Agile VC

JANUARY 18, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Being a startup founder isn’t for everyone ultimately, in fact it probably isn’t for most people. 2) The Pyramid Scheme of Startup Equity - Just like multi-level marketing schemes, in startups it pays to get in on the ground floor. January 18, 2012.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Cofounder Silicon Valley Seed Stage 100

Agile VC

OCTOBER 1, 2013

I believe we’re going to look back in 2-5 years and realize that we’ve been in a once a decade boom for internet & software startups. More Ways Than Ever to Raise Startup Capital - Plenty has been written about AngelList’s new funding & model (good summary here ), as well as crowdfunding more broadly.

IPO 147

IPO Cloud Valuation Mobile 147

Agile VC

MAY 9, 2014

Some context… like many startups, the founders of Alibaba still own substantial stakes in the company and believe it’s in the company’s best interests for them to retain an outsized influence in the company’s governance longer term.

Government 153

Government Silicon Valley China Cofounder 153

Agile VC

JANUARY 27, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Something has clearly changed within the last 5-6 years in terms of the speed with which monster startups are created in the software and internet space. Multi-billion dollar valuations for late stage startups like Dropbox, et al. Are Google-Scale Outcomes More Frequent?

Hockey Stick 113

Hockey Stick Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate 113

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. I recently wrote a post noting that while the growth cycle of startups has clearly accelerated in the last 5 years, the number of truly monster new businesses (a company ultimately worth $75-100B) remains about the same … it’s a once in a decade sort of thing. February 2, 2012.

IPO 100

IPO South Korea Venezuela Revenue 100

Agile VC

JULY 11, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. in equity & loans which was ultimately worth >170x ($355M) when DEC went public about a decade later. Should there be a notion of “founder equity” for those individuals who put in the hard work to start a firm and build the brand? How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC.

Silicon Valley 240

Silicon Valley Carried Interest Cofounder Boston 240

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Startups in NextView’s portfolio frequently receive inbound interest from other VC investors who are intrigued about what they’re doing, and I often talk with other early-stage entrepreneurs how to approach similar situations. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC.

Early Stage 100

Early Stage Syndicate Syndication Silicon Valley 100

Agile VC

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Providence Equity invested $100M at a $1B valuation not because of their technology or product, but because the network owners contributed a lot of valuable content… or at least access to it for 2years. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. And Why 20%?

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 100

Agile VC

JULY 19, 2012

In recent years firms like First Round Capital and Andreessen Horowitz have experimented with creating a “platform” of services for entrepreneurs that go beyond the traditional investor / board director relationship between VCs and startups. Winning in the sense of helping entrepreneurs they’ve backed build great companies.

Cofounder 193

Cofounder Limited Partner Early Stage LP 193

Agile VC

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. A slow-growth, but cash rich business like this could be a better fit for a retailer, private equity fund, or other type of owner in the longer run. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. September 19, 2011. What’s Your Favorite Future? And Why 20%?

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Private Equity Seed Stage Syndicate 100

Agile VC

AUGUST 1, 2012

About 6-12 months ago you could hardly throw a rock in the startup ecosystem without hitting a VC expressing their enthusiasm for “mobile” Now the frenzy about mobile has extended into the mass media and public equity markets, though with trepidation as often as excitement.

Mobile 160

Mobile Advertising Bandwidth Web 160

Agile VC

MARCH 18, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Like many in the tech startup ecosystem, I’ve been intrigued with Twitter as a business for years. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. Why Twitter is A Media Company. March 18, 2012. But frankly I can’t see Twitter as anything but a media company.

Media 113

Media Advertising Silicon Valley Revenue 113

Agile VC

NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Like many things in life, the VC/startup ecosystem is one of cycles. But let’s look back at the last decade in VC-backed startups… it’s easy to forget how predominant mindsets change throughout the cycle. VC funding for startups is drying up quickly. Reading Time: 5 minutes. 2009-2011: Retrenchment. Rowe Price, hedge funds, etc.

IPO 100

IPO Early Stage Cofounder B2C 100

Agile VC

JULY 24, 2013

Historically there was just one model… VCs had to invest in the Series A or B round of a startup, own 20%+ of the company, and be one of the primary capital supporters of it through exit. Put plainly, the subprime model of VC would be to invest in the mediocre startups at a low valuation. payday lending).

Valuation 200

Valuation Early Stage Distribution LP 200

Agile VC

OCTOBER 29, 2014

Most folks reading this will know that many startups were built in part with the help of venture capital. However, many folks probably don’t think about exactly where those VC dollars that help fund startups actually come from. So I wanted to dive a little deeper into what I call the startup capital supply chain.

Venture Capital 279

Venture Capital LP Private Equity Institutional Investors 279

Agile VC

DECEMBER 6, 2012

A little more inside baseball from the VC biz… why VC’s rarely make “crossover” investments, with capital from multiple funds the VC firm manages invested in a single startup (see note 1). If Acme Ventures III, LP invests in Startup X then typically Acme Ventures IV, LP would not.

LP 178

LP Balance Sheet Differentiation Limited Partner 178

Agile VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

The IPO market remained closed to IT startups, but there were big acquisitions like Google buying YouTube for $1.65B (Fall 2006) and late stage financing rounds for companies like Facebook (Microsoft round at $15B valuation in Fall 2007). For some firms that promise seems very sound based on funds well before the most recent one (e.g.

LP 154

LP Portfolio Venture Capital IRR 154

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. In the modern age public market investors, whether they be focused on equities (stocks), fixed income (bonds), currencies, commodities, or derivatives of these, all have access to essentially the same investment choices and the same body of information. Source, Select, Win. February 9, 2012.

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Framework Silicon Valley Early Stage 100