Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Waiting until you have something to sell before bringing on a sales and operations staff. Social media is not rocket science.

Burn Rate 223

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 223

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Jeff Katzenberg has a great track record – head of the studio at Paramount, chairman of Disney Studios, co-founder of DreamWorks and now chairman of NewTV. Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

VC Cafe

AUGUST 2, 2022

Tim Sweeney, the founder and CEO of Epic is a long term visionary of our online future and the Metaverse. billion revenue in 2021 for Epic Games and was played by 83.3 Tim Sweeney, Epic Games’ founder and CEO. monthly active end-users who are engaging with content created or operated by Unity solutions in 2020.

IP 206

IP Cofounder Valuation Acquisition 206

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

The primary source of your funds should be your paying customers, i.e., your business should generate enough revenues and profits to fund the growth and expansion. Reasons for funding. ? Scale up your operations. Now you may want to scale up your operations or expand your presence. Incubators and Accelerators.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Waiting until you have something to sell before bringing on a sales and operations staff. Social media is not rocket science.

Burn Rate 262

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Salary 262

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2018

How do you find the balance between not too small to prove itself but not too big to have an off-putting valuation? Few buyers will get excited about a company currently operating at a loss. Minimizing losses in the year before you begin shopping around for buyers will increase profit and help you get that higher valuation.

Valuation 145

Valuation Technical Review Exit Strategy Metrics 145

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

buy out an entire company for its revenue and profits. VCs like acquisitions as much as IPOs because the acquiring companies often can rationalize paying large multiples over the current valuation of the startup. However, these nosebleed valuations make it even more important in getting the acquired company integrated correctly.

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

They provide a hands-on transformation and revenue growth partner for B2B technology companies. Each engagement is personally undertaken by their founder and principal, Mitul. Prior to working with Citius, he helped global businesses generate up to $200M in annual recurring revenue and realise valuations of $1Bn+.

Founder 128

Founder B2B Private Equity India 128

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Most startup founders don’t relish the thought of managing repeatable processes, greedy stockholders, and endless regulation reports. New startup founders keep all the operating metrics they need in their head. Your valuation and salability depends on the credibility of this effort. Listen carefully and act accordingly.

Exit Strategy 248

Exit Strategy Valuation Acquisition Metrics 248

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Pay people with equity or future revenue. Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. For example, a web-based startup should be able to operate for a year if they raise $500,000 from the founders or angels. Great strategy. Do it yourself and barter for services.

Burn Rate 232

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 232

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. From RBI, Flexible VCs borrow the ability to reap meaningful returns without demanding founders build for an exit. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Where else can fast-growing companies get funding?

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

“Why do founders want to take the VCs’ money? The constraint between good ideas and growth operates in both directions. Founders will continue to take the “growth at all options” path that leads to privacy & trust creep at places like Quora. In revenue terms our first two years of sales were $2.1

Silicon Valley 390

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 390

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 28, 2011

Pay people with equity or future revenue. Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. For example, a web-based startup should be able to operate for a year if they raise $500,000 from the founders or angels. Great strategy. Do it yourself and barter for services.

Burn Rate 231

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 231

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Waiting until you have something to sell before bringing on a sales and operations staff. Social media is not rocket science.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

ReadWriteStart

JULY 15, 2020

Startup founders are trying to figure out how to fundraise through a pandemic and economic crash. New talk of capital efficiency is gratifying, but there was another lesson from pre-COVID-19 valuation struggles. Venture capitalists and early-stage investors have told all of us, founders are critical to a startup’s valuation.

Valuation 91

Valuation South Carolina San Jose Balance Sheet 91

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2021

Most startup founders don’t relish the thought of managing repeatable processes, greedy stockholders, and endless regulation reports. New startup founders keep all the operating metrics they need in their head. Your valuation and salability depends on the credibility of this effort. Listen carefully and act accordingly.

Exit Strategy 434

Exit Strategy Valuation Acquisition Metrics 434

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

There is a myth among first time tech founders that product is everything. Here are five financial concepts that every startup founder should know to build an everlasting company. Asset valuation. The concept of asset valuation may seem counterintuitive, but it is an important idea.

Founder 118

Founder Valuation Dividend Startup 118

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 16, 2020

Business valuation is defined as a way to determine the overall economic value of a company , and is a necessary component of a sound business plan and strategy. Any of these situations will demand a valuation to determine current and future projected value. . Three Methods of Valuation. Life happens to all of us.

Valuation 162

Valuation CPA Software Review Revenue 162

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

Your friends and family are really the only answer until you have a significant revenue stream. They want founders who have been there and done that before, in the same business domain. Both operating executives and top advisors count. To make this work, you will need an initial valuation of at least $5M.

