David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

Private equity and venture capital investors are copying our sisters in the hedge fund and mutual fund world: we’re trying to automate more of our job. According to Knowledge.VC , under 5% of US VCs have a full-time team member focused on technology. . Why is it now more feasible to use technology in the VC investing process?

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

At the outset, it is worth noting that when it comes to the world of venture funding, I am a bit of an outsider. Until a handful of years ago, I didn’t even know what venture capital was, let alone anything about the complicated process of actually acquiring VC funding. I don’t know this world on an intimate, personal level.

Venture Capital 82

Venture Capital Lean Cofounder Technical Review 82

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 25, 2015

In January, Jerry Neumann wrote a long and detailed analysis of his view of the VC industry in the 1980’s titled Heat Death: Venture Capital in the 1980’s. So contrary to the piece, it wasn’t VC were good at early stage technology, it was that they had newfound capital and a big exit window. This isn’t true.

Venture Capital 70

Venture Capital SBIC Technical Review Silicon Valley 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) was turned upside down by the recent Recession, and many other changes in the marketplace. I would conclude that the genesis of this trend comes from several forces, including the following: Less investment capital available. entrepreneur startup super-Angels David S.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

A version of this article first appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Most entrepreneurs today don’t remember the Dot-Com bubble of 1995 or the Dot-Com crash that followed in 2000. Then the cycle repeats with a new set of technologies. After the crash, venture capital was scarce to non-existent. And it may work.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Growth will slow, partly due to internal limits and partly because the company is starting to bump up against the limits of the markets it serves.” He also nails the reason why venture capital is still necessary to grow large businesses quickly in a world where the costs of running startups have fallen dramatically.

Silicon Valley 390

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 390

NZ Entrepreneur

MAY 31, 2021

Jason Graham from Movac provided an early-stage venture capital fund perspective, detailing 35 investments made across 5 funds and 22 years. Marcus Henderson and Hursh Shah provided the institutional venture capital perspective, with NZGCP’s Aspire NZ Seed Fund having invested in over 160 companies over 15 years.

Portfolio 81

Portfolio New Zealand Management Technical Review 81

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

In the US, a nonprofit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants. That’s a higher calling.

Equity 235

Equity Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy 235

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Every Flexible VC structure allows founders to access immediate risk capital while preserving exit, growth trajectory, and ownership optionality. . Our categorization is not a technical one. Additionally, Flexible VC can accommodate all types of companies, not just asset-lite, tech-enabled companies.”. Funder Category.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

According to the Angel Capital Association: Angels (private money) invest in 55,000 startups each year versus 1,500 companies by VC (venture capital) funding. Angels invest in one out of every forty deals they review (2.5%) versus the one out of 400 by VC’s (0.25%). Perhaps the library or a local tech company can host.

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

Gust

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

We recently started a series of posts on establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup companies for purposes of investment by seed and startup investors. This calculator uses 25 questions to size up the progress of the new venture and calculate a pre-money valuation for investment purposes.

Valuation 87

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Venture Capital Technical Review 87

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Competition from other startups and established incumbents, constraints on time and capital, and limited access to talent and technology resources are just a few of the hurdles nearly every first-time founder faces while trying to build a business. All entrepreneurs must face adversity, no matter their background.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There are many things a VC is looking for in reviewing your business plan but beyond things the like the quality of revenue, margins, OPEX and CAPEX there’s a really simple rule I call, “Cash In, Cash Out, Milestones Achieved.” One entrepreneur refrain I sometimes hear is “We want to raise some extra money for M&A activities.”

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

San Francisco 256

San Francisco Valuation Technical Review Los Angeles 256

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Venture Capital is a tricky industry. When the early teams: angels, lowercase capital & first round capital funded Uber they had no idea it would be one of the most revolutionary ideas of our time. I know – I was there when the first people debating funding it at less than a $5m valuation. Far from it.

Technical Review 362

Technical Review America Partner United States 362

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

Not that they’re “such a bad idea&# but more that there are inherent problems for entrepreneurs in the process of raising angel money that need to be addressed. This leads to the problem of “herding cats&# for entrepreneurs raising angel money. Here’s where I feel common ground : 1. I agree on all points.

