and no dividends or interest. Insist on paying market rates for commercial loans, since the IRS can instigate some nasty consequences on “gifts.” Offering debt is better than offering direct equity, especially in early stages when you have no valuation for setting equity percentages.

Management 308

Management Cram Down Angel Investor Equity 308

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

In short, we’re seeking to invest in early-stage startups that are leveraging digital technologies to improve the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. Instead, the sole goal with of the program is RESULTS, namely: Demonstrably advancing startups towards true product-market fit.

Seed Stage 285

Seed Stage Programming Finance B2B 285