Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. The goal of their startup in this stage becomes “getting funded.”

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Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 262

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 6, 2011

She is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and strategy consultant. Our community has successfully established a culture of bootstrapping as a counterforce to the compulsive rush to financing that entrepreneurs often mistakenly engage in, only to be rejected over and again by investors.

Silicon Valley 118

Silicon Valley India San Francisco Entrepreneur 118

steveblank.com

JULY 8, 2011

Useful blogs and links for startups Click Here ————– 2.

Software Review 110

Software Review Startup Silicon Valley Analytics 110

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

On December 2nd, 2006 I wrote the blog post published later in this post when I was CEO of startup Koral about my experiences in pitching VCs. My blog linked to Brad Feld’s blog because I was so grateful for his series on term sheets and he was one of the biggest reasons that as a VC I felt compelled to blog.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Term Sheet San Diego Viral 274

mashable.com

JUNE 11, 2013

16 Common Mistakes Young Startups Make. Are you working on a startup? In fact, recent research shows that 75% of startups fail (based on a study of 2,000 startups that received VC funding from 2004 to 2010). Some startups are destined for failure. Whats This? By Lauren Drell 2013-06-10 14:46:07 UTC.

Cofounder 111

Cofounder Technical Review Startup Software Review 111

A Crowded Space

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

Any time you have Techcrunch publishing articles like, “ Our 9 Favorite Startups From Y Combinator Summer 2015 Demo Day 2” , you’re going to get some hyped companies. Any time you have a “ Mindshare Score ” that ranks all startups you’re going to end up with some hype. Many investors pride themselves on that ability.

San Diego 60

San Diego Software Review San Francisco Silicon Valley 60

Eric Friedman

AUGUST 18, 2021

Most investors, most people in the startup ecosystem, I would describe as eternal optimists, glass-half-full people. Why are you that way and how do you come to terms with the fact that the sometimes irrational exuberance and optimism of others is the norm? On Dan’s Former Startup. On Leaving Silicon Valley Bank.

Silicon Valley 88

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Cofounder Africa 88

Business Plan Blog

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Most startup founders do not have enough capital to launch their companies and need to raise money at some point. Individual investors who provide financial funding to startups are called ‘Angel Investors.’ Some well-known Silicon Valley angel groups are Band of Angels, Sandhill Angels, TIE angels and others. *The

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Finance Accredited Investor Angel Investor Seed Capital 93

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 7, 2014

A rounds back then seemed to be anywhere from $2-3 million (LA or NYC) or up to $5 million in Silicon Valley. $5 5 million was always the classic definition of an A-round between the late nineties (crazy financings aside) and say 2007. Startup Lessons' If you''re newer to VC math here''s a great primer].

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Cap Table Silicon Valley Term Sheet Finance 399

abovethecrowd.com

APRIL 20, 2016

Why the Unicorn Financing Market Just Became Dangerous…For All Involved. In February of last year, Fortune magazine writers Erin Griffith and Dan Primack declared 2015 “ The Age of the Unicorns ” noting — “Fortune counts more than 80 startups that have been valued at $1 billion or more by venture capitalists.” Who are the Sharks?

IPO 40

IPO Term Sheet Silicon Valley Valuation 40

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Not all startups need outside investment to grow. What most founders don’t realize is: Every stage of a startup requires a different set of metrics and milestones and founder skills. Here’s the first 2½ years of a startup journey. The Startup Investment Landscape. Still, there are some benchmarks to keep in mind.

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Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 429

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). Venture Capital Cafe > Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). VC & Startup Resources. Seed Startups. VC Cafe covers early stage Israeli and European tech & mobile startups. Hundreds of startups featured since 2005, will yours be next? About VC Cafe.

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Software Review Technical Review Startup 53

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Launchpad LA today announces it will accept applications for its third class of Los Angeles-based tech startups. But the most important metric has been the deep and lasting relationships that have been built with startups and also between senior executives. For any company interested in applying please visit the website.

