Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

I recently wrote about my views that startups rounds should be priced. If you do a capped note it’s bad for the entrepreneur. It has both a “full rachet” and “multiple liquidation preferences.” Here is what I recommend very often – privately – to startup entrepreneurs for angel funding.

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Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Warrant 294

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Does the traditional VC financing model make sense for all companies? Though RBI will displace some traditional equity VC, its much bigger impact will be to expand the pool of capital available for early-stage entrepreneurs. . 2018 also had the fewest number of angel-led financing rounds since before 2010. Absolutely not.

Revenue 60

Revenue Term Sheet Founder Technical Review 60

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. This is wrong.

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Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

Business Plan Blog

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Most startup founders do not have enough capital to launch their companies and need to raise money at some point. Individual investors who provide financial funding to startups are called ‘Angel Investors.’ Convertible Debt Financing. Convertible debt provides startups with a relatively easy way to procure financing.

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Finance Accredited Investor Angel Investor Seed Capital 93

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). Venture Capital Cafe > Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). VC & Startup Resources. Seed Startups. VC Cafe covers early stage Israeli and European tech & mobile startups. Hundreds of startups featured since 2005, will yours be next? About VC Cafe.

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Startup 53

techcrunch.com

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

As a refresher, a convertible note is a loan that automatically converts into equity upon the closing of a Series A round of financing. Although these types of notes are relatively easy and cheap to form, many have argued that these types of vehicles are not startup-friendly for a variety of reasons, which we’ll explain below.

Equity 87

Equity San Francisco Technical Review Angel Investor 87

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 28, 2022

With the rise of startups and growing businesses , it has become more critical for investors to have a thorough understanding of equity to be aware of all of the advantages they are receiving from the companies they have invested in. Why do startups issue company equity? You have a financial stake in a startup if you have equity.

Valuation 108

Valuation Equity Warrant Common Stock 108

Scott Edward Walker

APRIL 9, 2012

Introduction We are in the golden age of seed financing. Venture capital funds, seed funds, super angels, angel groups, incubators, and “friends and family” are all playing the seed financing game and investing early in startups in an attempt to land the next Facebook. This post was originally published on TechCrunch.]

Preferred Stock 87

Preferred Stock Finance Common Stock Liquidation Preference 87

David Teten

MARCH 14, 2018

– Build out low-cost force multipliers such as scouts , Advisors, Entrepreneurs in Residence, Venture Partners, and so on. Another example is Correlation Ventures ($300M+ AUM), a VC firm which co-invests in financings with at least one other new outside VC. For more, see the Startup Studio Playbook.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Cofounder 60

Gust

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Last week , we gave some attention to the “why” behind convertible note financing for early stage startups. As with so many subjects in law and finance, mastering the jargon is half the battle. This may seem like a no-brainer now that you understand the basic structure of a convertible debt financing.

Finance 79

Finance Preferred Stock Term Sheet Early Stage 79

Scott Edward Walker

JUNE 9, 2019

Over the past few weeks, two of my clients have received financing term sheets in which the investors requested super pro rata rights. Accordingly, I thought it would be helpful for founders to discuss these rights and to point out the problems they create for startups. Introduction. Pro Rata Rights.

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Preferred Stock Term Sheet Dilution Stock 56

Gust

OCTOBER 3, 2011

For a first time entrepreneur trying to figure out the arcane world of startup financing, it can be very confusing to understand the roles that different types of investors play in funding promising companies, as well as the point in a company’s life at which they enter the stage. From +/- $1.5m

Finance 70

Finance Venture Capital Intellectual Property Early Stage 70

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. 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 Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

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. These liquidation preferences give the investor a debt-like downside protection.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 7, 2012

Week three’s breakdown covered topics like how hard momentum is to turn around, and how participating preferred stock works. This does neither, so I’m out” Cuban said, “I see you guys not as entrepreneurs but as wantrepreneurs” I agree with him. The entrepreneur was clearly desperate.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 110

Gust

OCTOBER 21, 2011

This week we move on to something near and dear to the hearts of entrepreneurs and investors alike: The exit, more formally known as a “ liquidity event.” Entrepreneurs generally don’t ask for this kind of language, but most sophisticated investors will insist on it in one form or another.

Finance 79

Finance Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Liquidity Event 79

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

Find Questions, Topics and People Add Question Add Question Venture Capital Venture Capital Term Sheets Startups Term Sheets What are examples of good startup term sheets? Mark Suster • Nov 1, 2010 Here is a post on Brad Feld's blog on the seed financing docs he found, some of which you mention: [link] chives/.

Term Sheet 41

Term Sheet Startup Angel Investor Wiki 41

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 23, 2010

B ack in March, Andreessen Horowitz and Fenwick & West, LLP published a series of documents that would help structure early stage investments in startups. Fred Wilson , Paul Graham and Seth Levine all agree that as an entrepreneur one would prefer uncapped convertible debt to equity, but investors typically won’t go for it.

Early Stage 79

Early Stage Term Sheet Preferred Stock Equity 79

Gust

OCTOBER 26, 2011

As we conclude our convertible note financing series, there are assorted terms commonly seen in term sheets and deal documents that are worth touching on briefly. The Note Purchase Agreement and Convertible Promissory Note are essential documents for any convertible note financing.

Finance 79

Finance Term Sheet Covenant Accredited Investor 79

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

I’ve written about the topic of convertible debt at length before specifically about how angels & entrepreneurs should think about pricing. Clearly this is is a trend and a topic that is interesting entrepreneurs. a priced/valued preferred stock financing)? a priced/valued preferred stock financing)?&#.

