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How to Decrease the Odds That Your Startup Fails

Both Sides of the Table

Most of this advice boils down to an argument in favor of basic planning before starting a company or raising money. In many ways the fact that it has become so cheap to start a company and relatively cheap to raise angel/seed money that we as an industry have gotten lazy on basic planning. Incumbent Strengths & Weaknesses.

Startup 150
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Tiered Valuation Caps

Austin Startup

However, there are circumstances in which founders know there are potential serious milestones on the short-term horizon that would dramatically influence valuation, but they need to close their seed money now. The PR story behind that trend — the way it gets sold — is that it’s about saving companies money.

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How to Start a Startup

www.paulgraham.com

Because so little money is involved, raising seedcapital is comparatively easy-- at least in the sense of getting aquick yes or no. Usually you get seed money from individual rich people called"angels." the seed stage, investors dont expect you to have an elaboratebusiness plan. This is calledseed capital.

Startup 105
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To Follow On or Not to Follow On

This is going to be BIG.

I think I'm terrific at helping early stage teams by rolling up my sleeves and doing what's necessary--getting them hires, PR, product strategy help to find that market fit. What I'm not good at--or, rather, simply haven't done yet, is sit on a board for seven years helping a company go from $20mm in revenue to $100 million in revenue.

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Get Off My Lawn! Crazy Kids and Their Sex, Drugs and Startup Advice!

This is going to be BIG.

A founder will raise one party round worth of seed money and they''ll go teach a class on how to raise venture capital. Yet, you''re out there like you''ve got it all figured out--you and your PR startegy webinar on how to get covered in Techcrunch while your competitor is getting interviewed on ABC News. Growth hacking?

Startup 134
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From Nothing To Something. How To Get There.

techcrunch.com

For both companies, the initial traction enabled raising seed money to get them to a traditional VC investment.) So frequently embarrassing failures are masked by spinning PR or fudging numbers to give the illusion of success. I can’t code, and that’s a major disadvantage.