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Los Angeles Silicon Valley Incubator Startup 287

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

You need to build genuine relationships with these portfolio startup founders as well as trust with them and the rest will follow. These include building products, recruiting, managing your finances, marketing, selling, getting feedback from customers and … fund raising. Earn the right to the intro.

Developer 366

Developer Silicon Valley PR Las Vegas 366

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Since 2017 we’ve managed $3 million in revenue-based financing, which helps cash-strapped technology companies grow. We’re currently evaluating about 20 companies a month and issuing term sheets to 25% of them; those that fit our investment criteria. “ You qualify if you have $5k+ MRR. Bigfoot Capital. Decathlon Capital.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Gust

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Last week , we gave some attention to the “why” behind convertible note financing for early stage startups. In this installment, I’ll dig into the “how” by dissecting an example term sheet based on a real deal. As with so many subjects in law and finance, mastering the jargon is half the battle.

Finance 79

Finance Preferred Stock Term Sheet Early Stage 79

Gust

OCTOBER 26, 2011

As we conclude our convertible note financing series, there are assorted terms commonly seen in term sheets and deal documents that are worth touching on briefly. Having made it almost to the end of our sample term sheet: Documentation. Returning to our sample term sheet: Note Purchase Agreement.

Finance 79

Finance Term Sheet Covenant Accredited Investor 79

www.mattbartus.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

A View from the Valley. Perspectives on issues affecting founders, startups and investors from a veteran startup lawyer in Silicon Valley. Matt is a lawyer representing technology companies through all phases of their lifecycle, from pre-incorporation, seed & VC financings, exit transactions and IPOs (read more).

Equity 40

Equity Vesting Silicon Valley Intellectual Property 40

Scott Edward Walker

NOVEMBER 26, 2017

Despite all the hype in the press (including with respect to the latest ICO craze), raising funds for your startup is still tough – particularly if you’re not located in San Francisco or Silicon Valley. The hard part, of course, is getting in front of “A” investors to pitch your startup.

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Term Sheet San Francisco Founder Investment Bankers 63

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

It has many stylistic errors — and a few substantive ones, too — that I would now change having learned more, but I realized that it still provides useful insights for entrepreneurs and startup participants outside of the Greylock network, particularly across three areas of interest: how entrepreneurs should approach the pitch process.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Revenue Viral Networking 111

abovethecrowd.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

As the bull market raged on from 2015 to 2022, it became quite trendy for venture capitalists to wave the requirement for an annual audit which is embedded in almost every standard Series A term sheet. Silicon Valley (and most large US cities) are full of lawyers who have ample startup experience.

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Venture Capital Non-Compete Government Delaware 113

Scott Edward Walker

AUGUST 31, 2011

Thanks, Scott Question We’re a startup based in Palo Alto, and we just received a Series A term sheet for a $725,000 investment. The investor is kind of insisting that we use his lawyer at a big Valley firm to represent us. Answer Welcome to the world of the Silicon Valley! Any advice would be appreciated.

Silicon Valley 45

Silicon Valley Term Sheet Liquidation Preference Redemption 45

Gust

OCTOBER 8, 2014

Cautionary note: No competent VC is actually fooled when you show up after raising $6M in seed financing and say you’re now raising an A! A-rounds back then seemed to be anywhere from $2-3 million (LA or NYC) or up to $5 million in Silicon Valley. $5 It’s hard building a startup. and there''s always a but]. So I did not.

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Cap Table Silicon Valley Term Sheet Non-Compete 136

ReadWriteStart

MAY 8, 2012

Approaching investors for the first time is a daunting exercise for any startup. The best way to do that is to leverage the hard-won experience of real-world startup. Turns out that while every startup is unique, they share some common difficulties in trying to find just the right strategies and tactics for funding their companies: 1.

