VC Cafe

JANUARY 24, 2021

Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of entertainment tech, gaming and commerce. The move to remote work forced quick adoption of cloud technology and tools that were once having difficulties selling to large corporates, saw explosive growth – from Zoom to Hopin, new unicorns were born in record time. billion in revenue last year.

Technical Review 207

Technical Review Audio Forecast Social Media 207

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 18, 2020

This is a very introductory place to start, but if your company owns the building, machinery, inventory, and/or technology in which it uses to operate, there is often significant value in this in and of itself. Look at Revenues. Figure Out the Net Assets of the Business. If your company is worth only $2.5

Balance Sheet 195

Balance Sheet Valuation Software Review .Net 195

Gust

OCTOBER 18, 2011

This is the first of a six part series on different methods used by angel investors to arrive at pre-money startup valuations. It is one of the most useful methods for establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup ventures. Return on Investment (ROI) = Terminal (or Harvest) Value ÷ Post-money Valuation. (in

Valuation 174

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Southern California Post-Money Valuation 174

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

They might lack an aligned vision, or encounter resistance, or have the wrong technology. A study by the market research firm Penn, Schoen, & Berland found that 82 percent of millennials can be swayed in their career decisions by a digitally equipped office, while 42 percent would leave a company due to “substandard technology.”

Valuation 264

Valuation Technical Review Revenue Operations 264

David Teten

AUGUST 20, 2019

A new wave of Revenue-Based Investors are emerging who are using creative investing structures with some of the upside of traditional VC, but some of the downside protection of debt. Revenue-Based Investing (“RBI”) is a new form of VC financing, distinct from the preferred equity structure most VCs use. ” .

Revenue 60

Revenue Cofounder Founder Venture Capital 60

Steve Blank

MAY 19, 2015

These shortcuts add up and become what is called technical debt. You fix technical debt by refactoring , going into the existing code and “cleaning it up” by restructuring it. to drive traffic to their site, which they then turned into ad revenue. Organizational debt was coming due. Refactoring” organizational debt.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Salary Early Stage Software Review 120

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 22, 2023

We've also seen extensive use of technology and increased remote working. As a result, businesses in this field should leverage technology to provide interactive, easy-to-understand educational content that can help customers make health-related decisions and maintain healthy habits. Thanks to Erik Pham, Health Canal ! #2-

Artificial Inteligence 124

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Entrepreneur Social Media 124

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

How could Bird really be worth the reported $2 billion valuation that I read about in this press? While I promised not to comment on the exact valuation you can assume that it is very large and perhaps the fastest rise from zero to what some have called a “unicorn” valuation. Forget the valuation?—?I Not really.

San Francisco 256

San Francisco Valuation Technical Review Los Angeles 256

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

We are in a bubble (with so many private $1bn+ valuations). pre-money valuation you certainly would want to exercise your right to continue investing if you had prorata rights. But the biggest changes in our industry have been driven by technical changes themselves to which we are just observers and fortunate beneficiaries.

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 1, 2021

To grow your brand and increase revenue, here are some handy tips on how to optimise your affiliate marketing strategy. You need to know the risk factors when picking affiliate partners, otherwise you run the risk of losing revenue. These can include webinars, email marketing , product review blogs, and creating YouTube videos.

Affiliate 183

Affiliate Marketing Technical Review Software Review 183

Austin Startup

APRIL 25, 2017

Revenue needs to grow 20x, and margins must expand dramatically. I won’t dive into cost structure in this blog post, but let’s think through how Snap could grow revenue 20x. I won’t dive into cost structure in this blog post, but let’s think through how Snap could grow revenue 20x. How can one justify a $20B valuation for Snap?

Valuation 48

Valuation Technical Review Forecast Social Network 48

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

So if your costs are $500,000 per month and you have $350,000 per month in revenue then your net burn (500-350) is equal to $150,000. But those of us with longer memories remember that the revenue line can move south very quickly when the market overall turns south. Gross burn is the total amount of money you are spending per month.

Burn Rate 383

Burn Rate Balance Sheet .Net Valuation 383

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

A version of this article first appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits. Then the cycle repeats with a new set of technologies.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Every announcement – whether it was a funding round, exit or layoffs – was analyzed within the context that the tech bubble has definitely burst or that we’re still in the bubble. forward revenue in February 2016 (the low), they appreciated by 6% each month for the following six months. So, what really happened in 2016?

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Early Stage Portfolio Valuation 60

Gust

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

We recently started a series of posts on establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup companies for purposes of investment by seed and startup investors. This calculator uses 25 questions to size up the progress of the new venture and calculate a pre-money valuation for investment purposes.

Valuation 87

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Venture Capital Technical Review 87

Steve Blank

JUNE 27, 2017

This article originally appeared in the Harvard Business Review. As more and more companies face disruption from globalization, new technology, and startups that have more capital than the incumbents, the continuing cry from Wall Street investors is, “Why can’t companies be as innovative as startups?”.

Startup 275

Startup New York City Valuation Distribution 275

Gust

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

The Risk Factor Summation Method the fifth methodology for estimating the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue companies we have described in recent posts. Readers may have noted that both the Scorecard Method and the Dave Berkus Method considered a narrow set of important criteria for investment in arriving at a pre-money valuation.

