Agile VC

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Startups in NextView’s portfolio frequently receive inbound interest from other VC investors who are intrigued about what they’re doing, and I often talk with other early-stage entrepreneurs how to approach similar situations. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC.

Early Stage 100

Early Stage Syndicate Syndication Silicon Valley 100

Agile VC

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

As many of you know, in the past I’ve done a series of posts deconstructing the S-1s of VC-backed internet startups going public. A few years ago this was sort of a novelty… not that many startups were going public and not that many bloggers or mainstream journalists took the time or had familiarity with combing these SEC filings.

IPO 194

IPO Aggregator B2B Internet 194

Agile VC

JANUARY 21, 2015

The startup ecosystem is often full of hyperbole, which is perfectly understandable when you think about it. Not every startup is going to “crush” their original milestones and financial projections. Not every round of funding is closed at a “monster” valuation. Do No Harm. Don’t Blindside Them.

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Seed Stage Employee PR 100

Agile VC

JANUARY 27, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Something has clearly changed within the last 5-6 years in terms of the speed with which monster startups are created in the software and internet space. Multi-billion dollar valuations for late stage startups like Dropbox, et al. Are Google-Scale Outcomes More Frequent?

Hockey Stick 113

Hockey Stick Seed Stage Silicon Valley Syndicate 113

Agile VC

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Providence Equity invested $100M at a $1B valuation not because of their technology or product, but because the network owners contributed a lot of valuable content… or at least access to it for 2years. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. And Why 20%?

Silicon Valley 100

Silicon Valley Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 100

Agile VC

JANUARY 13, 2016

Looking back at 2015, the standout theme in the VC/startup ecosystem was unicorn hunting. People started thinking of startup unicorns like this: Illustration for WSJ: Chris Silas Neal. A realignment of valuations by late stage investors? We’re off to a fresh start here at the beginning of 2016. What happened?

Technical Review 157

Technical Review .Net Revenue Software Review 157

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. I recently wrote a post noting that while the growth cycle of startups has clearly accelerated in the last 5 years, the number of truly monster new businesses (a company ultimately worth $75-100B) remains about the same … it’s a once in a decade sort of thing. February 2, 2012.

IPO 100

IPO South Korea Venezuela Revenue 100

Agile VC

JULY 24, 2013

Historically there was just one model… VCs had to invest in the Series A or B round of a startup, own 20%+ of the company, and be one of the primary capital supporters of it through exit. Put plainly, the subprime model of VC would be to invest in the mediocre startups at a low valuation. payday lending).

Valuation 200

Valuation Early Stage Distribution LP 200

Agile VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

The IPO market remained closed to IT startups, but there were big acquisitions like Google buying YouTube for $1.65B (Fall 2006) and late stage financing rounds for companies like Facebook (Microsoft round at $15B valuation in Fall 2007). Kevin Rose was on the cover of BusinessWeek.

LP 154

LP Portfolio Venture Capital IRR 154

Agile VC

DECEMBER 6, 2012

A little more inside baseball from the VC biz… why VC’s rarely make “crossover” investments, with capital from multiple funds the VC firm manages invested in a single startup (see note 1). If Acme Ventures III, LP invests in Startup X then typically Acme Ventures IV, LP would not.

LP 178

LP Balance Sheet Differentiation Limited Partner 178

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Also these are typically more mature assets that can be analyzed and understood in broader ways than a de novo startup. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. Source, Select, Win. February 9, 2012. The VC industry is a competitive business. And Why 20%?

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Framework Silicon Valley Early Stage 100

Agile VC

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

I’ll address potential valuation further down the post here. But all this is just the surface… I wanted to dive deeper into the business itself, having worked in payments and invested in other payments startups. GAAP profitability is further out though there are ample examples of startups that go public without a net profit (e.g.

IPO 165

IPO .Net Revenue Acquisition 165