Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” If you have the urge to be an entrepreneur, I encourage you to think seriously about each of these, before you zero-in on one or two, and get totally discouraged if those don’t work for you.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Small Business Administration 283

Genuine VC

JULY 10, 2012

There are essentially two distinct basic strategies for startup entrepreneurs to raise a seed round of capital: Subscription approach – An entrepreneur sets a structure (usually a convertible note) and recruits individual angel investors who subscribe to the round, all without a term-driving lead investor.

Syndicate 207

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Portfolio 207

Agile VC

DECEMBER 13, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. One of the hardest things for me as a VC remains telling entrepreneurs I like and respect that we’re passing on their investment round. I often tell these entrepreneurs that I genuinely hope they prove us wrong, and are wildly successful with their startup. Author howerl.

Seed Stage 185

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Cofounder Technical Review 185

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

There’s been a lot of digital ink spilled around the various types of capital available to startups today. As a startup grows, venture debt becomes a viable option to continue that growth. Glen is an active contributor to the local tech ecosystem and well-versed in how and when startups can use venture debt to their advantage.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2018

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” If you have the urge to be an entrepreneur, I encourage you to think seriously about each of these, before you zero-in on one or two, and get totally discouraged if those don’t work for you.

Entrepreneur 240

Entrepreneur Equity Small Business Administration SBA 240

David Teten

MARCH 14, 2018

My Partners at HOF Capital are younger than I am, which means that we have a half-century horizon for the franchise we are building. – Build out low-cost force multipliers such as scouts , Advisors, Entrepreneurs in Residence, Venture Partners, and so on. So we think about scaling a lot.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Cofounder 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. contributes more than $25 billion to fund 70,000 startups every year. Look to grants and strategic partners for seed funding.

Search 317

Search Accredited Investor Angel Investor Venture Capital 317

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. For entrepreneurs there’s too much money sloshing around. We are experiencing a frenetic time. For investors life is no different.

Software Review 150

Software Review Turkey Portfolio Syndicate 150

Agile VC

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Startup IPO Market: A Fickle Mistress. What will happen for the startup IPO market? Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. My partner @ LeeHower looks back: [link] 5 days ago Search. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future.

IPO 100

IPO Marketing Silicon Valley Private Equity 100

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

(co-written with Jamie Finney, Founding Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. Capacity Capital, Greater Colorado Venture Fund, Indie.VC, Reformation Partners, UP Fund, Versatile VC. Of the Inc. 5000 companies, only 6.5% return cap.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Gust

JULY 12, 2012

In all four countries we met passionate entrepreneurs who were eager to discuss their exciting startups, as well as angel investors looking to support them. The following day, I delivered a four hour workshop on capital sources and pitch strategies for fifteen entrepreneurs in the Propel program.

Community 121

Community Estonia Ireland Finland 121

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

I have seen this criticism at various places where this recap is syndicated on a weekly basis, as well as in certain random forums on the internet. Well, I have coached early stage entrepreneurs for a couple of years now - diligently, patiently - and have learned a few things. All first-time entrepreneurs, arguably, are amateurs.

Silicon Valley 114

Silicon Valley Technical Review Startup Early Stage 114

Agile VC

JANUARY 4, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. All of us at NextView are psyched to support the company into it’s next phases of growth along with the rest of the investor syndicate. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. My partner @ LeeHower looks back: [link] 5 days ago Search. January 4, 2012.

Community 100

Community Estonia Syndicate Syndication 100

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. Above-Market Value.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

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. But the emphasis of our program is the direct one-on-one interaction with NextView partners to help push the company forward.

Cofounder 177

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 177

thebarefootvc

MAY 8, 2012

The best VCs are the ones that balance their optimism, vision and enthusiasm for startups with realism based on very real constraints (the primary one being his/her own time, but also includes market development and exit timing). As an entrepreneur at heart, I often innately grasp the potential of entrepreneurs and ideas that I meet with.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Syndicate Syndication Bandwidth 78

Agile VC

JULY 16, 2014

We’re thrilled for the company to have a great investment partner joining the syndicate and one with deep payments expertise having backed companies like Square, Stripe, Fundbox, and others. Some lament the relocation of Plastiq and other companies who start in Boston but end up moving to Silicon Valley or other startup hubs.

Boston 208

Boston Silicon Valley San Francisco Cofounder 208

View from Seed

AUGUST 20, 2014

It seems like a high-class problem for an entrepreneur to be able to influence round composition, and it is. How should an entrepreneur think about the different types of investors affecting their seed and Series A rounds? But I find that once a company has investor interest, many other folks tend to want to pile on.

Startup 301

Startup Syndicate Syndication Boston 301

Austin Startup

MARCH 7, 2021

Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio form a massive startup Megalopolis that is attracting top talent, impact-focused investors, and the most innovative companies in the world. Startups and investors should treat Texas like one big city. These are all potential customers and strategic partners for startups.

