Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Capital investments are like gasoline on a startup business’s metaphorical fire. If you’re like most startup CEOs, your startup has been your personal fiefdom and baby. Background: Justin Klemm’s analytics and website uptime startup, Ghost Inspector , wants to revolutionize the way businesses manage their ecommerce funnels.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

Today you have funders focused exclusively on “Day 0” startups or ones that aren’t even created yet. They might be ideas they hatch internally (via a Foundry) or a founder who just left SpaceX and raises money to search for an idea. two founders in a garage?—?(HP You have seed rounds but you now have “pre-seed rounds.”

Pre-Money Valuation 471

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Venture Capital Early Stage 471

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. It goes something like this … VC: “How much money are you raising?” Founder: “$8–10 million” VC: “What’s your current burn rate?” Founder: “$250k / month.”

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

As the seed-stage startup fundraise process has received more transparency in recent years, ranging from published advice on how to raise seed capital to increased availability through AngelList, Funders Club, and various accelerator programs, I’ve noticed another trend emerging. Lower-Than-Market Value.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. 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. Pre-money valuation was approx.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? All principals and employees add value.

Valuation 270

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 270

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

They have totally changed the way you run a VC firm, investing heavily in systems & events for their founders that are pushing the boundaries of the way our industry works. As a courtesy if you enjoyed his write-up please check out his startup company, ChannelStack. I'm a huge fan of this innovation. and Half.com.

Pre-Money Valuation 284

Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review Cofounder Cram Down 284

Altgate

DECEMBER 16, 2010

@altgate Startups, Venture Capital & Everything In Between Skip to content Home Furqan Nazeeri (fn@altgate.com) ← Pre-Money Valuation vs Number of Founders Where Do Tech VCs Invest? But first, let’s look at pre-money valuation by liquidation preference.

Liquidation Preference 39

Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Valuation 39

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

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 29, 2012

The company sought to raise $125,000 for 25% of the comapny, implying a $375,000 pre money valuation. Unsurprisingly, all the sharks passed, based on market size and valuation expectations. The founder, Shelton Wilder (in the middle below), sought to raise $60,000 for 20% of the company to build inventory.

Pre-Money Valuation 97

Pre-Money Valuation Offshore Valuation Cofounder 97

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? All principals and employees add value.

Valuation 234

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Startup 234

Gust

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? All principals and employees add value.

Valuation 187

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 187

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

The past year was a wild ride for startups and founders, giving a whole new meaning to the ”rollercoaster” aspect of being an entrepreneur. A combination of competition for top talent and an effort to bring employees back to the office drove startups in Israel to throw extravagant parties and all-inclusive retreats abroad.

Founder 187

Founder Startup Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 187

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. In addition to FOMO it is partly driven by massive increase in valuations for earlier-stage companies who raised money at bit seed prices but who still have product risk. That’s a fact.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Lightspeed Venture Partners

SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

Josh Brooks, who ran marketing for MySpace for three years, is the founder of a company that lets users take photos form their phones, and then use those photos to send postcards in the real world to their friends and family. pre money valuation and planned to use the money to market the app. pre money valuation).

Pre-Money Valuation 167

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Dilution Distribution 167

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? All principals and employees add value.

Pre-Money Valuation 246

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 246

Gust

JULY 23, 2014

I’m also allergic to funding “bridges to nowhere”, so I would like to hear your explanation of what you are going to do if no money appears to follow your seed round. If you have a co-founder, see if you can bring him/her along with you; I like to meet the key players. original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

Angel Investor 153

Angel Investor Elevator Pitch Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review 153

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for professional investors, one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and get rejected is to start with a ridiculously high pre-money valuation. Equally bad is professing no valuation estimate at all, asking investors to “make me an offer.” Team strength and experience is value.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Startup 120

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

Dave Kerpen, founder and CEO of Likeable Local , just published an interview with me on Linkedin, which I’ve included below. Enter Dave: Angel investing is a great way to make a lot of money. It’s also a fast way to lose all your money. These companies can range from tech startups to food trucks to retail stores.

Angel Investor 114

Angel Investor Technical Review Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation 114

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

by Paul Towers, founder & CEO of Task Pigeon. Investing in startups is a lot more than just buying “stock” in a company. For investors who have come to the table with a history investing in publicly listed companies or the property market, it’s easy to think that backing startups is largely a “set and forget” strategy.

Pre-Money Valuation 187

Pre-Money Valuation Seed Stage IP Deal Flow 187

Berkonomics

JANUARY 28, 2021

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away from deals where the entrepreneur insists on a start-up pre-money valuation that is so high, no angel could expect to make a return upon the investment, even with a reasonable sales price for the company down the road. Lessons founders learned. Here’s the “what.”.

