Hunter Walker

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Originally backed by venture capital, in 2021 Daniel worked with TPG , a large private equity firm, to make them the majority investor. HW: In 2021 you partnered with growth firm TPG to bring them on as your primary investor, which I assume gave your current venture capital partners a chance to at least partially exit the business.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Equity DC Leveraged Buyout 78

David Teten

JUNE 22, 2012

HBS Angels of NY and the NAIC have named the finalist women and minority entrepreneurs of the Venture Capital Access Program; check out the press release below. Select Finalists for Venture Capital Access Program. Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York and the.

Programming 128

Programming Accredited Investor Naming New York 128

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

One entrepreneur refrain I sometimes hear is “We want to raise some extra money for M&A activities.” A VC wants to know that you have a solid plan to execute a stand-alone business and if you require capital for an acquisition they’d rather evaluate it at the time rather than over-fund you now. This is a red flag for VCs.

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

They often create the biggest tensions between investors who are investing at different stages in the business. These tensions seep out in some angels or seed funds publicly or semi-privately deriding later-stage VCs for their “bad” behavior. I have seen bad behavior from later-stage VCs, believe me.

Technical Review 336

Technical Review Later Stage Early Stage LP 336

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

I have to start with a major negative: if you have to ask if your startup can get venture capital, then it almost certainly can’t. Venture capital is a very rarified atmosphere of high-end startups and emerging businesses with experienced management teams, high potential growth, secret sauce, and so on.

Software Review 124

Software Review Due Diligence Venture Capital Elevator Pitch 124

David Teten

JUNE 22, 2012

HBS Angels of NY and the NAIC have named the finalist women and minority entrepreneurs of the Venture Capital Access Program; check out the press release below. Select Finalists for Venture Capital Access Program. Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York and the.

Programming 114

Programming Accredited Investor Naming New York 114

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

Back in 1999 when I first raised venture capital I had zero knowledge of what a fair term sheet looked like or how to value my company. And for some strange reason entrepreneurs didn’t share this information. I’ve started from day one trying to build total transparency into my process with entrepreneurs.

Valuation 405

Valuation Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 405

Austin Startup

MAY 11, 2017

645 Ventures: A New Era of Venture Capital Investing Arena Growth Partners We help great leaders build great businesses. Our unique approach to investing, coupled with a pioneering spirit, provides the vision to guide early stage growth companies beyond today and toward future success.

Private Equity 48

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage 48

The Equity Kicker

OCTOBER 14, 2014

Then, if you press them for more detail most will say that for them the team is the most important (although I think they say that at least partly because it’s what entrepreneurs want to hear). Early stage investors like Forward Partners look for a minimum of a great entrepreneur and a great idea. Venture Capital'

Early Stage 123

Early Stage Institutional Investors Venture Capital Startup 123

Up and Running

AUGUST 17, 2015

As I read stories of college dropouts who had successfully sold tech companies, or entrepreneurs with innovative ideas who made it big on Shark Tank, it became clear that there was no set path to startup success. In many ways, the startup process requires the founding team to be irrationally optimistic about success at every stage.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Cofounder Angel Investor eCommerce 60

Austin Startup

JUNE 27, 2017

Looking for Funds in All the Right Places: The Definitive Guide to Austin Capital By David Altounian and Stephen Straus OVERVIEW For entrepreneurs: We’ve compiled a definitive list of sources of capital in Austin to help focus your fundraising efforts.

Venture Capital 54

Venture Capital Austin Texas Private Equity 54

The Equity Kicker

AUGUST 19, 2015

In the words of an alum from the 2006 cohort: Companies are joining YC at a much later stage. Because Sam Altman & co have enjoyed a lot of success good entrepreneurs and investors alike are rushing towards YC in the hope that the magic will rub off on them. Hence they back companies with more ambition.

