View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

*This post is part of our “pitch deck” series where we dissect the seed stage pitch deck and discuss the ideal flow for a pitch. Now it’s time to set the stage with the early traction you have. Seed stage VCs are realistic about how much traction a very raw company might have.

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Seed Stage B2B Seed Capital Revenue 149

View from Seed

OCTOBER 28, 2019

Over the past few years, “pre-seed” as a distinct category has emerged within the early stage fundraising landscape. But this financing contour description is just a proxy for underlying business metrics. We at NextView Ventures believe that the seed stage is a spectrum. A continuum.

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Seed Stage Finance Dilution Early Stage 247

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Warning – this assumes some basic knowledge of VC performance metrics. Both early- and late-stage startup valuations are currently elevated. For context, seed-stage pre-money valuations are up 24% from H1 2020 to H1 2021. For a primer, I would recommend refreshing yourself here. Ok, let’s jump in.

Valuation 319

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Distribution Early Stage 319

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Warning – this assumes some basic knowledge of VC performance metrics. Both early- and late-stage startup valuations are currently elevated. For context, seed-stage pre-money valuations are up 24% from H1 2020 to H1 2021. For a primer, I would recommend refreshing yourself here. Ok, let’s jump in.

Valuation 295

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Distribution Early Stage 295

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

In another we decended into a debate about our 5 year forecasts (I built the models so fielded most of these questions), and it became clear they probably weren’t the best fit for our Series A round (this group is no longer in the early-stage VC business). And a third firm “pressure tested” (i.e. link] dazhi chen.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

View from Seed

JUNE 10, 2020

When the culmination of an accelerator is a Demo Day show, then that is what teams prepare for and the resulting metrics by which they’re measured. Some prospective seed stage VCs may consider the remaining startups “passed over” and of lesser quality, when in reality great startups take time to mature and blossom. .

Cofounder 177

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 177

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Warning – this assumes some basic knowledge of VC performance metrics. Both early- and late-stage startup valuations are currently elevated. For context, seed-stage pre-money valuations are up 24% from H1 2020 to H1 2021. For a primer, I would recommend refreshing yourself here. Ok, let’s jump in.

Valuation 156

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Distribution Early Stage 156

K9 Ventures

APRIL 9, 2014

Instead, it was more of a result of over-funding at the seed stage. There was simply too much money coming in to the seed stage, which increased the supply of companies at the seed stage. Taken together, it means an early stage company needs to survive longer, with higher expenses.

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Mezzanine Seed Stage Early Stage IPO 134

Rob Go

JULY 17, 2014

NextView Ventures II is $40M, twice the size of our first fund, and we continue to be exclusively focused on seed-stage companies pursuing internet-enabled innovation. We’ve often explained to entrepreneurs that the second fund of a venture firm is very much like the series A for an early stage company.

Seed Stage 69

Seed Stage Early Stage Due Diligence Liquidity Event 69

Rob Go

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Early Progress: Performance is a difficult thing to measure as a seed stage fund given the time horizons and the fickleness of private company valuations. In either case, it’s a decent enough quantitative metric and an interesting data point at this stage in the portfolio’s progress. OUR INDUSTRY.

New Hampshire 50

New Hampshire Croatia Omaha Portfolio 50

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

I recently got together with Aaron Shechet and an early stage startup to discuss the direction the company might want to take. Any thoughts on my recent post Startup Metrics ? The Startup Metrics post is a good example of what I call “holocognics.” We occasionally get involved with very early stage startups.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Southern California Startup SEO 150

View from Seed

JUNE 16, 2015

And that product is a highly engaged seed-stage investment where we are usually the lead or co-lead in a round and will often take a board seat. So, the bar will be different for each investor, and for very early stage fundraising, the goal is to find true believers more than convincing skeptics. (My

Boston 120

Boston Syndicate Syndication eCommerce 120

K9 Ventures

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Not to mention that in later stages, high valuations can almost be fatal for some companies that don’t have the operating metrics to justify those valuations once the market turns. This means more noise in the system for seed stage investors. More companies get funded at the early stages.

Venture Capital 48

Venture Capital Seed Stage LP Valuation 48

View from Seed

JUNE 30, 2015

As a founder, I think it’s easier to talk to potential investors about where they invest across the lifecycle of a company (whether it’s truly early-stage/early lifecycle, for instance), versus round stages like seed, series A, etc. Almost all VCs actually invest across this spectrum.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication Dilution 120

Mucker Lab

APRIL 6, 2023

What should an early-stage startup founder focus on if they want to implement PLG? But for early stage founders, I think there are two particular scenarios where PLG can be really helpful. So for early-stage founders, those are the two scenarios where PLG might be a great fit. That's the foundation.

Product 78

Product CTO Hire Startup Fractional CTO 78

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

But in my experience as an entrepreneur and now spending my time amongst investors I can generalize that almost all VC investments in early stage technology & Internet investments come down to just four key factors. So that’s why I tell all entrepreneurs that if you want to raise money from VCs you should see them early.

