View from Seed

AUGUST 12, 2015

I once showed a company to another VC for an investment we were syndicating. I loved the founder but was struggling because this just didn’t seem “big enough” to me. It’s maddening feedback for entrepreneurs, because no one likes to think they are not working on a “big enough” opportunity. It’s very discouraging.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Marketing Angel Investor Term Sheet 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 12, 2015

I once showed a company to another VC for an investment we were syndicating. I loved the founder but was struggling because this just didn’t seem “big enough” to me. It’s maddening feedback for entrepreneurs, because no one likes to think they are not working on a “big enough” opportunity. It’s very discouraging.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Marketing Angel Investor Term Sheet 120

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

As the seed-stage startup fundraise process has received more transparency in recent years, ranging from published advice on how to raise seed capital to increased availability through AngelList, Funders Club, and various accelerator programs, I’ve noticed another trend emerging. Lower-Than-Market Value.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

Agile VC

JANUARY 4, 2012

Founders Hardi Meybaum and Indrek Narusk originally started building the company in their native Estonia before moving to Boston to join the hub of SaaS / CAD software companies located here. In addition to compelling founders, we were drawn to the company by their vision for a professional community for mechanical engineers and designers.

Community 100

Community Estonia Syndicate Syndication 100

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

At NextView, for instance, one of our more popular posts centers on atypical seed rounds to know. What is it, and how should founders think about it? From a company milestones perspective, entrepreneurs who take on venture debt are almost always thinking about raising that next round of capital from other institutions.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

From RBI, Flexible VCs borrow the ability to reap meaningful returns without demanding founders build for an exit. Every Flexible VC structure allows founders to access immediate risk capital while preserving exit, growth trajectory, and ownership optionality. . Flexible VC 102: Variations.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Most of these rhyme with what we’ve said in the past, but some have also evolved to fit the changing landscape and our own convictions about what really matters for founders and their investors at the seed stage. Belief #1: The best time to invest is early. And by early, we mean pre-traction. This is not what Nextview is about.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

View from Seed

AUGUST 13, 2014

We at NextView Ventures invest exclusively in a startup’s seed-stage round , meaning that many if not most of our deals are made alongside individual angel investors. Doing so can help entrepreneurs not only secure funding in general but better recognize the pros and cons of taking money from certain types of individuals.

Angel Investor 334

Angel Investor Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 334

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Of the NextView-backed founders have have tried to raise this round, over 70% have done so (compared to a mean success rate in the industry of around 27%, according to some sources ). Startups with large, lifecycle VCs included in the seed round syndicate did not reach Series A faster than those who did not. in our portfolio.

Syndicate 333

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Startup 333

View from Seed

JUNE 10, 2020

of teams’ online pitch decks and recorded videos, as well as loved the dozens of second-round video conversations which we had with Founders working on quite compelling startups. Many of these Founders we wouldn’t have had an opportunity to connect with if we hadn’t launched this program.

Cofounder 177

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 177

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

Many assume it was a cakewalk, based on the success LinkedIn has enjoyed over time and the current stature of our founder/CEO Reid Hoffman (now Chairman). I also joke with Reid Hoffman that this was back in the days before he was “Reid” Reid’s an incredible entrepreneur, startup investor, and human being.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2011

Jussi Laakkonen , CEO & founder of Applifie, summarized it well: We recently raised our seed round at Applifier and it was led by a silicon valley seed fund MHS Capital, whose general partner is Mark Sugarman. It doesn’t come naturally to many European founders. Several entrepreneurs tend to agree with that.

Silicon Valley 104

Silicon Valley Startup Seed Stage Delaware 104

Agile VC

JULY 11, 2012

Should there be a notion of “founder equity” for those individuals who put in the hard work to start a firm and build the brand? Paul Ferri @ Matrix) though the vast majority had multiple co-founders. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. But it’s not quite that simple. link] leehower.