Later Stage 60

Later Stage Private Equity Venture Capital Valuation 60

thebarefootvc

JANUARY 27, 2014

I think that later stage valuations are frothy (for reasons I explain below) while earlier stage valuations are starting to stabilize from previous highs (with the exception of the superstar serial entrepreneur) - turns out scaling in a sea of competition (both startup and entrenched) is not so easy. Or so it seems.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Valuation Venture Capital Investment Bankers 63

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. What stage? Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. They are likely taking losses on their first project with the entrepreneur so they select carefully. What price?

Early Stage 361

Early Stage Deal Flow Investment Bankers Technical Review 361

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

The other entrepreneur quoted in the story is from a guy pitching a Pinterest clone. The reality is that, most of the time--like two thirds of the time--the venture market is totally open for good businesses to get fair valuations in reasonable turnaround times. Needless to say, he's having some trouble raising.

Venture Capital 114

Venture Capital Marketing Term Sheet Software Review 114

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2010

This is part of my series on Understanding Venture Capital. I’m writing this post to explain to entrepreneurs what you should be thinking about in terms of the VC’s you approach and the size and stage of their funds. You can ask around to startup lawyers and other entrepreneurs who know these things.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Early Stage Software Review 269

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

This quarter they interviewed me as part of it on Quarterly VC Update: Brad Feld on the State of Venture Capital Investing. There is much less focus on a $1 billion private valuation (thankfully) as both entrepreneurs and VCs have again shifted much of their discussion to what needs to be done long-term to build a successful company.

Venture Capital 70

Venture Capital Private Equity Early Stage Valuation 70

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. What stage? Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. They are likely taking losses on their first project with the entrepreneur so they select carefully. What price?

Deal Flow 347

Deal Flow Early Stage Investment Bankers Technical Review 347

Growthink Blog

JANUARY 24, 2012

And such was the case when I read the latest statistics from the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The seemingly good news from the NVCA was that the amount of venture capital funding grew 22% from 2010 to 2011. Let me start by saying that capital is the MOST important thing to your business.

Angel Investor 98

Angel Investor Venture Capital Equity Later Stage 98

View from Seed

JANUARY 5, 2015

Raising venture capital at any stage of company growth requires tremendous effort from entrepreneurs. That drive to focus on helping customers and growing their companies is even more commendable than the ability to raise capital. Note that this list was created specifically with seed-stage startups in mind.

Seed Capital 120

Seed Capital Seed Stage Entrepreneur Venture Capital 120

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Union Square Ventures (USV) has been one of the most successful venture capital firms of the past 10–15 years and continues to be a leader in our industry. Lindel is no stranger to thorny venture capital issues — he was arguably amongst the most successful LPs of his generation.

Leadership 161

Leadership LP Venture Capital Silicon Valley 161

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

Asia has far fewer VC firms and institutional investors, each of which invests a far smaller amount of capital. Many Asian entrepreneurs tell me that they want to raise funds from Silicon Valley firms because they perceive the valuations to be higher. Golden Gate Ventures , Jungle Ventures , etc.),

Asia 132

Asia Silicon Valley India Term Sheet 132

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

However, most often, these funds are solicited by a well-meaning entrepreneur from investors who are not qualified as accredited investors under the law (currently requiring a proved income of $200,000 a year or $1 million in net worth for an individual investor). Professional angels: This is the arena where I work and play.

Private Equity 118

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 118

David Teten

JULY 25, 2017

A nalysis – One of the luxuries of being a VC is that we have a larger data set than most entrepreneurs of performance. Based on our data set, we help our entrepreneurs measure, understand, and report their performance. N etwork – We organize events regularly to build out our community. Ethics Policy, Expenses policy).

Portfolio 60

Portfolio Technical Review Private Equity Database 60

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Or that venture capital is a meritocracy? I’ve backed multiple Black founders and entrepreneurs from the LGBTQ community and so I’ve seen a very wide mix of founders pitch, get funded and get passed on. We know what the racial and gender wealth disparity looks like: This is a lesson taught to be by Jewel from Collab Capital.

