I think we can all agree that early stage investing has changed significantly over the past 10 years and I don’t see it reversing any time soon.  This gap straddles two stages of financing - seed stage and early stage.  This early stage gap is a problem that desperately needs a solution.  MORE >>

In the “good old days,” angels invested in seed-stage startups and teed up promising companies for subsequent venture capital financing.  Larger VC rounds and the lack of early IPOs for exits have also resulted in substantially longer times to exits for venture capitalists.  My, my…how the world has changed. MORE >>

You may recall my earlier post from a few weeks ago entitled “ Are True Early Stage Investors An Endangered Species? Y Combinator , TechStars , DreamIt ), had the best chance of solving the early stage funding gap and that capital efficiencies and bootstrapping might help temporarily fill in some of the other holes.  MORE >>

The topics and issues that surrounded yesterday’s discussions included building a team at an early stage, how to hire the right people, retention, and finding the right group of advisors and investors. Usually implemented at most early stage companies. Your team is the core of your company. Don’t fear failure. MORE >>

I was just asked about a particular startup situation (seed stage, CMO hire, non-founder) and particularly what compensation and equity is appropriate. Seed Stage Compensation What are typical compensation numbers? Quick & Dirty How-To: Employee Stock Option Allocations MORE >>