Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup. Startup and development stage.

Matching 270

Matching Entrepreneur Startup Seed Stage 270

View from Seed

DECEMBER 6, 2018

As a seed stage VC, I have a unique privilege of confidentially spending time with a number of entrepreneurs throughout their company formation and initial product development process. competing entrepreneurs, VCs, and tech journalists others sometimes privately/publicly accuse and dismiss other groups of copycat tactics.

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Seed Stage Startup Cofounder Stealth 120

View from Seed

MARCH 24, 2021

How to Sell Your Startup’s “Secret” Master Plan at the Seed Stage “Articulating and selling your long run vision is important, but trying to convince those that are deeply skeptical about it is simply a mutual waste of time.” Magic Graph: How Much Seed Capital Should You Raise? ” (Rob Go).

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Seed Stage Hiring IPO Analytics 178

View from Seed

JUNE 7, 2016

Today we’re thrilled to re-launch our most popular resource ever: board deck templates for seed-stage startups. Said another way, seed-stage companies can be led by a founder; scaling companies require a CEO. At the seed stage, where NextView invests, a highly structured board often isn’t a requirement.

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Seed Stage Founder Seed Capital Institutional Investors 120

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

It’s been an interesting several years in the early stage venture eco-system, and the sands have shifted considerably. Amidst the rise of new funds, new technologies, and potentially disruptive late stage players, I thought it was important to share what we consider to be our core operating principles here at NextView. .

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North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

View from Seed

APRIL 2, 2015

And since I’m an operator, not investor, I recognize just how valuable all the casual, daily discussions inside a VC’s office can be to fellow operators and entrepreneurs. Few projects in an entrepreneur’s life can lead to more scope creep and more agony over little details than the company pitch deck.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Design Startup Early Stage 120

View from Seed

OCTOBER 5, 2016

Whether an entrepreneur is raising a smaller (pre-)seed round entirely from individuals or she has a seed-stage or larger VC firm involved in (leading) the seed syndicate, it’s somewhere between necessary and optimal to have multiple individual angel investors involved. That’s especially true for angels.

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Angel Investor Boston Seed Stage Syndicate 332

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2015

“As a seed-stage investor, should you pay up for team or traction?” You may not be able to control the operational complexity and economics of your business even though there is a lot of demand. So, if you are going to pay up as a seed-stage investor, pay up for team. The Case for Traction. (Hat-tip

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage B2B Distribution Early Stage 120

View from Seed

MARCH 8, 2016

Jesse recently sat down with NextView (I assume he was sitting anyway — we spoke on the phone) to talk seed-stage company branding, building a startup identity, and some of the most common mistakes founders make when establishing a name for their companies. Unfortunately, too many startups come to us way too late.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Conversion Startup PR 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2020

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup. Startup and development stage.

Matching 317

Matching Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 317

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Over the past five years, we’ve witnessed an Atomization of the Seed Stage. Early fundraising is no longer a one-and-done fundraise of a single round of Seed capital subsequently followed by a Series A 12–18 months later. A seed extension has ceased to be the equivalent of scarlet letter, and instead has become commonplace.

Seed Stage 137

Seed Stage Post-Money Valuation Valuation Startup 137

Mucker Lab

AUGUST 27, 2014

As an entrepreneur himself, founding and operating printed circuit board factories in Taiwan, my father was debating between two places to immigrate to and build his next new venture: Los Angeles (“The Valley” aka San Fernando Valley) and Santa Clara (“Silicon Valley”).

Los Angeles 138

Los Angeles Southern California Silicon Valley Technical Review 138

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2012

If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. The good news is that he is all about helping early-stage startups. The hard part for entrepreneurs is figuring out what it takes to play. Super Angels.

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Early Stage Finance Seed Stage Entrepreneur 253

ReadWriteStart

MAY 22, 2023

Europe’s Metaverse Market: Niche Operators and Start-ups While the US and Asia dominate the Metaverse market , Europe has yet to establish a major presence in the industry. This article will explore the current state of the Metaverse in Europe and examine the obstacles it needs to overcome to achieve its potential.

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Finland Europe Estonia Silicon Valley 187

Genuine VC

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

The elite top-tier firms have a sustainable competitive advantage with both entrepreneurs (and LPs alike) given brand, a vast network, and self-reinforcing success. These firms aim broadly – diverse along sector, geography, and stage lines. But during that decade, the microbrewery phenomenon emerged.

Seed Stage 191

Seed Stage Belgium Differentiation LP 191

Steve Blank

APRIL 12, 2010

He turned to the other VC’s and added, “That’s why we write the checks and entrepreneurs run the company.”. Unlike the stories in the popular press, entrepreneurs who build successful companies don’t get it right the first time. Operating in Chaos + Speed + Pivots = Success. The Search for the Business Model.

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Business Model Agile Customer Development Startup 334

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

Howard Morgan earned a PhD in Operations Research/Computer Science in 1968. They chose the name First Round Capital because they thought capital would be deployed most efficiently at smaller seed stage rounds considering the cost to build an internet business had come down drastically. Investing Strategy.