Silicon Valley 240

Silicon Valley Carried Interest Cofounder Boston 240

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

Kayak was started here in my backyard of Boston… co-founder & CTO Paul English and the product/engineering team is based here in Concord MA. Co-founder & CEO Steve Hafner and the business team are based in Norwalk, CT. Led by General Catalyst with participation by co-founders Steve Hafner & Paul English.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 20, 2017

Mentors embrace the Techstars “Give First” philosophy by offering founders their time, advice, and connections. Guiding founders through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship creates a deep sense of contribution. It’s a chance to learn by teaching, and engage with a new generation of entrepreneurs. And it’s fun.

Syndicate 70

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Vertical 70

View from Seed

OCTOBER 22, 2015

One of the best and most positive movements proliferating around the tech community is what Product Hunt founder and CEO Ryan Hoover calls “building in public.” We want to create the go-to hub for entrepreneurs and startup teams going from zero to one in absolutely anything important. – Why raise seed vs jump to Series A?

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Seed Capital Syndicate Syndication 120

Agile VC

JANUARY 18, 2012

Seven Reasons to Become a Founding Entrepreneur. I think there are tons of reasons to be a founding entrepreneur… some good, some bad, some ultimately inconsequential. Being a startup founder isn’t for everyone ultimately, in fact it probably isn’t for most people. AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Cofounder Silicon Valley Seed Stage 100

View from Seed

JANUARY 26, 2016

In the next post, I’ll talk about how we think about pre-seeds at NextView. It’s become increasingly common for startups to raise several seed rounds, and this has led to a bifurcation in the seed stage between what are known as “pre-seed” (or “genesis”) and institutional seed rounds.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Early Stage Cofounder Finance 120

Rob Go

MARCH 5, 2012

One area of fundraising that is not that straightforward is how to put together a syndicate of investors for your seed round. It can be a little puzzling for entrepreneurs to make sense of this, especially since the landscape of seed investors is emerging and different seed investors act quite differently from one another.

Syndicate 49

Syndicate Syndication Lead Investor Due Diligence 49

View from Seed

OCTOBER 22, 2015

One of the things we frequently discuss with founders is how to interpret and manage their dialogue with VCs when raising capital. We’ve written before on how to research partners , how to pitch the right investor at a given firm, and how to raise seed capital , generally speaking. The ultimate reference is through a portfolio founder.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Due Diligence Seed Stage Seed Capital 120

View from Seed

JULY 9, 2015

As an operator, not an investor, I’m amazed at how many casual, throwaway comments that happen inside a VC’s office would be genuinely useful to entrepreneurs building their businesses. So, when should they — or any seed-stage startup — think about drumming up some PR and making noise around funding?

Startup 120

Startup PR Cofounder Stealth 120

Agile VC

MAY 10, 2012

I first met Matija Kopic, Farmeron’s co-founder & CEO, a few months ago. It was one of those first meetings where you’re instantly impressed by an entrepreneur and the ambitious vision they’re pursuing. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. Good stuff Lee. link] leehower.

Silicon Valley 223

Silicon Valley Cofounder Seed Stage Syndicate 223

Genuine VC

NOVEMBER 12, 2012

It’s really interesting, but perhaps only applicable to a more limited set of entrepreneurs. When you compromise on terms in the early stages, you will have to pay the price in the later stages. Dharmesh Shah had a great post up last week about the lessons learned from raising a mezzanine round of financing.

Finance 128

Finance Mezzanine Valuation Seed Stage 128

Agile VC

JANUARY 12, 2012

Even the best entrepreneurs often hear “no” from potential investors. As a result, we frequently spend time with entrepreneurs before they’ve started fundraising or while they’re still contemplating various pathways for funding their businesses. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 100

View from Seed

JUNE 16, 2015

I was recently asked to sit on panel with my fellow VC peers and some top entrepreneurs from the Boston tech community. Usually, this is in the form of a smaller investment or a chip-in, typically in the seed round, though sometimes at later rounds as well. Generally, my advice to entrepreneurs is to avoid these situations.