Venture Capital 252

Venture Capital IPO Elevator Pitch Initial Public Offering 252

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Currently, most ecommerce businesses have IT staff constantly running manual tests to confirm that their site is operating properly, or they manually create expensive software to run these tests. That is to say, they’d want to be able to control costs and revenues at a high level.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

Kayak was started here in my backyard of Boston… co-founder & CTO Paul English and the product/engineering team is based here in Concord MA. Co-founder & CEO Steve Hafner and the business team are based in Norwalk, CT. Financial Snapshot: 2010 Revenue: $170 million. 2010 Operating Income: $16 million.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 23, 2017

by Joe Duncan, founder of Duncan Capital LP. The combination of services and infrastructure traditionally housed under one roof – underwriting, research, sales & trading, supported by large back office operations, and monitored by compliance systems – will remain at the sector’s core.

Technical Review 154

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Software Review IPO 154

Steve Blank

MARCH 17, 2020

Here are a few thoughts about operating in uncertainty in a pandemic. Next, take a look at your actual revenue each month – not forecast, but real revenue coming in each month. Subtract your monthly gross burn rate from your monthly revenue to get your net burn rate. And what’s in my lifeboat?”. Laying off people?

Burn Rate 436

Burn Rate Startup Valuation Sales Cycle 436

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I said that at the Founder Showcase, too. Ah, but today’s Internet companies have real revenue! million pre-money valuation is now raising $1 million at a $12 million valuation the next investor has nowhere to go but up (or sit out the investment).

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Many of his original investors still remember when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg first related his personal challenge to only eat meat that he killed himself, in an effort to learn sustainable farming and consume resources responsibly. Display real commitment to a plan, with milestones. Emphasize the value and skills of your team.

Intellectual Property 352

Intellectual Property Equity Bootstrapping Valuation 352

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

There is much talk these days that startup valuations have decreased and may continue to do so and that the amount of time it takes to fund raise may take longer. The earlier the round, the less capital you need and the more reasonable your valuation the less time that is needed generally to raise capital.

Burn Rate 150

Burn Rate Cap Table Valuation Software Review 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Pay people with equity or future revenue. Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. For example, a web-based startup should be able to operate for a year if they raise $500,000 from the founders or angels. Great strategy. Do it yourself and barter for services.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2014

Tie payments to your product or service revenue. With “cash flow” obligations, investors receive a percentage of your operating cash flow (if any) until they have been repaid in full, or have achieved a specified percentage return on their investment. Try to avoid obligations with fixed repayment schedules.

Founder 254

Founder Cram Down Angel Investor Equity 254

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

The key to being able to run a business that isn’t yet profitable (on operating margin) is availability of capital to finance losses and preferably at a cost that isn’t too punitive to the founders and employees. In SaaS (or any recurring revenue business) this is also a very difficult task.

Metrics 150

Metrics Cost Acquisition Startup 150

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

By Daniel Sokolovksy, Co-Founder and CEO, WARP and Troy Lester, Co-Founder and CRO, WARP The dissolution of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was more than just a bank collapse, it was a reality check for both startups and the VCs that fund them. We’re hitting record revenue months, weeks, and margins. That includes us.

Early Stage 112

Early Stage Los Angeles Silicon Valley Cofounder 112

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

They should heed the age old advice that raising slightly more money while you can is always better than trying to optimize future valuations. Should VC’s really be impacted by public market valuations when the money that they’re investing today should be for returns in 7-10 years? Short answer – yes.

Burn Rate 263

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Private Equity 263

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2020

Tie payments to your product or service revenue. With “cash flow” obligations, investors receive a percentage of your operating cash flow (if any) until they have been repaid in full, or have achieved a specified percentage return on their investment. Try to avoid obligations with fixed repayment schedules.

Management 308

Management Cram Down Angel Investor Equity 308

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

Your friends and family are really the only answer until you have a significant revenue stream. They want founders who have been there and done that before, in the same business domain. Both operating executives and top advisors count. To make this work, you will need an initial valuation of at least $5M.

Venture Capital 233

Venture Capital Revenue Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley 233

Version One Ventures

JULY 20, 2015

I often get asked about how to determine the valuation for a marketplace startup that is starting to scale. Our rule of thumb is that marketplaces at scale are valued at roughly 1x annualized GMV (typically about 6-8x annual revenue). Our assumptions for this valuation: Scale: > $1b GMV. YoY growth of at least 30%.

Valuation 60

Valuation Early Stage IPO eCommerce 60

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

Why do these founders get to stay around? Because the balance of power has dramatically shifted from investors to founders. — Unremarked and unheralded, the balance of power between startup CEOs and their investors has radically changed: IPOs/M&A without a profit (or at times revenue) have become the norm.

Founder 245

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 245

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

Low supply of companies with traction drove the valuations and deal sizes up. So while the infrastructure cost and startup costs may have declined, the operating costs have increased. Valuations are rising to match. Implications for Founders. The risk here is what I refer to as the curse of over-capitalization.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

Generating solid revenue streams early on will make many of the fundraising problems much easier to handle later on. 4 Reasons to Focus on Revenue Before Fundraising. Along those same lines, revenue also makes investor negotiations much easier to navigate. More Independence. More Leverage. More Choice.

Startup 130

Startup Revenue Cofounder Angel Investor 130