Texas 90

Texas San Antonio Houston Dallas 90

View from Seed

AUGUST 16, 2019

With the proliferation of multiple seed rounds prior to a Series A, these situations are coming up increasingly in the early stage startup ecosystem. Startups are perilous endeavors, and elicit strong emotions from everyone involved along the way. The post Friday Funism – Fear vs Greed appeared first on NextView Ventures.

Term Sheet 149

Term Sheet Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 149

Genuine VC

MAY 29, 2014

Yet even today, whether or not to take a (relatively) small check in a seed round syndicate from a multi-hundred million or even billion dollar fund is still a decision which takes quite a bit of consideration and sometimes consternation. So there is an element of (positive) selection bias in the larger VC syndicate cohort companies.

Syndicate 166

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Valuation 166

Agile VC

JUNE 5, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC Syndicate 10 July 2012, 5:13 pm What A VC Orders for Breakfast Says 27 June 2012, 10:16 am To Leave or Not to Leave as Your Startup Grows 12 June 2012, 12:21 pm. June 5, 2012.

Java 170

Java Flash Software Azure 170

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Salesforce.com is a startup with 76,000 subscribers (over 2.1M 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. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2015

As the number of sites on the Internet floats around one billion, the challenge with every new startup is to be found and stand out. In this age of relationships, you, the entrepreneur, are a very important element of your new brand, and it’s never too early to start marketing the value of your expertise, insights and ideas.

Startup 120

Startup Social Media Syndicate Syndication 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Each has met legal securities minimums for net worth and professionalism, to reduce the risk to entrepreneurs. Most share expertise as well as money.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Accredited Investor Venture Capital Startup 120

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

Addressing both of those issues can stem from the motivations as to why someone would want to put their hard-earned cash into a risky early-stage startup in the first place. They will have the ability to “see” the opportunity that the startup is going after unlike anyone else, save the entrepreneur because they inherently get the space.

Angel Investor 257

Angel Investor Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 257

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

mashable.com

MAY 9, 2011

a New York-based sizzle reel production company specializing in promotional videos for PR and marketing professionals, and the Young Entrepreneur Council. I asked a panel of successful young entrepreneurs what fledging tech startups should be looking for in a CTO hire to ensure founders get the right person for the job.

CTO Hire 73

CTO Hire Fractional CTO CTO Technical Review 73

Agile VC

OCTOBER 27, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. I hate indulging in wanton portfolio self-promotion, but my partners & I are incredibly excited about these companies and will undoubtedly continue to make more investments in this vein. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. How To Think About The Future.

Software 100

Software B2B Silicon Valley Acquisition 100

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. And given my marketing background (Google, Dailybreak Media, HubSpot), I often get this question directly: When should startups announce seed funding? .

Startup 120

Startup PR Cofounder Stealth 120

Growthink Blog

OCTOBER 7, 2010

I just reviewed the many companies who recently raised venture capital with an eye towards those that are offering products and services that could benefit other entrepreneurs and business owners. Get Satisfaction Inc. ( [link] ) raised $6 million led by Azure Capital Partners. million led by Greycroft Partners and BV Capital.

Azure 74

Azure Venture Capital Software Review Syndicate 74

Pascal's View

JULY 9, 2017

Andrew Krowne and I recently co-wrote an article in Tech Crunch , Why SAFE Notes Are Not Safe for Entrepreneurs. At its core, this issue points to the lack of understanding about the importance of post-money valuation by both entrepreneurs and investors. Many entrepreneurs lose track of what they have been cooking up in the cap table.

Post-Money Valuation 49

Post-Money Valuation Valuation Cap Table Covenant 49

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

Of course these are great places to network with other investors, meet great entrepreneurs and keep your connections strong with senior execs at larger companies like Yahoo!, But it’s very easy to be flattered into “here’s why we want YOU as an investor” by entrepreneurs and earlier-stage investors alike.

Cofounder 374

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 374

Agile VC

DECEMBER 19, 2013

I think the most important thing any new angel investor can do is to candidly assess their motivations for making startup investments. Angel investing, particularly for entrepreneurs and others who’ve chosen a startup career path, can be rewarding in many different ways.

Angel Investor 265

Angel Investor Early Stage Syndicate Syndication 265

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” If you have the urge to be an entrepreneur, I encourage you to think seriously about each of these, before you zero-in on one or two, and get totally discouraged if those don’t work for you.

Equity 120

Equity Small Business Administration SBA Syndicate 120

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

And they should be; the feeding frenzy in the innovation economy is in some cases because startups are eating the lunch of more established companies. Access to the corporate investor’s ecosystem can open up great opportunities from technology validation to customer and partner development.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio 60

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Led by Oak Investment Partners with participation by General Catalyst, Sequoia, & Accel and others. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC. My partner @ LeeHower looks back: [link] 5 days ago Search. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. April 17, 2011.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113