Pre-Money Valuation 284

Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review Cofounder Cram Down 284

View from Seed

MARCH 22, 2016

This is for the early-stage companies — the entrepreneurs with great ideas and tireless work ethics who feel like they’ve emailed half of the country’s news outlets with nothing but the rare “thanks, but not interested” reply to show for it. The operative word in “news” is “new.” This one is tricker in the pre-revenue stage.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage San Francisco Startup CTO Hire 120

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 3, 2015

In my worldview there are ~10 seed funds that focus exclusively on this stage of company, in areas we’re interested in and also credibly seek to lead rounds. Some also have operating experience (since Satya and I believe that’s an important part of our value proposition).

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage API Early Stage Founder 48

View from Seed

MAY 18, 2016

Here at NextView, we are strong proponents of creating a board at the seed stage. At the seed stage, we typically have three-person boards with two founders and one VC — though as companies grow at later stages, five-person boards and ultimately six- or seven-person boards become more common.

Seed Stage 216

Seed Stage Cofounder Later Stage Government 216

Gust

JULY 8, 2012

If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. The good news is that he is all about helping early-stage startups. The hard part for entrepreneurs is figuring out what it takes to play. Super Angels.

Early Stage 177

Early Stage Finance Seed Stage Entrepreneur 177

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2015

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup. Startup and development stage.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2011

If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. The good news is that he is all about helping early-stage startups, the hard part for entrepreneurs is figuring out what it takes to play. Super Angels.

Early Stage 231

Early Stage Seed Stage Angel Investor Silicon Valley 231

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

John Berger, Director Operations & Impact Solutions, Toniic , observed that this has clear investor benefits: “ The grace period became a feature because it benefits investors in regions like the US where there can be tax differences between short and long term gains. Payments are commonly delayed for a grace period of 12-36 months.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

Almost two years ago, in a private/closed meeting with K9 Ventures’ LPs only, I claimed that: What was being referred to in the press as the “Series A Crunch” was not because fewer Series A deals were being done, but because there were too many Seed deals being done. Seed stage was super tough. Implications for Founders.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

It’s been an interesting several years in the early stage venture eco-system, and the sands have shifted considerably. Amidst the rise of new funds, new technologies, and potentially disruptive late stage players, I thought it was important to share what we consider to be our core operating principles here at NextView. .

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 5, 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. Lastly, a note on advisors: Entrepreneurs often spend way too much slide real estate and pitch time detailing the startup’s advisors. in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, etc. (If

Seed Stage 219

Seed Stage Engineer Restful Founder 219

YoungUpstarts

MAY 8, 2018

Most entrepreneurs need capital to develop and grow their businesses; every investor must responsibly invest their funds with an eye on returns. This means that investors must convince the best entrepreneurs to take their money. Human beings are inclined to hear what they want to hear—entrepreneurs especially.

Seed Stage 133

Seed Stage Due Diligence Cofounder New York 133

Hunter Walker

MAY 4, 2014

” Sourcing feedback from LPs, VCs and entrepreneurs, here’s some of what I heard, and the implications: 1. Obviously too early to understand whether our changes made sense but we felt like they were appropriate based on market feedback and our goals in working with the best entrepreneurs. For example, food delivery.

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Software Review Vertical Seed Stage Portfolio 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2016

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup. Startup and development stage.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Angel Investor Business Model 120

View from Seed

JUNE 10, 2020

As we’ve shared, we intentionally wanted to flip the traditional Accelerator model on its head and offer a unique offering for entrepreneurs at the earliest of stages. The NextView Accelerator Doesn’t Operate in Strict Cohorts. . Most accelerators operate in class cohort “batches.”

Cofounder 178

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 178

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

Tim Keane

DECEMBER 14, 2009

  He is a partner in a pretty much exclusively software seed stage fund, Y Combinator that you can read more about.    Like VCs, one of the advantages of seed firms is the advice they offer.    But because seed firms operate in an earlier phase, they need to offer different kinds of advice. 

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Burn Rate Angel Groups Seed Stage Startup 60

View from Seed

DECEMBER 17, 2015

There’s not one ultimate way of operating, but you should know you team and ask them direct questions about how they learn and how they handle these types of things. How do you position yourself as the latter if you’re a seed-stage startup founder? In any production-oriented job (writing, design, development, etc.),

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Engineer Software Review Founder 120

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

. “Yes&# was given to me by one of my favorite angel investor / seed VC’s to work with – John Greathouse of Rincon Venture Partners and author of the blog InfoChachkie that you should check out because it is filled with great info from a guy who has been a very successful operator.

Silicon Valley 293

Silicon Valley Technical Review Southern California Angel Investor 293

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

One explanation could be that, when VC firms have been involved in a company for a while, they’re willing to put more capital at risk in subsequent rounds given the familiarity – a very interesting takeaway when founders think about seed syndicate composition and subsequent runway. 4 Operating Philosophies Affecting Series A Raises.

Syndicate 333

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Startup 333

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

Entrepreneurs, business owners, senior managers at large corporations. Chances are if things are going good (or even not so good) those early stage startups you were so passionate about 12 or 18 months ago will be coming to the market again asking for more money. Operational Expertise. Plus, founders and entrepreneurs talk.

Pre-Money Valuation 187

Pre-Money Valuation Seed Stage IP Deal Flow 187