Reid Hoffman

AUGUST 6, 2020

Obsidian is another one of these where we knew the entrepreneurs deeply, and we had a high level of conviction in what they were going to do. At the seed stage, we have backed very non-obvious, non-pedigreed entrepreneurs, in spaces that weren’t obvious, who ended up being amazing. There should be one to three, at most.

Technical Review 69

Technical Review Seed Stage Software Review Early Stage 69

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2015

*. If you are a 20-something tech entrepreneur you could be forgiven for thinking that seed-stage investors, Angellist Syndicates and widely available angel money always existed. I was out to raise my first seed money in my second startup of $500,000. Some quick highlights include: The Role of a Seed Stage VC.

Seed Stage 150

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 150

Agile VC

DECEMBER 13, 2011

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. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Seed Stage 185

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Cofounder Technical Review 185

View from Seed

JUNE 11, 2015

At NextView, some of the companies we invest in at the seed stage already have a meaningful public presence, while others choose to remain in stealth mode. And specifically when completing a seed round of financing, what are the implications? So what are the pros and cons of either approach? The two main benefits are: 1.

Stealth 120

Stealth Seed Stage Startup Software Review 120

View from Seed

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. However, our overall goal is to invest in the full spectrum of seed. Belief #1: The best time to invest is early.

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

View from Seed

APRIL 16, 2015

What an investor (and I think an entrepreneur) really wants to know is: Is this something people want? So, as a founder, when you are thinking about very early-stage milestones, focus less on the activities and more on answering the four questions above. These are not bad things to shoot for. Can this team do it? Does it matter?

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Cofounder Early Stage Startup 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. Affinity by personal background.

Angel Investor 332

Angel Investor Boston Seed Stage Syndicate 332

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 20, 2019

Specifically, there are five challenges that emerging business typically put on the backburner between funding rounds: Seed to Series A: Customer Testing. Hypotheses should be tested extensively and disproven, which is where customer testing plays a central role for seed-stage startups. At Women 2.0

Technical Cofounder 113

Technical Cofounder Burn Rate Seed Stage Cofounder 113

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

At seed-stage startups, especially companies with well-networked founders and investors, finding applicants who can do a job on paper is not overly difficult. Troops is smart CRM software that makes work easier. Another told me about his father’s work ethic and the trials and tribulations of being raised by an entrepreneur.

Founder 120

Founder Seed Stage Cofounder Boston 120

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

In addition to these data points Ali identifies seven key traits that these “super founders” possess, and I believe that these traits are essential for any entrepreneur who wants to build a successful startup. “extreme resilience” – Successful entrepreneurs are able to persevere through challenges and setbacks.

Founder 88

Founder Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation 88

The Equity Kicker

DECEMBER 5, 2013

As I’ve written before here at Forward Partners we work with entrepreneurs to help them launch and scale their companies in two different ways. Right now we’re looking to invest in up to two amazing new entrepreneurs or founding teams at that true startup stage.

Partner 117

Partner Software Review eCommerce Due Diligence 117

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2015

“As a seed-stage investor, should you pay up for team or traction?” Barriers to entry are so low in software that new entrants can always steal your thunder and sometimes draft off your early learnings. So, if you are going to pay up as a seed-stage investor, pay up for team. (Hat-tip

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage B2B Distribution Early Stage 120

Agile VC

JUNE 5, 2012

Apple and Facebook are both platforms , in the sense that their software and user networks are utilized by countless software developers to build their own businesses. At the end of the day, Apple isn’t really a software platform company. AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. June 5, 2012.

Java 170

Java Flash Software Azure 170

Austin Startup

MAY 11, 2017

645 Ventures 645 Ventures makes deeply-researched investments in institutional Seed to Series A rounds for exceptional companies who demonstrate stellar early results in the areas of market validation, product differentiation, team strength, and brand narrative. These sectors generally leverage the Internet or software in a fundamental way.

Private Equity 48

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage 48

View from Seed

JANUARY 27, 2021

. $100M is a meaningful increase from our $50M third fund, though it’s still quite small in the grand scheme of venture, especially amid the recent wave of late stage financings and SPACs. We believe that this fund is the perfect size for us to be the best possible partners to early-stage entrepreneurs today.

LP 411

LP Early Stage Seed Stage Venture Capital 411

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.

Early Stage 253

Early Stage Finance Seed Stage Entrepreneur 253

David Teten

MARCH 18, 2021

Foundry Group, investing primarily in “ Software and Internet ”, follows six major themes, e.g., Human Computer Interaction (HCI) or Distribution. Software is by far the most sought-after class, with 94% of VCs investing in it. software”); 43 invest in 2 types of technology (e.g., software” and “deeptech”), and so on.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Cofounder Venture Capital Deal Flow 78

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Pre-seed Round of Funding. In the pre-seed stage, a startup is searching for product/market fit. Funding: Startups typically raise anywhere from $100K to $750,000 in pre-seed. Goal/Time: By the end of the pre-seed stage the company ought to have evidence that it has found product/market fit.