Boston 120

Boston Syndicate Syndication eCommerce 120

Agile VC

JUNE 5, 2011

Even for those who don’t care to dive into the numbers, it’s worth a quick glance because co-founder/CEO Andrew Mason wrote a letter which forms the preamble of the full document. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. I co-founded NextView Ventures , a seed-stage VC firm based in Boston, in 2010.

North America 100

North America Chicago Boston Silicon Valley 100

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. Joshua Baer is the co-founder and CEO of Otherinbox , a prolific angel investor and the director of Capital Factory , Austin’s seed-stage incubator. AngelList is brilliantly designed to make it easy for investors to write checks to entrepreneurs.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

Agile VC

AUGUST 2, 2011

I thought this was an incredibly apt depiction of great entrepreneurs and innovators. Or as my friend and mentor Reid Hoffman says being a founder is like throwing yourself off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down. Well perhaps the most disuptive entrepreneurs are a little out of their mind… in a good way.

Silicon Valley 113

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 113

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 11, 2014

” There’s a reason why I won’t – because it means putting my reputation on the line for a founderI don’t really know. What set these entrepreneurs apart from the ones where I just hit ‘archive?’ Funds 123, 456, and 789 all seem to invest in seed stage social gaming startups.

Seed Stage 125

Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication Angel Investor 125

Agile VC

JULY 15, 2015

This company will remain in stealth mode for at least a little while and it isn’t my place to divulge their plans, but we’re very excited about the founding team, market opportunity, and syndicate we will be part of. The post Hardware, IoT, and the Long Arc of the Internet appeared first on AGILEVC.

Internet 100

Internet Stealth Cofounder Seed Stage 100

Agile VC

JULY 15, 2015

This company will remain in stealth mode for at least a little while and it isn’t my place to divulge their plans, but we’re very excited about the founding team, market opportunity, and syndicate we will be part of. The post Hardware, IoT, and the Long Arc of the Internet appeared first on AGILEVC.

Internet 100

Internet Stealth Cofounder Seed Stage 100

Agile VC

MAY 21, 2012

The expanding universe of potential buyers is a great thing for founders. We’ll see how long they remain exciting, innovative places to work but at least for now I think most founders who contemplate an acquisition would be open to having their company and team be part of a Facebook, LinkedIn, or Zynga. Pingback: this.

Acquisition 162

Acquisition Silicon Valley B2B Seed Stage 162

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 11, 2015

We also felt really good about the conversations with founders – “dealflow” = life blood of any investor. But rather than just viewing it as transactional, we approach it as a mutual decision where founders and Homebrew are trying to decide if we’d be great partners.

Syndicate 48

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Hosting 48

mashable.com

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

I’m now in my second founder/CEO role, having raised more than $18.5 No doubt early-stage companies can be started on a shoestring by low-paid entrepreneurs, but when financing a scalable, sustainable product, a free application server won’t make much of a difference. million in venture financing. All Rights Reserved.

Startup 79

Startup Social Media RSS Social Network 79

Agile VC

APRIL 27, 2012

We love meeting entrepreneurs who take this blank canvas approach when thinking about disrupting markets. My partner David recently wrote about how investors tend to bring their own inherent biases (both good and bad) into pitch meetings with entrepreneurs. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Silicon Valley 124

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 124

Agile VC

MAY 16, 2012

Rather these firms know that there are countless bright, hard-working entrepreneurs out there thinking 24/7 about the next big thing and so they remain open to these innovative ideas even if the firm hasn’t previously formed a specific investment thesis about that space. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Seed Stage 124

Seed Stage Silicon Valley B2B Syndicate 124

Agile VC

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Objective Logistics co-founders Philip Beauregard and Matt Grace sent out this illustration immediately after the round was announced which I think keeps this in perspective nicely. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. I co-founded NextView Ventures , a seed-stage VC firm based in Boston, in 2010.

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 100