Finance 286

Finance Term Sheet Technical Review Warrant 286

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) has been turned upside down by the recession, and the many other changes in the marketplace. I conclude that the genesis of this trend seems to come from several forces, including the following: Less investment capital available due to the recession. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. This source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days due to government initiatives on alternative energy and technology. Venture capital. Small business grants. Loans or line-of-credit.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

In a world where the economy only heads in one direction (read: 2009-2014) most investors & entrepreneurs forget to pay attention to gross burn. Valuation. I wanted to call out special attention to valuation in this debate. If you’re raised at $250 million+ valuation even more cautious.

Burn Rate 383

Burn Rate Balance Sheet .Net Valuation 383

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

In the US, a nonprofit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants. That’s a higher calling.

Angel Investor 132

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 132

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. So here is what I have been telling entrepreneurs privately for the past 6 months. Responses ranged from, “hey, they’re in a HUGE market&# to “it is an amazing company and their technology rocks.&#

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

thebarefootvc

JANUARY 27, 2014

Do I think we are in a valuation bubble? 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.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Valuation Venture Capital Investment Bankers 63

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Prorata rights are one of the most important rights of a private market technology investors and yet are seldom fully understood. Also, because the entire industry has changed because it is cheaper to start a tech company these days – there are simply way more angel rounds. Why prorata rights are becoming a bigger deal to angels.

Technical Review 336

Technical Review Later Stage Early Stage LP 336

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2013

In the US, a non-profit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants. That’s a higher calling.

Equity 207

Equity Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy 207

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Posted on September 14, 2009 by steveblank Over the last 30 years Wall Street’s appetite for technology stocks have changed radically – swinging between unbridled enthusiasm to believing they’re all toxic. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors.

Silicon Valley 217

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 217

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. As the risks below get eliminated the higher the valuation investors are prepared to pay.

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

In the US, a non-profit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants. That’s a higher calling.

Angel Investor 218

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 218

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

As an active angel investor myself, I understand how the process works, and I see the disappointment in the eyes of entrepreneurs who approach angel groups for funding and often get turned away for not being timely or prepared in the minds of potential investors. A business needs technical, marketing, financial and many other skills.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Groups 120

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

In the technology world there are a few websites that most startups track to keep up with the latest financings, acquisitions, product announcements and gossip: BusinessInsider, TechCrunch, Mashable, GigaOm, etc. Specifically we talked about Slide having gotten a $550 million valuation before being sold to Google for $182 million.

Seed Stage 232

Seed Stage Valuation Private Equity Venture Capital 232

thebarefootvc

MAY 8, 2012

As an entrepreneur at heart, I often innately grasp the potential of entrepreneurs and ideas that I meet with. It is the human capital involved, both internally with company teams and externally with advisors, boards and investors, that is going to differentiate which startups survive and become the disruptive businesses of tomorrow.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Syndicate Syndication Bandwidth 78

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

Any SoCal entrepreneur raising early-stage money should put Rincon on their short list. Before booking a hotel I always check out Trip Advisor and read reviews. It’s hard for angels to assess whether or not to invest because they often have day jobs and can’t commit to the kind of due diligence that most VCs go through.

Silicon Valley 293

Silicon Valley Technical Review Southern California Angel Investor 293

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2011

In the US, a non-profit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants. That’s a higher calling.

Angel Investor 238

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 238

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

In the early 80’s he left academia to work on venture capital investing with Jim Simons, Renaissance Technologies. The discussion with Howard Morgan starts off by acknowledging Josh Kopelman as a co-founder of First Round Capital. First Round Capital’s pre-money range is usually between $3-5 million.

Pre-Money Valuation 284

Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review Cofounder Cram Down 284

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. Entrepreneurial lawyers like Don Lee , Dave Young or Ted Wang are good at sussing out which entrepreneurs are high potential. What stage?

Deal Flow 347

Deal Flow Early Stage Investment Bankers Technical Review 347

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. I have been close to the tech & startup sectors for more than 20 years and I can’t think of a period in which I felt more optimistic about the innovation and value creation I see in front of us. Thank you, Aaron Sorkin!

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Mobile 347

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

In the US, a non-profit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. Government grants. That’s a higher calling.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 120

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. Entrepreneurial lawyers like Don Lee , Dave Young or Ted Wang are good at sussing out which entrepreneurs are high potential. What stage?

Early Stage 361

Early Stage Deal Flow Investment Bankers Technical Review 361