Valuation 102

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Ohio Early Stage 102

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 23, 2017

This combinatorial model works because it’s diversified, can best withstand bear markets, benefits from technological synergies, and it’s the mix of products and services clients value. To dig deeper, let’s first review the influence of technology on the core components. However each component will change dramatically.

Technical Review 154

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Software Review IPO 154

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. An example of the systems companies build are pricing & revenue management tools to best help to optimize yield. Seriously, this happens.

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. Our categorization is not a technical one. Additionally, Flexible VC can accommodate all types of companies, not just asset-lite, tech-enabled companies.”. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Of the Inc. raised from angels.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

I usually envision a 50-50 ownership split for their efforts, but every engineer believes the technology side deserves the majority share. If you consider yourself a technologist, you probably believe and may be propagating one of the following myths: The first priority for funding should be to develop the technology.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Growth will slow, partly due to internal limits and partly because the company is starting to bump up against the limits of the markets it serves.” After all, growth equals high valuations and loads of venture capital! It might be for technical reasons or it might be for customer adoption reasons. And headlines.

Silicon Valley 390

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 390

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2013

I think it’s important for enterprise startups to layer in professional services into your revenue stream. deliver profitable revenue that while on gross margins of 50% vs. software at 85-95% it is still profits to help you cover fixed costs. Control Size of PS Revenue Relative to Software Business. rollout support.

Software Review 321

Software Review Software IP Technical Review 321

Gust

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

We recently started a series of posts on establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup companies for purposes of investment by seed and startup investors. Dave Berkus is a founding member of the Tech Coast Angels in Southern California, a lecturer and educator. Add to Pre-money Valuation. Characteristic.

Valuation 79

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Southern California 79

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There are many things a VC is looking for in reviewing your business plan but beyond things the like the quality of revenue, margins, OPEX and CAPEX there’s a really simple rule I call, “Cash In, Cash Out, Milestones Achieved.” Every VC knows that the amount you raise is often a proxy for your valuation.

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

Growthink Blog

MAY 20, 2011

I received an email last week from an entrepreneur (let's call him Mike) Now to begin, I was pretty impressed with Mike since he used a nice technique to get his email in my inbox (due to the volume of emails I receive, they are screened by others before they get to me). Getting a $100 Million valuation is impossible for a startup.

Venture Capital 109

Venture Capital Valuation NDA Non-disclosure Agreement 109

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Watch out for complex areas such as accounting for revenue, inventory, contingencies, equity instruments and consolidation. More than 50% of deals fail, often due to uncovering skeletons in the closet. If this is a potentially convoluted area for your business, it’s a good idea to clean it up prior to entering due diligence.

Acquisition 100

Acquisition Intellectual Property Technical Review Due Diligence 100

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Competition from other startups and established incumbents, constraints on time and capital, and limited access to talent and technology resources are just a few of the hurdles nearly every first-time founder faces while trying to build a business. You may be able to generate revenue, but VCs want exponential growth.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” We felt proud to be the lead investor in Maker Studios at a sub $5 million valuation. Another firm funded them.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. As the risks below get eliminated the higher the valuation investors are prepared to pay.

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

Due to the struggling economy as well, traditional individual Angel investors haven’t been able to fill the gap. It’s higher risk, but higher return, to pick the big winners early, before Angels have set unreasonable valuations and restrictive terms. Technology costs are plummeting, meaning you can do more with less.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2018

How do you find the balance between not too small to prove itself but not too big to have an off-putting valuation? You’ll find exceptions to this rule, like Snapchat, which was operating at a loss at its IPO, when it experienced high initial trading prices due to its huge popularity and untapped monetization capabilities.

Valuation 145

Valuation Technical Review Exit Strategy Metrics 145

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Terms “paradigm shift” or “disruptive technology” used more than once. In reality, fundamental changes in technology frighten away more customers than they attract, and take longer and more money to come to fruition than any investors wants to commit. Declare a $10 million valuation with no revenue or customers.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Technical Review Equity 120

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 18, 2019

The valuations were too high! The company started the year with no revenue and at it’s peak had a run rate well in excessive of $100 million / year. We’re at a new watermark because there are now global assets deployed and as the sun peeks out so to do the riders and the revenue. We are now in Act IV. they were highly visible.

South America 250

South America Global New York City Software Review 250

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

VCs tout themselves as frontier technology investors, but most are using the same infrastructure tools they have used for the past 20+ years: Excel and recent college grads searching Google. According to Knowledge.VC , under 5% of US VCs have a full-time team member focused on technology. . But we’re doing it slowly.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Rob Go

DECEMBER 28, 2011

It got me thinking about this past year, specifically around consumer tech in Boston. So I thought I’d jot down some of the highlights I have seen from my vantage point in this 2011 Boston Consumer Web Year in Review. 61M in Q3 revenue, up 28% YoY. IPO’s/Exits. Tripadvisor: An amazing entrepreneurial story.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Boston Software Review IPO 54

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 18, 2015

The insight is: The profitable revenue stream is a prison. A company with a large, profitable, growing revenue stream betrays facts useful to a startup: There’s a huge market to be had (else it wouldn’t be large and growing). The big profitable revenue stream is the goose that’s laying the golden eggs. Not anymore.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Valuation Flash Revenue 120