Early Stage 360

Early Stage Startup Venture Capital Seed Stage 360

Hearpreneur

MAY 4, 2019

Truly new, cutting-edge ideas are too risky, too amorphous, too non-consensus to survive the metrics and evaluation process that “well-run” companies apply to capital investments. Corporate innovation is failing at a DNA level because the Big to Bigger machine has been engineered to be incompatible with New to Big.

Cofounder 66

Cofounder Founder Entrepreneur Venture Capital 66

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Now we can call you a seed-stage VC or a micro VC. This is evidenced by the current price creep that we’re experiencing for early-stage deals. .&# If you’re investing other people’s money you’re a professional money manager. But you’re not an angel.

Liquidity Event 308

Liquidity Event Silicon Valley Seed Stage Finance 308

Rob Go

NOVEMBER 15, 2016

I’ve had a couple conversations with other investors recently around what a seed stage company needs to achieve to raise a series A. Also, in a market where a bunch of high-flyers are crumbling, investors are more deliberate and less enamored by pure top line metrics.

Product 28

Product Seed Stage Seed Money Metrics 28

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

What most founders don’t realize is: Every stage of a startup requires a different set of metrics and milestones and founder skills. For startups the early stage funding landscape looks like this: Step 1: The Pre-seed round – you raise $100-$750K. Pre-seed Round of Funding. Seed Round of Funding.

Cofounder 429

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 429

Rob Go

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

For early stage companies and for our new investment activity: I’m very bullish. When you start a company, or when we make a seed investment, we are thinking about the potential for the product and company over a long 10-year+ time horizon. Were you chasing the right metrics and did you have the right priorities?

Marketing 28

Marketing Dilution Burn Rate Seed Stage 28

Rob Go

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

Usually financial metrics are pretty sparse at early stages and investors have a hard time giving companies “credit” for steady, linear progress. For seed stage companies, typically, it’s about: Compelling founder(s).

Business Model 65

Business Model Seed Stage Valuation Vertical 65

Austin Startup

MAY 19, 2018

 —  @birsic So without further ado, here are my thoughts on some dos and don’ts for early stage investors. The bottom line is that being a seed stage founder is mostly a very thankless job. Don’t boomerang founders If you have specific metrics you look for in early stage companies.

Founder 75

Founder Early Stage Software Review Deal Flow 75

Hippoland

AUGUST 31, 2018

Then I asked him about his metrics, which are good, but they are were not at series A level. All of those investors told him that he was too early. So, I thought it might make sense to take a step back and talk about all the stages of early stage fundraising here in the Silicon Valley. This was surprising to me.

Pre-Money Valuation 90

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Early Stage 90

Hippoland

AUGUST 31, 2018

Then I asked him about his metrics, which are good, but they are were not at series A level. All of those investors told him that he was too early. So, I thought it might make sense to take a step back and talk about all the stages of early stage fundraising here in the Silicon Valley. This was surprising to me.

Pre-Money Valuation 48

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Early Stage 48

Hunter Walker

DECEMBER 19, 2013

However, measuring the outcome of a fund has a long time horizon so there are several other metrics we keep on our dashboard. We were offered a substantial second slot but passed because it wouldn’t have achieved our ownership targets or desire to lean in via a board seat [note: why we think Boards at seed stage are important.

Cofounder 105

Cofounder Term Sheet Seed Stage Portfolio 105

Reid Hoffman

AUGUST 6, 2020

The term “early-stage” covers a lot of territory in venture investing, from incubating a brand-new idea, to investing in a Series A. WHAT METRICS SHOULD A FOUNDER SHOW TO RAISE A SERIES A FROM A VC FIRM LIKE GREYLOCK? Reid and I have both done Series A investments in companies that have no metrics to speak of.

Technical Review 69

Technical Review Seed Stage Software Review Early Stage 69

K9 Ventures

OCTOBER 19, 2015

I like to think of it as looking at the derivative (in a mathematical sense, not a financial sense) is often more revealing than looking at the raw change in a metric. It should be clear from the first element that the process has to begin with investors who are unusually perceptive, unconventional, iconoclastic or early.

Venture Capital 48

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Portfolio 48

Hunter Walker

MAY 1, 2016

Anneke Jong: I’ve talked to and advised many seed stage startups, and I find they often have an awesome high-level pitch, but if you start asking questions just one layer deeper, most of the answers are, “Errrr, um….we Hunter Walk: You left a gig at Google to join Reserve. It’s hard for startups to recruit from Google!

New York City 48

New York City New York Los Angeles Startup 48

Hunter Walker

MAY 1, 2016

Anneke Jong: I’ve talked to and advised many seed stage startups, and I find they often have an awesome high-level pitch, but if you start asking questions just one layer deeper, most of the answers are, “Errrr, um….we Hunter Walk: You left a gig at Google to join Reserve. It’s hard for startups to recruit from Google!

New York City 48

New York City New York Los Angeles Startup 48

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Seed Startups. VC Cafe covers early stage Israeli and European tech & mobile startups. Startup Metrics for Pirates â?? SaaS Metrics Tutorial â?? Seed Stage Valuation Guide. It used to be hard to find information about early stage startups. VC & Startup Resources. Analytics review â??

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Software Review Technical Review Startup 53