Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2013

is already well above the dot.com bubble of 15 years ago, although we have slipped a bit this year from the high point of 320 new entrepreneurs out of 100,000 adults in 2011. Thus a record number of entrepreneurs (and employees) are getting rich. Initial Public Offerings (IPO) are back as an exit strategy. percent to 23.4

IPO 273

IPO Entrepreneur Social Media Startup 273

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back, it is relatively rare. IPOs in 2008, the market was up to a still trivial 128 in 2012 (compared to 675 in 1996).

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IPO Founder Exit Strategy Investment Bankers 224

Seeing Both Sides

APRIL 10, 2011

In May 1996, Open Market completed a successful IPO and more than doubled on the first day of trading, ending with a $1.2 If investors observing this extraordinary phenomenon in 1996 were to have concluded that the technology market was in the midst of an unsustainable bubble, they would not have been wrong.

IPO 48

IPO IRR Brazil Government 48

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

However, for many successful entrepreneurs, weighing all of the personal and financial issues that go into this decision can be gut-wrenching. Each one can provide valuable lessons to the entrepreneur. Google reportedly turned down buyout offers from Microsoft shortly before the 2004 IPO. Here are a few to consider.

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IPO Exit Strategy San Francisco Startup 162

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

This is the third article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). I should say that I agree that naive optimism in entrepreneurs can produce higher beta (upside or flops) and that’s good from an investment standpoint if you’re looking for big returns.

Angel Investor 284

Angel Investor Early Stage Cap Table Deal Flow 284

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

This is the third article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). And if I were an entrepreneur I’d rather find investors who understood “my space&# so that in tough times they felt comfortable about “doubling down.&#. Not everybody agreed.

Angel Investor 152

Angel Investor Cap Table Early Stage Deal Flow 152

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 3, 2012

Facebook and Google would be obvious choices for this, but so much has been written about each of them and they represent such special business models, I worried that it would be both hard for entrepreneurs to relate and hard for me to develop new insights. In 2012, analysts forecast the company will achieve nearly $1.5

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Distribution Lean Massachusetts Cofounder 49