Equity 319

Equity Early Stage Angel Investor Valuation 319

Scott Edward Walker

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

I’ve been helping entrepreneurs raise capital as a securities lawyer for 17+ years, and there are certain fundamental mistakes that I’ve seen entrepreneurs repeatedly make. Accordingly, I thought it would be helpful to share three basic tips for entrepreneurs in connection with raising capital. This is how the game is played.

Preferred Stock 45

Preferred Stock Angel Investor Entrepreneur Common Stock 45

Gust

JULY 18, 2012

Yet I’ve rarely seen entrepreneurs more fired up than when recounting war stories of startups whose founders had control of the company wrested from them, were forced to take financing or compensation deals on outrageously onerous terms , or worst of all, fired from their own companies.

Stock Options 188

Stock Options SEC Stock Government 188

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Typically, employers that offer employees equity compensation will do so in the form of common stock, preferred stock, or stock options. It’s called restricted stock because it often comes with restrictions, such as vesting. See Also: 10 Tips for Dealing With Startup Stock Options.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

To give you a better idea of what entrepreneurs in this industry are thinking about during each phase of the startup process, I interviewed SaaS entrepreneurs from all over the world, including our own COO Noah Parsons. Practical Market Research Resources for Entrepreneurs. Step 5: Get financed. or even be a U.S.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Startup Company Lawyer

APRIL 22, 2009

Always looking for ways to better serve the entrepreneurial community, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is pleased to announce the release of the WSGR Term Sheet Generator , a publicly available online tool that allows entrepreneurs and investors to generate an initial draft of a term sheet for a preferred stock financing.

Term Sheet 39

Term Sheet Finance Preferred Stock Kentucky 39

K9 Ventures

MAY 14, 2011

This is probably the very first group that an entrepreneur who is starting out may approach for some funding for his or her idea. The companies go through a 3-6 month long startup bootcamp and then typically try to raise angel/seed funding. Friends and Family : Or sometimes referred to as the 3Fs for Friends, Family and Fools.

Preferred Stock 125

Preferred Stock Seed Stage Incubator Early Stage 125

Growthink Blog

APRIL 7, 2010

It's just two successful entrepreneurs trying to improve on products in an established industry. For those of you who don't understand the term "Series A," the Series A round is the name given to your first significant round of venture financing. Just another video game company in my book. But I included it here for just that reason.

Angel Investor 54

Angel Investor Preferred Stock Venture Capital Common Stock 54

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2010

It’s meant to be a bit provocative but the reality is that I give this advice to entrepreneurs all the the time and I usually leave the “e&# off of the end. I normally offer this advice in the capacity of really wanting to help entrepreneurs so please bear with me. Take liquidation preferences head on.

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Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Common Stock Pre-Money Valuation 289

The Next Web

JUNE 17, 2015

Giving up equity in your business, as an alternative to paying cash, often sounds like a great idea to cash-starved startups. You always want to raise cash from equity investors with experience in building startup businesses, often with a rolodex of potential business contacts and lessons learned from their past investments.

Equity 60

Equity Valuation Preferred Stock Common Stock 60

thestartuplawyer.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Contact The Startup Lawyer: Home Page About Contact FAQs Glossary Ryan Roberts Law: Home Page Social Networks: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr Delicious Digg Last.FM He obviously never launched a startup and got shafted by a co-founder. He obviously never launched a startup and got shafted by a co-founder.

Cofounder 40

Cofounder Founder Preferred Stock Startup 40

Growthink Blog

MAY 10, 2012

Mezzanine Financing Most companies that raise equity capital and are eventually acquired or go public receive multiple rounds of financing first. No right or wrong answer here, but if this is your vision then it's important to consider when negotiating deal terms on earlier stage financing rounds. Seed Funding 3.

Equity 88

Equity Mezzanine Later Stage Venture Capital 88

Professor VC

DECEMBER 26, 2012

For those readers not already familiar with this concept, it refers to the bottleneck for Series A financing created by the increasing number of seed financings and constant number of Series A financings. A good place to start for data is CBInsights' Seed Investing Report- Startup Orphans and the Series A Crunch.

Finance 48

Finance Angel Investor Private Equity Preferred Stock 48

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 11, 2010

A variety of model startup seed funding docs have been released in the past year or so: TechStars Series AA Preferred , YCombinator Series AA Preferred , and TheFunded Founder Institute’s Plain Preferred. When an issue like this occurs at your startup, you’ll be glad your documents are “complicated.&#.

Delaware 49

Delaware Hockey Stick Preferred Stock Open Source 49

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 11, 2010

A variety of model startup seed funding docs have been released in the past year or so: TechStars Series AA Preferred , YCombinator Series AA Preferred , and TheFunded Founder Institute’s Plain Preferred. When an issue like this occurs at your startup, you’ll be glad your documents are “complicated.&#.

Delaware 45

Delaware Hockey Stick Preferred Stock Open Source 45

Startup Company Lawyer

JULY 20, 2009

Founders of startup companies often wait to incorporate a company until they are confident that their concept is viable or fundable. At some point, however, an entrepreneur will need to formally incorporate a company. Issuing stock options. Several reasons exist for taking the step to incorporate. Obtaining visas.

IP 67

IP Stock Options Preferred Stock Capital Gains 67

Tim Keane

APRIL 12, 2006

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. Ten questions the entrepreneur should ask the (prospective) investor. If they’re making it as part of a group that the entrepreneur likes, fine. What’s your attitude about “next round” financing? We are open to them and prefer to begin to co-invest at.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Valuation Sweat Equity Common Stock 60

www.mattbartus.com

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Perspectives on issues affecting founders, startups and investors from a veteran startup lawyer in Silicon Valley. an option to purchase shares in the future at a pre-determined price) to the investor to purchase preferred stock at the Series A price. Home About Matt Client references Contact. A View from the Valley.

Warrant 40

Warrant Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 40