Haystack

AUGUST 18, 2019

If you’ve been following my tweets lately, you’ve read some of my quick musings on the state of the seed market this summer. years of investing in the seed stage, I have never seen activity levels like I’m seeing today. And if you don’t hit one or two right, you end up with a mediocre portfolio.

Seed Stage 108

Seed Stage Cap Table Early Stage Malaysia 108

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

publicly and privately lament “my portfolio is hurting…” Mark Suster over at Upfront has a great deck on this. This is going to be painful for those companies forced to operate businesses with cash balances like 2010 and cost structures like 2016. Many will say “it’s going to be another 2009 vintage!” This surprises nobody.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage San Francisco Startup Valuation 120

VC Adventure

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

It’s interesting to note that the majority of these new funds are focused on Seed stage investing (not surprising if you follow the market, although investments at the Seed and Seed + stages have started to decline quite a bit from their peak a few years ago). Likely it won’t happen.

Venture Capital 103

Venture Capital Seed Stage Angel Groups Portfolio 103

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

One example is that they introduced a program where their founders can pool together shares from their company and exchange them for a small portfolio of other First Round Capital companies. Howard Morgan earned a PhD in Operations Research/Computer Science in 1968. I'm a huge fan of this innovation. Investing Strategy.

Pre-Money Valuation 284

Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review Cofounder Cram Down 284

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Over the past five years, we’ve witnessed an Atomization of the Seed Stage. Early fundraising is no longer a one-and-done fundraise of a single round of Seed capital subsequently followed by a Series A 12–18 months later. Seed stage startups are now graded on a curve. The bar for Series A has moved. raise $1.8M

Seed Stage 136

Seed Stage Post-Money Valuation Valuation Startup 136

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Once a startup has raised seed capital, plenty of theories and advice exist on how to successfully raise a Series A. Recently, we looked at our own portfolio at NextView Ventures to dig a little deeper on how startups actually raise that next round of financing. in our portfolio. The mean Series A size was $5.2M. They are: 1.

Syndicate 333

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Startup 333

Hunter Walker

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

And while I’m quite optimistic about the coming years, we’re not yet through the pain for many existing companies navigating the transition from a hypergrowth market to one which rewards a different style of operating. It’s Changing Venture Portfolio Models Towards Concentration, Not Just Dry Powder/Gambling.

Cap Table 93

Cap Table Valuation Salary Seed Stage 93

View from Seed

AUGUST 13, 2014

We at NextView Ventures invest exclusively in a startup’s seed-stage round , meaning that many if not most of our deals are made alongside individual angel investors. Cons of an investment from a Super Angel include potential lack of “value-add” because his or her time is spread so thin amongst many portfolio companies.

Angel Investor 334

Angel Investor Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 334

Hunter Walker

NOVEMBER 20, 2020

tldr: instead of choosing between in-person or remote, your seed stage company (or team) should be more hybrid, tied to the type/phase of project going on. Highlighted Homebrew Portfolio Jobs. Experienced leadership, well-funded, and hiring in engineering, product and operations.

Early Stage 146

Early Stage Seed Stage Startup Software 146

Hunter Walker

MAY 4, 2014

So we changed our process a bit to the three stage approach I outlined earlier. New VCs, especially those with an operating background, can see a company for what they want it to be rather than what it is. For a seed stage fund like Homebrew, chasing hot markets seemed like madness. Not Understanding Portfolio Management.

Software Review 100

Software Review Vertical Seed Stage Portfolio 100

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

Almost two years ago, in a private/closed meeting with K9 Ventures’ LPs only, I claimed that: What was being referred to in the press as the “Series A Crunch” was not because fewer Series A deals were being done, but because there were too many Seed deals being done. Seed stage was super tough. Implications for Founders.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

Version One Ventures

JANUARY 4, 2017

While we’re ready to look ahead and embrace 2017, here’s a quick recap of the major activity across our portfolio last quarter. Portfolio companies in the news. This seed-stage fund is named 50/50 since Frank + Oak plans to grant 50 percent of the fund to female entrepreneurs and 50 percent of the fund to male entrepreneurs.

