Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. My wife was a great partner here. We established a team of founders who worked collaboratively. “What’s gone and what’s past help. Should be past grief.” So here’s mine.

Redemption 330

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 330

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Sharing these pricing expectations early with potential lead investors fundamentally qualifies your conversations, but it also runs the risk of prematurely losing a potential financing partner, or else it can reduce options to maximize your fundraise outcome. And as my partner Rob Go likes to say, “Time kills all deals.”).

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

In previous blog posts I’ve written about the two main approaches to building a seed round syndicate – the subscription method (where an entrepreneur presets a structure with a convertible note or SAFE and recruits investors who subscribe to the round, all without a term-driving lead investor) and a term-driving lead investor approach.

Syndicate 257

Syndicate Syndication Lead Investor Venture Capital 257

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

” From the hyperbolic Jason Calacanis weighing in that “The petty VC’s did everything to deride [Naval, the co-founder of AngelList]” as though the industry was collectively s g its pants that AngelList was going to put us out of business. It’s hard to be a great lead investor . founder fighting.

Syndicate 356

Syndicate Syndication Cofounder Early Stage 356

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. My wife was a great partner here. We established a team of founders who worked collaboratively. “What’s gone and what’s past help. Should be past grief.” So here’s mine.

Redemption 222

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 222

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

There is a well-known trope that choosing a VC to partner with is like marriage. It’s a super important, near permanent relationship, especially for a lead investor that is likely to take a board seat for many years. I know many VC’s that are amazing partners to founders in thick and thin. This is true.

Founder 280

Founder Lead Investor Portfolio Reputation 280

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. Lead investors are few. Leads that are true force-multipliers are exceedingly rare.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

At this point, the investor and the entrepreneur work together to develop their perfect list of potential partners, and then do targeted outreach to try to bring this investor into the round. The other is that I think both investors and entrepreneurs are getting much more efficient about reaching one another.

Syndicate 207

Syndicate Syndication Term Sheet Cofounder 207

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

I actually think a strong lead with some well-placed and experienced angels is the right mix. All of my partners at Upfront do. Another founder … “When I pitched the idea to Adam, he was super on board,” Mr. Sloyan said. million from more than 30 investors. The right ones are invaluable additions. Hua of Apptimize.

Cap Table 150

Cap Table Cofounder Silicon Valley Startup 150

Hippoland

AUGUST 9, 2016

One question that seed investors love to ask is if you have a lead investor in your seed round. But once you figure out why an investor is asking, tactically speaking, what do you do? Let’s say that you find out that an investor is asking because he/she does not invest without a lead investor in place.

Lead Investor 48

Lead Investor Term Sheet Due Diligence Convertible Security 48

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

During the course of a fundraise, founders are likely to encounter a few questions from VC’s that seem awkward or even a bit unfair. These are questions that usually don’t have anything to do with the business itself, but center around the dynamics of the round or maybe the motivations of the founders.

Term Sheet 364

Term Sheet Burn Rate Founder Partner 364

View from Seed

JANUARY 11, 2021

The sudden arrival of the global pandemic has shifted the playbook for founders and venture capitalists. Investors previously prone to onsite visits and amassed airline miles, now grapple with how to form relationships and build confidence without having met teams in person. Zoom calls have taken the place of in-person meetings.

Venture Capital 350

Venture Capital Cofounder Early Stage Seed Stage 350

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

It was a “disappearing text app” where the founders told me that they named the company because the idea came from how Tiger Woods got caught cheating on his wife because all of his mistresses had evidence that he cheated because they saved text messages from him. . I didn’t do that.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

View from Seed

JUNE 11, 2019

At this point, founders find themselves in a luxurious situation of being able to build the best possible syndicate. Here are a couple tips and suggestions on how to go about creating the most supportive investor base for a typical institutional seed round. Building relationships with multiple partners at the firm.