Early Stage 62

Early Stage Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder 62

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Most startups view venture capital funding as a blessing from above — eager to take it as soon as they can get it. Tempted by large sums of money and the perceived validation that comes along with being funded, founders turn to venture capitalists to accelerate their company’s growth. Craft Your Company Culture.

Early Stage 85

Early Stage Venture Capital Bootstrapping Pre-Money Valuation 85

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Many assume it was a cakewalk, based on the success LinkedIn has enjoyed over time and the current stature of our founder/CEO Reid Hoffman (now Chairman). Salesforce.com is a startup with 76,000 subscribers (over 2.1M How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Berkonomics

JANUARY 7, 2021

Think of startups and early stage businesses whose entrepreneurs you know. Email readers, continue here…] Often, if not co-founders, this group is rewarded through issuance of stock options from a pool of available options that usually totals 15-20% of the total company’s equity divided among all employees.

Liquidity Event 96

Liquidity Event Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder Initial Public Offering 96

Scott Edward Walker

APRIL 22, 2012

This part 2 will address the economics of a convertible note seed financing and the three key economic terms: (i) the conversion discount, (ii) the conversion valuation cap and (iii) the interest rate. Part 3 will cover certain special issues, such as (i) what happens if the startup is acquired prior to the note’s conversion to equity?

Pre-Money Valuation 72

Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Founder 72

Andrew Payne

MARCH 8, 2016

From a statistical analysis of over 6,000 startups, the paper (and article) argue (roughly) that founders with board control, the CEO position, or both, can “harm the firm’s prospects, reducing pre-money valuation by up to 22%.” ” Really? These five alone companies represent $1.5

Pre-Money Valuation 40

Pre-Money Valuation Founder Valuation Startup 40

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 7, 2012

The founders were very sympathetic; a man, laid off from his job, and his very pregnant wife, who sold their house and investing $150k into the business and are working hard to make a go of it. The two founders invested $40k in the business, and plan to license it rather than manufacture it because manufacturing seems too hard.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2012

The price is the percent of ownership given to the investor, calculated as “investment/post-money valuation.” The pre-money valuation is company value today, while the post-money valuation is the pre-money valuation plus the investment amount. Seat on the board.

Term Sheet 223

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 223

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations. An average of these ranges results in a pre-money valuation of about $4MM.   If similarly situated companies are seeing $3.5MM pre-money valuations, this might become the target valuation.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

The Startup Lawyer

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Great news — your startup just got accepted to an incubator! But before your startup signs up and cashes that $[XX,000] check, your startup’s co-founders should sit down and evaluate the incubator’s offer. Pre-money valuations startups receive from incubators are typically low…really low.

Incubator 105

Incubator Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Advisory Board 105

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2014

We both agree that the later-stage valuations are being driven up to a point that feels irrationally priced [he uses b-round SaaS valuations as an example and I am willing to be even more broad based]. Four years ago people paid $66m median pre-money valuation and are now paying $155m. Startup Lessons'

Valuation 309

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Later Stage Non-Compete 309

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

The price is the percent of ownership given to the investor, calculated as “investment/post-money valuation.” The pre-money valuation is company value today, while the post-money valuation is the pre-money valuation plus the investment amount. Seat on the board. Marty Zwilling.

Term Sheet 227

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 227

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2015

Over the years I’ve written extensively about the downsides of convertible notes for startups such as here , here and here. In the old days VCs funded off of a “pre-money” valuation. Pre-money ($8m) + investment ($2m) = Post-money ($10m) and the investors now own 20% of your company $2m / $10m.

Pre-Money Valuation 150

Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Post-Money Valuation Dilution 150

Gust

APRIL 11, 2014

Let’s get right down to business: Dilution of founders’ and other early shareholders’ equity in startups is frequently a subject of intense interest and debate. The simplest illustration is the first VC funding round of a new startup. Suppose it raises $2 million at a $6 million pre-money valuation.

Dilution 162

Dilution Equity Pre-Money Valuation Prospectus 162

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

I thought I’d write a post about how to talk about valuation at a startup and give you some sense of what might be on the mind of the person considering funding you. Of course, unlike cars there is no direct comparison across each startup so these are just some general guidelines to try and even the information field.

Valuation 324

Valuation Post-Money Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder 324

Lightspeed Venture Partners

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

The two founders are attorneys in Mobile, Alabama, who found themselves wearing the same ties over and over again, and wanted to find a way to expand their wardrobe. The founders did not have many good answers about how they would grow the subscriber base. The two founders sought $105,000 for 25% of their company.

Pre-Money Valuation 166

Pre-Money Valuation Alabama Valuation Churn Rate 166

Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

We have spent a great deal of effort to pull together some of the smartest experts in the money-raising field, and the blog is carefully curated to be useful specifically to entrepreneurs seeking funding. Starting to raise money without understanding the world into which you are stepping is the quickest route to frustration.

Angel Groups 159

Angel Groups Elevator Pitch Software Review Deal Flow 159