Seattle 130

Seattle Portfolio Seed Stage Canada 130

View from Seed

JANUARY 10, 2022

Pre-seed & seed-stage startup teams who could benefit from capital and engaged, hands-on mentorship from the NextView partnership & extended advisor network. Everyone in the NextView partnership has deep operating experience as founders and operators scaling high-growth internet companies (e.g. Who you are.

San Diego 156

San Diego San Francisco Alabama Valuation 156

YoungUpstarts

MAY 8, 2018

Include CEOs who were turned down and even CEOs who were parachuted into investors’ portfolio companies. However, investors who demand a board seat, and then want options for being on the board or ask for extensive veto rights over certain operational matters, may be pushing the ask too far.

Seed Stage 133

Seed Stage Due Diligence Cofounder New York 133

View from Seed

DECEMBER 17, 2015

Portfolio companies can contact us to learn more.) There’s not one ultimate way of operating, but you should know you team and ask them direct questions about how they learn and how they handle these types of things. How do you position yourself as the latter if you’re a seed-stage startup founder?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Engineer Software Review Founder 120

The Equity Kicker

JUNE 23, 2016

The exceptions come for a myriad of reasons, common ones include experienced founders are able to raise seed or even Series A size rounds at the pre-seed stage, companies in hot markets or sectors (e.g. Forward Partners invests at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages, with slightly over half of our deals coming at Pre-Seed.

Seed Stage 97

Seed Stage PR Portfolio Operations 97

Hunter Walker

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

We mutually anticipated it would be a three year role, after which Kate could decide if she liked investing or wasn’t ready to leave the world of operating (she joined us from 5+ years at Uber). There’s so much context required to really understand portfolio companies, and there’s no real way to learn it without diving in head first.

Venture Capital 85

Venture Capital San Francisco Portfolio Operations 85

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

John Berger, Director Operations & Impact Solutions, Toniic , observed that this has clear investor benefits: “ The grace period became a feature because it benefits investors in regions like the US where there can be tax differences between short and long term gains. Payments are commonly delayed for a grace period of 12-36 months.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

Chances are if things are going good (or even not so good) those early stage startups you were so passionate about 12 or 18 months ago will be coming to the market again asking for more money. Do you have relationships with other investors at the next stage of the investment lifecycle? Operational Expertise.

Pre-Money Valuation 187

Pre-Money Valuation Seed Stage IP Deal Flow 187

View from Seed

JUNE 10, 2020

The NextView Accelerator Doesn’t Operate in Strict Cohorts. . Most accelerators operate in class cohort “batches.” Some prospective seed stage VCs may consider the remaining startups “passed over” and of lesser quality, when in reality great startups take time to mature and blossom. .

Cofounder 177

Cofounder Syndicate Syndication Alabama 177

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

We at NextView Ventures often invest in a startup’s first round alongside other funds; either seed stage focused ones like ourselves or larger traditional firms. CONS of an investment from a Super Angel include potential lack of “value add” because his time is spread so thin amongst many portfolio companies. The Domain Angel.

Angel Investor 257

Angel Investor Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 257

Hunter Walker

DECEMBER 30, 2022

Homebrew has invested in well over 100 seed stage startups this past decade, in most of them working closely with the founders and early team during their first several years. There’s also many wonderful angel/operators and smaller supporting funds with large portfolio strategies.

Cap Table 67

Cap Table Venture Capital Cofounder Portfolio 67

Ben's Blog

JANUARY 31, 2012

To address these issues, we designed Andreessen Horowitz’s network to be firm-wide , dead simple to access and comprehensive —supported by operating partners who work full-time to develop and manage each branch of the network. We’ve had nearly 400 interactions with media on behalf of our portfolio companies.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Portfolio Cofounder Partner 78

Genuine VC

MAY 5, 2015

Today, I’m thrilled to publicly announce NextView’s Talent Exchange, a program helping both top talent and NextView-backed startups connect with each other more easily, beginning with Boston companies (which make up just over half our portfolio). Below, I’ll quickly explain the genesis of this initiative and share a few more key details.

