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SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

This can take the form of customer quotes, NPS scores, usage and engagement metrics, negative churn, and referral metrics. You can also emphasize rapidly improving metrics in addition to just the absolute levels, especially since young companies should be rapidly iterating on and improving the product experience.

Seed Stage 192

Seed Stage Metrics PR Leadership 192

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FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Analytics is about designing, reporting, and leveraging operating metrics to aid strategic and functional decision-making. These are operating metrics because they are not part of GAAP financial statements, even though they are critical for everyone from the CEO to marketers and PMs to make data-informed decision on a daily basis.

Analytics 149

Analytics Hiring SQL Forecast 149

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NOVEMBER 18, 2014

This focus translates into big top line figures, including some admittedly vanity metrics and pretty graphs to tell the startup’s story to investors (though with less substance and less focus on business metrics or even deep engagement for now). Generate Real Revenue. Another approach to raise Series A is to drive meaningful revenue.

Syndicate 333

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Startup 333

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OCTOBER 15, 2014

A seed-stage mobile startup’s housekeeping section might look something like this: Section 3: Core Metrics. In doing so, a few core metrics inevitably emerge depending on the product and the model. So, for this section, list 3-5 metrics, along with relevant data points, charts, graphs, or tables.

Seed Stage 331

Seed Stage Cap Table Metrics Burn Rate 331

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JUNE 5, 2018

Intense discussion on what are the right metrics to track around recruiting. Metrics, metrics, and metrics! Without metrics you cannot manage (and improve). It was a jam-packed day with content covering topics from branding to diversity recruiting to the interview and offer process.

Hiring 120

Hiring Portfolio Metrics B2C 120

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JULY 14, 2020

When we first met Rachael Nemeth and learned about Opus, we were impressed both by the product engagement metrics and her product insights around the best way to deliver high-impact training to frontline workers.

Portfolio 177

Portfolio Leadership Metrics Employee 177

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NOVEMBER 14, 2019

But for less well known founders, a series A requires pretty significant revenue, growth, and retention metrics. For very well known founders, a series A can happen well before traction. Because of this, there is a glut of companies out there that can’t quite get to a series A and are raising second or third seed rounds.

Seed Stage 331

Seed Stage Cofounder Retention Founder 331

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DECEMBER 6, 2018

Again, the money slide of most early stage decks is the most relevant top line growth and engagement metrics. Product, growth, and financial metrics). Bring traction up front as well. Burying it in the end makes no sense, especially if it’s strong. After the team, it’s the next slide that investors will just skip to.

Metrics 120

Metrics Early Stage Distribution Audience 120

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MAY 31, 2019

Some of the founders in our portfolio have an exceptional ability to raise additional capital (and at loftier valuations) remarkably ahead of where the underlying metrics of the business current would yield. My partners and I most often talk about defying gravity in the context of fundraising.

Valuation 149

Valuation Portfolio Metrics Founder 149

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Product, growth, and financial metrics). Over the course of September, you can expect posts on the following slides: Team. What do you do? Is it working? Why does it matter? Can you be best in the world? Where are you going? What do you want?

Seed Stage 159

Seed Stage Metrics Matching Search 159

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

What are the actual numerical metrics which we need to demonstrate? This rationale sounds rational, but the challenge with this logical goal-centric approach to metrics is that it’s based on the flawed assumption that the absolute scale of a startup is paramount when relative growth is often more important. First, the contour.

Metrics 120

Metrics Revenue Partner Finance 120

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OCTOBER 28, 2019

But this financing contour description is just a proxy for underlying business metrics. In reality, a pre-seed is “an early round of financing that is designed to help a company achieve certain intermediate milestones PRIOR to the magic combination of strong PMF + meaningful traction.”.

Seed Stage 247

Seed Stage Finance Dilution Early Stage 247

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

So post-revenue companies should think hard about what metrics they can show, beyond total revenue or revenue growth, which show not only an accelerating business but also one that is trending towards a highly durable and profitable one in the long run. Seed rounds aren’t about momentum in the way Series A and B rounds are.

Seed Stage 149

Seed Stage B2B Seed Capital Revenue 149

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AUGUST 16, 2019

Is a Founder raising a new round well in advance of cash-out date because she sees an opportunity to put more gas in the tank ahead of what current underlying business metrics would suggest (i.e. The context for this assessment is typically around a fundraising event – the approach, when it should occur, and who is participating, etc.

Term Sheet 149

Term Sheet Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 149

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JANUARY 21, 2016

Tips for media and other content-driven platforms (including blogs) for rethinking its key metric from clicks and pageviews to something else — and the tech breakthrough that helped Chartbeat create it. This episodes also includes…. The tradeoffs Tony made to compete with a goliath like Google.

Web 120

Web New York City Analytics New York 120

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Warning – this assumes some basic knowledge of VC performance metrics. Given that a lot has transpired in that time, I thought it would be fascinating to take another look at some of the ideas of that post and see what has changed in the ensuing 3 years. For a primer, I would recommend refreshing yourself here. Ok, let’s jump in.

Valuation 319

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Distribution Early Stage 319

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Warning – this assumes some basic knowledge of VC performance metrics. Given that a lot has transpired in that time, I thought it would be fascinating to take another look at some of the ideas of that post and see what has changed in the ensuing 3 years. For a primer, I would recommend refreshing yourself here. Ok, let’s jump in.