Syndicate 202

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Lead Investor 202

YoungUpstarts

MAY 1, 2020

by Ash Rust , founder and managing partner of Sterling Road. Most startups will need a viable product and proof of credibility before they can expect early-stage investors to really bite. But the warning still holds: Don’t focus on lead investors exclusively (even if they’re the ideal outcome).

Early Stage 165

Early Stage Security Angel Investor Lead Investor 165

Lightspeed Venture Partners

APRIL 12, 2016

The partners here had made many great investments in consumer companies before then — companies that resulted in successful IPOs like BlueNile and eHealth in the late 90s. For that reason I was thrilled when Aaron Batalion joined as my partner in November. In addition, Jon Steinberg has also joined us, as a Venture Partner.

Technical Cofounder 60

Technical Cofounder Cofounder SCRUM Committed Capital 60

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 10, 2022

I love working with great people and as a venture capitalist, am fortunate the number of founders I’m impressed by far exceeds our investment capacity. Here’s an example of a founder that I’ve known for a while who recently raised a seed round with different firms than ours. and we also had a great relationship with the partner.

Cofounder 89

Cofounder Founder Acquisition Startup 89

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

I’ve also presented at a range of industry conferences on how institutional investors can use professional networks for research , origination , market research , and value creation. Our founders realized that investors needed to learn interactively, on-demand, on very specific topics, and in an atmosphere of trust.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 1, 2021

As part of The Startup Magazine Founder Interview Series , we interviewed Maha and David Harper, wife and husband co-founders of Atlas Group London, a construction-tech startup that has digitized the building of healthcare facilities. Our customer engagement has been solid, as has our engagement with partners. David Harper.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Founder Saudi Arabia Cofounder 110

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 18, 2017

The opening keynote session will define directions on Aligning the Role of Government Policymakers, Incumbent Banks, FinTech Innovators, Investors, Multilateral Agencies, MNOs and the Private Sector to Create a Dynamic Ecosystem for FinTech in Africa.

Africa 62

Africa Ethiopia Elevator Pitch Technical Review 62

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 29, 2017

As a result our investment process is geared towards giving teams a chance to understand what it’s like to work with us and, on our end, confirming that we can be a good partner to the founders. Reviewing the application together shows you how an investor will react to founders making decisions with incomplete information.

Founder 71

Founder Incubator Seed Stage Lead Investor 71

techcrunch.com

APRIL 26, 2013

In December, AngelList , a service that matches early-stage startups with investors, debuted the ability to allow accredited investors to actually invest in startups on the platform with as little as $1,000. AngelList also partnered with SecondMarket to create an investment vehicle for these investments. 2011 Holiday.

SEC 61

SEC Accredited Investor San Diego New York City 61

View from Seed

JANUARY 7, 2020

About a year ago, my partner David Beisel talked about how seed fundraising is no longer a local game , and that the best entrepreneurs seek out the best investors for them outside of their home market. That being said, it’s much easier to put a seed round together when you have a local lead who can help catalyze the round.

New York 207

New York Boston Marketing Aggregator 207

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 2, 2020

The story of how Curative pivoted and scaled is about moving with entrepreneurial speed to find a solution, then collaborating with investors and government for the public good. Celine Halioua , founder of a company called Celevity that is developing drugs to extend the lifespan of dogs, also played a key role. I didn't have any team.

Curation 60

Curation Government Los Angeles Partner 60

A Crowded Space

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Very shortly after I joined, Greg Gretsch (now my partner at Jackson Square Ventures) co-led oDesk’s Series A along with Venky Ganesan (partner at Menlo Ventures and lead investor in Rev.com). Greg Gretsch was and remains on the board and is my partner at Jackson Square Ventures.

San Francisco 60

San Francisco Bangladesh Ukraine Philippines 60

www.xconomy.com

JUNE 9, 2012

Sakti3 Founder Sastry to Step Down From U-M. Co-Founder and CEO, Wetpaint. Managing Director, Enterprise Partners. Founder, DEKA Research and Development Corporation. Amazingly, nobody has aggregated this data before,” says Coats, who was previously a managing partner at San Diego’s Hamilton Bioventures.