Cofounder 140

Cofounder Startup San Francisco Silicon Valley 140

Feld Thoughts

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

While going through my daily reading this morning, I came across a bunch of posts talking about how the sky was falling, Silicon Valley was in turmoil, financing was drying up everywhere, and all the unicorns were doomed. Mark also has a nice call out to me that helps explain why he writes posts list this one.

Silicon Valley 70

Silicon Valley Term Sheet Early Stage New York 70

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

.” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.” When I was an entrepreneur there was no public information about how term sheets worked or how investors thought. In 2015 in the US there were $77 billion written into startup tech companies. goes into a startup. What hogwash.

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Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

Professor VC

JULY 25, 2013

It is the story of the founding of the venture capital industry in Silicon Valley and features many of the iconic companies created including Apple, Intel, Genentech and Cisco. Startup outcomes tend to be very binary. An entrepreneur received two Series A term sheets, one lead by an international investor and the other from SH.

Term Sheet 46

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 46

OnlyOnce

DECEMBER 14, 2011

One of the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur is to surround yourself with a great lawyer (as I mentioned in my posting on negotiating term sheets ) and a great accountant. It’s not that they’re necessarily bad, they’re just not compatible with startups. Picking Professional Services Firms.

Silicon Valley 67

Silicon Valley Term Sheet Finance Partner 67

Bryce Dot VC

APRIL 21, 2016

“Why the Unicorn financing market just became dangerous…for all involved.” That was the title of the bombshell dropped on silicon valley last night. But, what about the customers who took the risk and started building, or running, their businesses on the tools and services offered by these fledgling startups?

Silicon Valley 40

Silicon Valley Dilution Term Sheet Down Round 40

www.mattbartus.com

DECEMBER 9, 2012

A View from the Valley. Perspectives on issues affecting founders, startups and investors from a veteran startup lawyer in Silicon Valley. Let’s say you receive a term sheet for a $1 million investment at a $3 million fully diluted pre-money valuation, and you’re kind of disappointed.

Warrant 40

Warrant Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 40

VC Adventure

AUGUST 24, 2011

With the performance of the public markets looking like an EKG read-out, I’ve been asked frequently in the past two weeks what effect this will have on the venture financing market. when the Dow drops 10% it’s not like term sheets headed out the door that week do the same). So what’s a start-up to do?

Marketing 85

Marketing Silicon Valley Valuation Portfolio 85

venturehacks.com

OCTOBER 21, 2010

Venture Hacks Good advice for startups. Later that evening you review the term sheet from Blue Shirt. Reading on, the term sheet states, “The $8 million pre-money valuation includes an option pool equal to 20% of the post-financing fully diluted capitalization.&#

Option Pool 68

Option Pool Pre-Money Valuation Dilution Warrant 68

VC Adventure

AUGUST 24, 2011

With the performance of the public markets looking like an EKG read-out, I’ve been asked frequently in the past two weeks what effect this will have on the venture financing market. when the Dow drops 10% it’s not like term sheets headed out the door that week do the same). So what’s a start-up to do?

Marketing 48

Marketing Silicon Valley Valuation Portfolio 48

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

I doubt Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures believed that a horse with a horn existed when she wrote Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups in late 2013, but she probably had no idea that it would become a hot buzzword in Silicon Valley and hit the cover of mainstream business press, Fortune Magazine.

Las Vegas 28

Las Vegas IPO Pre-Money Valuation Valuation 28

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Some really great stuff in 2010 that aims to help startups around product, technology, business models, etc. 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication?

Silicon Valley 378

Silicon Valley Startup Term Sheet Venture Capital 378

Life Beyond Code

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Through this journey, we have raised the visibility of fundamental issues like the causes of exorbitantly high infant entrepreneur mortality, and alerted the entrepreneur community with a simple observation: Entrepreneurship = (Customer + Revenue + Profits); Financing is Optional. The rest of the services are for paying members only.

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Programming Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 116