Venture Capital 162

Venture Capital Cofounder Deal Flow Later Stage 162

The Next Web

AUGUST 26, 2013

It’s part three of a series, cross-posted from his own blog , in which he draws on his experience to offer advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in Europe and beyond. Wunderlist is the first business I secured the interest of experienced investors, including Atomico , Earlybird and T-Venture. 15-20% equity for first investors.

Management 120

Management Cofounder Startup Bootstrapping 120

Steve Blank

JUNE 11, 2009

Other Roles in a Startup Generic advice given to entrepreneurs assumes that everyone is going to be the founder/co-founder. Yet for every founder there are 10-20 other employees who take the near-equivalent risks in joining an early-stage company. Founders know they want to start something. But make sure it fits who you are.

Cofounder 219

Cofounder Founder Silicon Valley Technical Cofounder 219

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 28, 2017

Goldman Sachs and CB Insights recently reported that startups have raised over $1 billion in Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) this summer — more than the total amount of venture capital raised during the same period. Need for growth capital. A company that can successfully raise money in an ICO may never need venture capital again.

Early Stage 20

Early Stage Equity Venture Capital Government 20

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 28, 2017

Goldman Sachs and CB Insights recently reported that startups have raised over $1 billion in Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) this summer — more than the total amount of venture capital raised during the same period. Need for growth capital. A company that can successfully raise money in an ICO may never need venture capital again.

Early Stage 20

Early Stage Equity Venture Capital Government 20

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2017

One of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs make when they start a company and raise outside capital is figuring out what an acceptable “burn rate” is. How Much Capital You Have Raised / Your Runway In general I recommend that in early-stage startups you try to raise at least 15-18 months of runway.

Burn Rate 212

Burn Rate Startup .Net Venture Capital 212

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Accelerators generally accept startups at a slightly later stage, and attempt to compress the timeline to commercialization into a few months, instead of a year or more.

Incubator 247

Incubator Silicon Valley Startup Small Business Administration 247

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

The Venture Capital industry as a whole does a terrible job of giving things the right name and so we end up keeping the same name, but changing the meaning out from under it. There is an opportunity for LPs to pick the right Pre-Seed stage funds, but I certainly don’t envy their job as it’s not going to be an easy task.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

The Equity Kicker

MARCH 10, 2014

As you can see from the graphs below the number of seed funds is growing very fast whilst the number of later stage funds is flat. Venture Capital' BrightSun have just published research on the number of seed funds in Europe.

Later Stage 142

Later Stage Early Stage Europe Green 142

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 25, 2015

Last night I wrote a post about how the fall in the stock market over a 3-day period may affect the venture capital markets. If you’re an entrepreneur or VC who wants somebody else’s view on that you should read it. Let me give you the quick summary of what I said yesterday: Public markets affect venture funding.

Balance Sheet 150

Balance Sheet Valuation Burn Rate Stock 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 15, 2010

Convertible debt is a loan to the company that doesn’t typically get paid back but rather “converts&# into equity when you raise a larger round at a later date. If you’re an entrepreneur, all else equal you prefer convertible debt because the deal is priced at a later stage when you’re worth more.

Southern California 210

Southern California Venture Capital Seed Stage Angel Investor 210

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

I have conversations with entrepreneurs and other VCs on a daily basis about fund raising, the prices of deals, how much companies should raise, etc. The earlier you invest the higher the chances the company won’t work out and thus you pay a lower price than later-stage investors. So how exactly are prices determined?

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

The Equity Kicker

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

In the traditionally slow moving world of venture capital they have gone from standing start to raising $4bn across three funds in 5 years – Summit Partners , an older highly successful later stage VC took 15 years to achieve the same feat. Venture Capital'

Silicon Valley 125

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Portfolio Later Stage 125