Gust

DECEMBER 28, 2011

If the company was successful, this quickly led to an IPO – a very happy ending for the entrepreneur, the angels, and the venture capitalists. The two major differences in the exit environment in the past decade are (1) the disappearance of the IPO market and (2) the rapidly increasing size of the average VC fund.

IPO 153

IPO Venture Capital Entrepreneur Angel Investor 153

Gust

JANUARY 31, 2013

Public companies have dealt with financial disclosure in ways that evolved over time with markets and technologies. Before the commercial Internet, the primary tools of disclosure included: Prospectus and related registration statement (“S-1″) for an IPO.

SEC 158

SEC Prospectus United States Technical Review 158

Gust

JULY 26, 2012

The unbelievably seismic changes resulting from exponentially advancing technology mean that the ‘traditional’ venture world is rapidly giving way to a new world of micro-VC, “super angel”, early-stage seed funds, which have very different economics. Below is an example of the traditional J-Curve).

IPO 115

IPO Early Stage Acquisition Web 115

Gust

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

Talented entrepreneurs are nothing if not resilient in the face of change: Market forces, competitive threats, technological shifts, you name it. In recent years, government regulation has emerged as another such force to be reckoned with in the technology industry.

IPO 110

IPO Prospectus SEC Intellectual Property 110

Gust

AUGUST 19, 2012

Solution product & technology. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”. What is the planned exit strategy (IPO, merger, sale, including likely candidates)? Fuzzy terms like “not user-oriented” or “too expensive” are not helpful. Make sure to communicate the relevance of your product / services to market needs.

Elevator Pitch 146

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 146

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Going public” (IPO) is another alternative, but not common. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided.

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

Gust

OCTOBER 31, 2011

And by “overall”, I mean “overall”: the rate of change for economic, geopolitical, technology, regulatory, and market conditions makes predictions radically more difficult than every. This point of view gains importance as overall uncertainty continues to increase, as it will.

IPO 70

IPO Valuation Stock Partner 70