San Diego 40

San Diego Venture Capital Technical Review San Francisco 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

I know that some founders feel uncomfortable with this as though they might somehow be sharing something so confidential that it ultimately hurts you. So a VC doesn’t want to price a deal in which the founder feels aggrieved from day one but takes your money anyway because he or she doesn’t have a choice. After all?—?we

Valuation 324

Valuation Post-Money Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder 324

Pascal's View

JULY 9, 2017

At its core, this issue points to the lack of understanding about the importance of post-money valuation by both entrepreneurs and investors. In contrast, there is limited benefit for being the 2 nd investor or the 10 th investor joining the syndicate of a priced round, so it is common for investors to wait to see “who else is involved”.

Post-Money Valuation 49

Post-Money Valuation Valuation Cap Table Covenant 49

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

This is part of a series of advice for founders who need to raise money from venture capitalists. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. I always tell founders … “An investors job is to deploy capital and make a return. This is where most founders err.

Term Sheet 332

Term Sheet Due Diligence Campaign Sales 332

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

She had so much insight to share that we broke the interview into two parts, 1) Corporate Venture Capital and more broadly, 2) How the Fortune 500 Can Buy, Invest and Partner with the Innovation Economy (coming soon). . Previously she was Co-Founder and CEO of SNAZZ, a cloud-based event management platform.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio 60

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

If we assumethe average startup runs for 6 years and a partner can bear to beon 12 boards at once, then a VC fund can do 2 series A deals perpartner per year. Whichis good news for founders: theyll get to keep more of the company. In the future, angel rounds will less often be for specific amountsor have a lead investor.

Startup 93

Startup Valuation Non-Compete Deal Flow 93

OnlyOnce

APRIL 27, 2021

The conversation with your co-founder about only one founder/executive on the board. Expect to hear things like “Aren’t we partners in this business?” You already have 100% of the mindshare and ambassadorship your co-founder has to offer. The conversation with a new potential investor about not taking a board seat.

Vesting 48

Vesting Cofounder Startup Term Sheet 48

David Teten

JANUARY 7, 2019

I’ve noticed a lot of founders raising capital prefer to have face to face meetings, as opposed to answering questions in writing. The goal of written communication with an investor is to help you pass through 3 stages: 1) persuade the investor to meet you, 2) become your advocate, and.

Syndicate 60

Syndicate Syndication Dilution Partner 60

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 27, 2023

As the founder of Breachsense, I set aside dedicated time in my calendar for non-work-related activities. This person conducts regular one-on-one meetings with the chairman and lead investor. This form of exercise helps me cultivate inner peace while also improving my physical health through improved circulation.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Australia Lead Investor Management 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2016

Just like professional investors wait for friends and family to go first, friends will wait for you to show “skin in the game.” A startup founder that is not the “lead investor” in time and money should not expect anyone else to jump in front and lead the way. Demonstrate your own financial commitment and progress.

Elevator Pitch 151

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Angel Investor Equity 151

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 1, 2010

Many (Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, True Ventures, GRP Partners, Mike Hirshland at Polaris Ventures) do it the right way – we treat it as a normal investment and we don’t have a “options&# strategy with our investment. The investor strategy is really determined by the management team. Ask their strategy.

Post-Money Valuation 298

Post-Money Valuation Term Sheet Warrant Partner 298

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 2, 2010

This prompted me to write a post titled AngelList Boulder and Some Thoughts on Seed Investing where I promised to write up some of my thoughts on how and why VCs could be good seed investors. They are: Fred Wilson: Lead Investors, Dipshit Companies, and Funding Every Entrepreneur. Million Round From Google Ventures.

Angel Investor 152

Angel Investor Cofounder Syndicate Syndication 152