Portfolio 100

Portfolio Startup Boston Seed Stage 100

Haystack

JANUARY 18, 2020

This impacts portfolio construction and possibly returns, though on the flip side, end-markets are larger and outcomes can be greater — look at Datadog, for instance. VC firms have had to respond to this competitive dynamic by evolving their own operational model, which is not a strong suit of most VC partnerships.

Seattle 130

Seattle Seed Stage Deal Flow Vertical 130

Genuine VC

JANUARY 22, 2014

We are looking for a passionate, outgoing, and talented individual embedded within the local Boston entrepreneurial community to facilitate information sharing between NextView portfolio companies, spearhead community-building & outreach efforts, and help promote our firm. Exceptionally high attention to detail.

Community 113

Community Boston Seed Stage Venture Capital 113

K9 Ventures

JUNE 12, 2012

While it it may not feel that way, the data suggest that there is indeed too much capital in the system — especially so at the seed stage, with more and more individuals and larger funds trying to invest in companies at this stage.). It is a tool. They use that tool to buy ownership in a company.

Venture Capital 117

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Founder Seed Stage 117

View from Seed

AUGUST 5, 2014

For seed-stage startups, when resources are tight, trying to consciously build startup culture can feel wasteful. Our operations manager Rob notes that he wouldn’t have been able to get a pup without this flexibility. Portfolio' Generally, folks head into the office 3-4 days per week as a result.

Cofounder 307

Cofounder Startup SCRUM Seed Stage 307

K9 Ventures

JUNE 12, 2012

While it it may not feel that way, the data suggest that there is indeed too much capital in the system — especially so at the seed stage, with more and more individuals and larger funds trying to invest in companies at this stage.). It is a tool. They use that tool to buy ownership in a company.

Venture Capital 105

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Founder Seed Stage 105

VC Adventure

APRIL 18, 2019

And most major investors will also require annual audits (we sometimes waive this for seed stage companies, although even then it can make sense). I was curious what fees we were seeing in the portfolio at Foundry so we sent a survey to some of our CFOs to get a sense for what firms they were using and what they were being charged.

Seed Stage 83

Seed Stage Portfolio Revenue Finance 83

Genuine VC

JULY 8, 2010

I am excited to remain on the Board of Directors for Venrock’s portfolio company BlogHer. In addition, I will also continue to independently operate the Web Innovators Group. We too are entrepreneurs at the very earliest stages of starting; as things coalesce we’ll announce the details and launch.

Silicon Valley 154

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Cofounder Venture Capital 154

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Operations. I spend tons of time each day on portfolio company issues. I spent a late morning meeting with a product exec at one portfolio company. I spent time talking with 2 senior execs who are separately joining two of my portfolio companies. Any of my partners or portfolio companies can attest otherwise.

Email 314

Email Product Term Sheet Portfolio 314

K9 Ventures

APRIL 9, 2014

Yes, almost everyone who was operating as a Super Angel, went on to raise a venture fund. Most of these funds are <$100M, with the majority of them being clustered around the $40M mark (that’s the point where the fund economics start to work in terms of management fee and ability to take a meaningful stake in portfolio companies).

Mezzanine 134

Mezzanine Seed Stage Early Stage IPO 134

Hunter Walker

APRIL 20, 2018

Like we do at the seed stage, USV almost always plays the role of “ lead investor.” We spend 51%+ of our time with our current portfolio – that’s what it takes to deliver against our commitments to the founders we’ve backed, and they are always our priority.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Lead Investor Portfolio Reputation 48

Genuine VC

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

That means that even when an investment decision itself is contentious, once a company becomes part of our portfolio, all of us act in 110% support of it regardless of how we felt about the original selection. We are instead a Tribe with equal common interest of striving to help make each one of our portfolio companies a success.

Portfolio 114

Portfolio Seed Stage Venture Capital Partner 114

BeyondVC

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

BOLDstart helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round. helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round”. The other big theme is one of big data.

Seed Stage 110

Seed Stage Agile Viral API 110

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

For context, last year, based on questions from our existing portfolio, we launched two board deck templates for seed-stage startups. These were well-received, so we next turned our attention to entrepreneurs outside the portfolio to ask what questions we could address in a similar fashion.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Seed Capital Audience 120