Valuation 295

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Distribution Early Stage 295

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JUNE 10, 2020

When the culmination of an accelerator is a Demo Day show, then that is what teams prepare for and the resulting metrics by which they’re measured. The NextView Accelerator Doesn’t Have a “Demo Day,” but Instead Helps Founders Fundraise When Ready. .

Cofounder 177

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 177

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

Investors want to know the critical thinking behind the inputs and value-drivers of the business, and how that results in the outputs on the critical metrics and finances. But the real significance of these figures is the exercise behind it.

Seed Stage 166

Seed Stage Retention Restful Valuation 166

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MAY 14, 2019

They are most likely to encourage you to keep going, and that metrics will only improve if you keep plugging away. They are excited to be investors in your company, and don’t want to risk their future ability to invest in follow-on rounds of your company.

Founder 256

Founder Agile Cofounder Seed Capital 256

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MARCH 3, 2015

If I had a business where there’s a six-month sales cycle instead, I’d need to wait longer and look for affects on some metrics that would provide an early indication of success or failure. So I want to give it a month to match what we believe to be our sales cycle.

Marketing 120

Marketing Sales Cycle Startup CTO Hire 120

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JUNE 16, 2015

Here are some top-line metrics that I think are worth shooting for: For marketplace businesses: $5M-$10M in annual GMV run rate. In terms of other metrics, some ideas: At least 6 months of cohort data that shows solid retention over time and signals a strong LTV relative to CAC. For SaaS: At least $100K in MRR.

Boston 120

Boston Syndicate Syndication eCommerce 120

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DECEMBER 11, 2019

Calibrated against the firm’s overall velocity (which can vary), this metric is a tell-tale about a Partner’s standing with their peers. It’s the most simple & straightforward question to ask and tough to spin – how many investments have you made in the past year? VCs that are on their way out aren’t making a ton of new investments.

Venture Capital 204

Venture Capital Cap Table Partner LP 204

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Warning – this assumes some basic knowledge of VC performance metrics. Given that a lot has transpired in that time, I thought it would be fascinating to take another look at some of the ideas of that post and see what has changed in the ensuing 3 years. For a primer, I would recommend refreshing yourself here. Ok, let’s jump in.

Valuation 156

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Distribution Early Stage 156

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MAY 16, 2019

Public equity investors will measure it in the short term by the same metrics they judge other SaaS companies… multiples of revenue / EBITDA / bookings, growth rates, churn, sales efficiency, etc. To me, the question of whether Slack is a $20B market cap company or $50B or $100B+ in the long run is largely a function of ARPU and TAM.

Lock-up Period 168

Lock-up Period Retention Azure .Net 168

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JUNE 30, 2015

For all of these, the metrics and growth need to be the result of legitimate PMF and execution, not tricks. (If For a marketplace or ecommerce business, you need to be doing well north of $5M in annual revenue or GMV to get an A round done. For consumer social, you need amazing virality, engagement, and hundreds of thousands of DAUs.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication Dilution 120

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MARCH 3, 2016

You can use pageviews or engagement metrics such as number of social media shares or comments on blog posts (usually a slippery slope), or you can build an initial subscription list even without a product, which can be used to nurture leads, get feedback, or even ask people to spread your message and grow reach.

Hiring 120

Hiring Marketing Startup Portfolio 120

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MARCH 15, 2017

Internally, the scarcity of tangible business metrics – product usage or revenue multiples for example – can make an investment decision feel daunting. Financial Metrics & Financing: Perhaps the most variably sized section of the NextView investment memo. The process is a highly collaborative one within our team at NextView.

Due Diligence 265

Due Diligence Seed Stage Portfolio Metrics 265

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

They’ve established a clear set of KPIs and metrics as the common language by which everyone on their team communicates performance in the business. They have clear goals and milestones and a pretty detailed view of what success — and failure — look like at each step.

Hiring 336

Hiring Cofounder Startup Technical Cofounder 336

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AUGUST 30, 2016

“Users” is interesting, but the engagement metrics and value of users is where real success comes into play. This chart shows the current number of users on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook versus the entire TAM of SMBs here in North America. Doesn’t look all that compelling. But how are networks truly measured?

Social Media 185

Social Media B2B North America Media 185

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FEBRUARY 27, 2019

product engagement, retention metrics). In many cases it can be framed as learnings (e.g. disprove certain hypothesis so you can move on); otherwise they should either move your top line (revenue) or your bottom line (margin/profit) directly or indirectly (e.g. Force yourself and the team to design and ship small.

Hiring 120

Hiring Bandwidth Product Early Stage 120

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MARCH 10, 2015

NVV: What key metrics did you track to make sure you were heading in the right direction? In addition to the standard daily and monthly active users tracking, pages per session and time in the app were both huge metrics for us.

Mobile 120

Mobile San Francisco Curation Seed Stage 120

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FEBRUARY 17, 2015

So I have personal scars from what it means to over-index success using fundraising as the key metric. Success and fundraising are not one and the same. You can find Brent’s original post here. ).

North America 120

North America Founder Cofounder San Francisco 120

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OCTOBER 9, 2019

So, I think it’s important to define your activation metric really precisely and really just take a bet that if you improve that it will result in more people discovering the other things down the line. The people that look a lot like your base core audience but are not as high intent.

Product 52

Product Vertical Non-Compete Analytics 52

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MAY 5, 2020

To this end, we took a quick look at out top-of-the-funnel metrics so far to determine how we are progressing with six days remaining before the application deadline. Among the teams that have applied to the Everyday Economy Accelerator, 16% have a female CEO and 35% have diverse founding teams.

Founder 156

Founder B2B Business Model Analytics 156