David Teten

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

But in practice, these phenomena create a tremendous volume of startups, which investors then have to filter. Most investors rely on their network of colleagues and service providers to source investments. Companies like PrivCo and Navon Partners (my old startup) are working on automating this signal identification process.

Private Equity 114

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Equity 114

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . See best practices in building financial models , a template financial model , and valuing startup employee options. : Best Practices of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds in Originating Investment Opportunities. 5) Manage deal flow.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . See best practices in building financial models , a template financial model , and valuing startup employee options. : Best Practices of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds in Originating Investment Opportunities. 5) Manage deal flow.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. 9 Tips for Raising Startup Funds on AngelList. Joshua Baer is the co-founder and CEO of Otherinbox , a prolific angel investor and the director of Capital Factory , Austin’s seed-stage incubator.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Seed investing is a fun way to stay actively engaged in the startup ecosystem. I find the best angels tend to do great not because they are fixated on making money but because they want to participate in the startup community and be involved in the most exciting projects. A Primer on Angel Investing. Why Invest? Investment Strategy.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Seed investing is a fun way to stay actively engaged in the startup ecosystem. I find the best angels tend to do great not because they are fixated on making money but because they want to participate in the startup community and be involved in the most exciting projects. A Primer on Angel Investing. Why Invest? Investment Strategy.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

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

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. There is nothing wrong with using a SAFE or a convertible note in a startup if you know its implications. Yes, and it’s a lot simpler than making your startup grow into a successful company.

Post-Money Valuation 49

Post-Money Valuation Valuation Cap Table Covenant 49

View from Seed

AUGUST 12, 2015

I once showed a company to another VC for an investment we were syndicating. This investor loved the team and thought the solution they were building was compelling. In particular, he asked one very clever question of VCs to run a smoother, more effective process, culminating in four term sheets from interested, lead investors.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Marketing Angel Investor Term Sheet 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 12, 2015

I once showed a company to another VC for an investment we were syndicating. This investor loved the team and thought the solution they were building was compelling. In particular, he asked one very clever question of VCs to run a smoother, more effective process, culminating in four term sheets from interested, lead investors.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Marketing Angel Investor Term Sheet 120

Rob Go

MARCH 5, 2012

One area of fundraising that is not that straightforward is how to put together a syndicate of investors for your seed round. It can be a little puzzling for entrepreneurs to make sense of this, especially since the landscape of seed investors is emerging and different seed investors act quite differently from one another.

Syndicate 49

Syndicate Syndication Lead Investor Due Diligence 49

View from Seed

OCTOBER 22, 2015

Theoretically, a firm can pass on a startup anywhere prior to closing (term sheets truly are non-binding from a contractual standpoint). Work on securing a lead investor who can then help in forming a syndicate. Back-channel through mutual connections and talk to quality references in the firm’s network.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Due Diligence Seed Stage Seed Capital 120

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

And they should be; the feeding frenzy in the innovation economy is in some cases because startups are eating the lunch of more established companies. Corporate venture groups are making it easier for startups to access this talent by setting up learning and co-working spaces on their premises. Some corporate funds now lead rounds.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio 60

Genuine VC

JULY 30, 2012

By communicating pricing expectations with potential lead investors, I mean sharing either an “ask” or even stated floor for the pre-money valuation of the company (with a priced preferred round) or explicitly stating a valuation cap (for convertible note round).

Valuation 136

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Angel Investor Syndicate 136

David Teten

JUNE 12, 2014

We saw over time that our investor group, just like Angel List and most other angel groups, was good at syndication and not so good at leading rounds. As a result, we launched the Fast Track program, which helps VCs and active investors who are HBSAANY members to syndicate rounds with value-added members of our network.

New York 114

New York Connecticut Angel Groups Florida 114

Agile VC

JANUARY 12, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Even the best entrepreneurs often hear “no” from potential investors. Good investors try to be clear in terms of what they look for in terms of progress and milestones of the startups they invest in. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future.

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate Syndication 100

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 2, 2010

They are: Fred Wilson: Lead Investors, Dipshit Companies, and Funding Every Entrepreneur. Dave McClure: MoneyBall for Startups: Invest BEFORE Product/Market Fit, Double-Down AFTER. Lead Investors, Dipshit Companies, and Funding Every Entrepreneur ), and treat them the same way we would with a $10m investment.

Angel Investor 152

Angel Investor Cofounder Syndicate Syndication 152

View from Seed

JANUARY 26, 2016

It’s become increasingly common for startups to raise several seed rounds, and this has led to a bifurcation in the seed stage between what are known as “pre-seed” (or “genesis”) and institutional seed rounds. The entire funding progression of startups pushed out to the right.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Early Stage Cofounder Finance 120

Austin Startup

AUGUST 16, 2010

The company announced it is raising $48 million from a unique syndicate of investors comprising industry leading venture capital firms and semiconductor innovators. We look forward to taking advantage of the insights and know-how of these industry-leading investors.”. Power consumption matters more than ever.

Syndicate 54

Syndicate Syndication Venture Capital Texas 54

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 1, 2010

If we can come to an agreement we will either lead the round ourselves or partner with other investors. Like Brad Feld I’m syndication agnostic but I have a slight preference toward working with others. The investor strategy is really determined by the management team. This is the nature of compromise.

Post-Money Valuation 298

Post-Money Valuation Term Sheet Warrant Partner 298

Rob Go

JULY 17, 2014

As former operators and product-oriented entrepreneurs, Dave, Lee, and I tend to think of our firm as a startup company and our approach to investing as our product. We want to be able to comfortably lead these rounds and speak for 1/3 – 1/2 of the capital or more. This leads to the second factor.

Seed Stage 69

Seed Stage Early Stage Due Diligence Liquidity Event 69

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

When we sold our startup in 1998 I thought one day Id do some angelinvesting. You give a startup money and they give you stock. Thats how you win: by investing in the right startups. Mechanics Angel investors often syndicate deals, which means they join togetherto invest on the same terms. million, and youget.05/1.05,

Angel Investor 63

Angel Investor Dilution Syndicate Syndication 63

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2010

They don’t mind being the lead investor on deals that they seeded. and a VC’s fund has one purpose – startups. In my first deal we took angel money in the seed round (from 2 angels) and an early-stage co-investor in the A round. In fact, 7 out of Foundry’s first 16 investments were seed deals.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Term Sheet Early Stage Silicon Valley 265