Cofounder 431

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 431

VC Cafe

JULY 5, 2010

-based Angel capital with early stage technology companies in Israel, and do so in a way that substantially mitigates the risk of seed stage investing. Essentially, investors are receiving equal shares of 10 Israeli seed stage start-ups for relatively small capital. VCs are investing in later stage companies.

Technical Review 106

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage 106

View from Seed

AUGUST 3, 2021

As seed stage investors here at NextView Ventures , we have the privilege of working with a wide profile of founders at the company conception stage — from early-career first time entrepreneurs , to seasoned execs turned founders , to repeat successful entrepreneurs.

Cofounder 156

Cofounder Seed Stage Portfolio Revenue 156

View from Seed

AUGUST 3, 2021

As seed stage investors here at NextView Ventures , we have the privilege of working with a wide profile of founders at the company conception stage — from early-career first time entrepreneurs , to seasoned execs turned founders , to repeat successful entrepreneurs.

Cofounder 156

Cofounder Seed Stage Revenue Acquisition 156

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

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. GM: The model is more about the relationship with the entrepreneurs, the investors, and us as the bank, as opposed to cash flow or fixed assets to lend on.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

BeyondVC

JANUARY 3, 2019

No matter what economic cycle we go through, Fortune 500 companies need to invest in software.”. Designing software with a privacy-first mentality becomes a core theme in 2019. On the seed side, we are seeing more firms focus on smaller and more concentrated portfolios instead of a spray and pray mentality.

Stealth 79

Stealth Advisory Board Cloud Virginia 79

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

You don’t need to buy expensive software – there are free open source solutions for nearly everything. So angel and seed stage investors’ returns will be dependent on good times continuing or on the ability of their portfolio companies to get financed. Some seed angles and seed funds clearly get it.

LP 311

LP Technical Review Early Stage Silicon Valley 311

View from Seed

AUGUST 3, 2021

As seed stage investors here at NextView Ventures , we have the privilege of working with a wide profile of founders at the company conception stage — from early-career first time entrepreneurs , to seasoned execs turned founders , to repeat successful entrepreneurs.

Cofounder 136

Cofounder Seed Stage Portfolio Revenue 136

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. You’ve seen this with companies like StackOverflow and Github in software engineering or Behance in visual design. million times.

Community 100

Community Estonia Syndicate Syndication 100

Hippoland

OCTOBER 9, 2016

As an entrepreneur, you think your idea is unique. If you’re still in the early stages of your entrepreneur-education/journey, you may even think you need to protect your idea and not share it with anyone. Most entrepreneurs overpitch their ideas but underpitch how they’ve been executing. 2) Speed matters.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage CTO Hire Email Later Stage 48

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

Agile VC

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

In the software an internet space a number of companies obviously had strong public offerings (LinkedIn, Yandex, Pandora, RenRen, et al). 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. Startup IPO Market: A Fickle Mistress.

IPO 100

IPO Marketing Silicon Valley Private Equity 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

Yesterday I wrote Part 1 of the series on the changes to the software industry over the past decade that has led to changes in the venture capital industry itself. Surprisinly, this strategy works well with many entrepreneurs. I believe some VCs have entered the early-stage market as simply an option on future financing rounds.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Software LP Early Stage 296

View from Seed

MARCH 19, 2015

He’s dubbed the approach “ pretotyping ,” and it shares many of the same principles as both its similar-sounding (if later-stage) cousin, prototyping, as well as the more well-known lean startup movement. ” So I left Google to do another startup, Agitar Software. And the word pretotype was born. Another success.

Product 120

Product Technical Review Marketing Lean 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

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.     We worked all day building market strategies for customers while we tried to embody our expertise on software that would expand the company's reach.  Starting Startups.

Burn Rate 60

Burn Rate Angel Groups Seed Stage Startup 60

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

A few years ago it became fashionable for large VC’s to do seed funding. With open source software (LAMP stack) and cloud computing infrastructure it just wasn’t that expensive to get your company going and founders just wanted to raise less money. I told entrepreneurs that it was a bit of a Faustian bargain.

Software Review 283

Software Review Term Sheet Due Diligence Southern California 283

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. However, our overall goal is to invest in the full spectrum of seed. Belief #1: The best time to invest is early.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

Agile VC

JULY 11, 2012

On the IT side of VC investing, we’ve seen countless waves crest and fall… mainframes to minicomputer/workstation, workstation to PC, copper to optical networking, client/server software to cloud, the fabless semiconductor model, magnetic tape to hard drive, etc. Im a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned East Coast VC.

Silicon Valley 240

Silicon Valley Carried Interest Cofounder Boston 240

Up and Running

MARCH 11, 2015

This is the home of Jason Cohen, software startup founder, bootstrapper, investor, and mentor. The Andreesen Horowitz blog is the work of the famous VC firm’s partners and covers all things software in Silicon Valley and beyond. What do you get when a successful entrepreneur becomes a VC and then starts blogging about his experiences?

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Technical Review Silicon Valley Cofounder 60