Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2019

Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, or going public through the side door as a reverse merger. Even the New York Stock Exchange did one with the acquisition of Archipelago Holdings via a "double dummy" merger way back in 2006 in a $10 billion deal to create the NYSE Group.

Merger 303

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 303

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

The new investors you need at this stage are investment bankers, private equity, or competitors, to buy you out via merger or acquisition (M&A), or to go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is the exit stage for the entrepreneur, and for all earlier investors.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2014

With the recent apparent successes of several startups in taking their company public (initial public offering) and raising billions of dollars, I’m hearing a groundswell of enthusiasm from new entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps to fund their companies and become billionaires overnight.

IPO 236

IPO Initial Public Offering Startup Small Business Administration 236

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2022

In the old days, every entrepreneur planned on taking their startup public, and making it big. Today the rate of startups going public (IPO – Initial Public Offering) is finally up from the dead zone of the last two decades, and is now double the rate back in 1999.

IPO 245

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 245

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 22, 2017

Corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and initial public offerings (IPO) bring necessary capital and resources to a growing company. Mergers and acquisitions can be fairly contentious and not all shareholders agree that it is in their best interest for Company A to buy Company B.

IPO 147

IPO Prospectus Merger Initial Public Offering 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2018

Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, or going public through the side door as a reverse merger. Even the New York Stock Exchange did one with the acquisition of Archipelago Holdings via a "double dummy" merger way back in 2006 in a $10 billion deal to create the NYSE Group.

Merger 198

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 198

Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 7, 2014

Its customer acquisition costs are roughly 85 times that of Moz (if Krager’s figures are accurately comparing apples to apples). Since investors (whether private or public) like to see growth, Hubspot’s story is more impressive from that standpoint. News Hubspot Initial public offering IPO Moz Software as a service Unbounce'

Initial Public Offering 148

Initial Public Offering IPO SEC Valuation 148

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2018

Despite the fact that the number of IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) for startups have continued to stay low, I still hear it touted often as the preferred exit strategy. You better have lined up a major international expansion, some major acquisition candidates, or a wealth of unfilled orders.

Exit Strategy 128

Exit Strategy IPO Initial Public Offering SEC 128

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 3, 2014

A reverse merger is the acquisition of an already public company (usually a dormant shell) to avoid the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process and cost, to quickly get your startup on a public exchange for fund raising through visibility and selling stock. Yet reverse mergers are not all bad.

Merger 246

Merger OTC IPO Stock 246

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

The new investors you need at this stage are investment bankers, private equity, or competitors, to buy you out via merger or acquisition (M&A), or to go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is the exit stage for the entrepreneur, and for all earlier investors.

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2015

The visibility of Google, Facebook and a few others continues to propagate the myth that the ultimate objective of every entrepreneur should be to take their startups public via an initial public offering at the earliest opportunity. Everyone thinks this is the route to become the next billionaire like Mark Zuckerberg.

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering Entrepreneur Private Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2016

Despite the fact that the number of IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) for startups have continued to decrease, I still hear it touted often as the preferred exit strategy. You better have lined up a major international expansion, some major acquisition candidates, or a wealth of unfilled orders.

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering SEC Stock Options 120

Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 7, 2014

Its customer acquisition costs are roughly 85 times that of Moz (if Krager’s figures are accurately comparing apples to apples). Since investors (whether private or public) like to see growth, Hubspot’s story is more impressive from that standpoint. News Hubspot Initial public offering IPO Moz Software as a service Unbounce'

Initial Public Offering 78

Initial Public Offering IPO SEC Valuation 78

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back, it is relatively rare. When shares are sold to the public, the company starts to lose control of decision making, which can even result in the venture being acquired through an unfriendly tender offer.

IPO 224

IPO Founder Exit Strategy Investment Bankers 224

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

Premium startup-acquisition targets usually at least double revenues every year, so conservative 20 percent yearly-growth projections will not win accolades. This means an acquisition or initial public offering that will generate at least five times your fifth-year revenues, at a commensurate equity ownership.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Startup Initial Public Offering Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

So unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks. Investment banks normally charge fees consisting of three components.

IPO 205

IPO Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering 205

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2015

Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, or going public through the backdoor as a reverse merger. Even the New York Stock Exchange did one with the acquisition of Archipelago Holdings via a "double dummy" merger in 2006 in a $10 billion deal to create the NYSE Group.

Merger 120

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back into vogue, it is relatively rare. When shares are sold to the public, the company starts to lose control of decision making, which can even result in the venture being acquired through an unfriendly tender offer.

Exit Strategy 239

Exit Strategy IPO Investment Bankers Entrepreneur 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

The new investors you need at this stage are investment bankers, private equity, or competitors, to buy you out via merger or acquisition (M&A), or to go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is the exit stage for the entrepreneur, and for all earlier investors.

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

So here are the most common exit strategies and considerations these days for planning purposes: Merger & Acquisition (M&A). Initial Public Offering (IPO). If your startup was less than a success, you’ll definitely want to erase it from memory. This used to be the preferred mode, and the quick way to riches.

Exit Strategy 241

Exit Strategy Initial Public Offering IPO Startup 241

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2011

It has been at least a decade since going public via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) has been considered a credible exit strategy for startups. Do you need the IPO for your acquisitions strategy? Of course, you’re going to have to perform well to make that stock useful in the acquisitions process.

IPO 223

IPO Social Media Media Exit Strategy 223

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

At this stage, you need investment bankers to negotiate a merger or acquisition (M&A), go private, or help you go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Investment Bankers 241

Investment Bankers Venture Capital Startup Initial Public Offering 241

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back into vogue, it is still extremely rare. When shares are sold to the public, the company starts to lose control of decision making, which can even result in the venture being acquired through an unfriendly tender offer.

Exit Strategy 235

Exit Strategy IPO Investment Bankers Entrepreneur 235

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

The reward for doing so was a liquidity event via an Initial Public Offering. Tech IPOs were a receding memory, and mergers and acquisitions became the only path to liquidity for startups. Startup exits in the next three years will include IPO’s as well as acquisitions. The New Exits.

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

The new investors you need at this stage are investment bankers, private equity, or competitors, to buy you out via merger or acquisition (M&A), or to go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is the exit stage for the entrepreneur, and for all earlier investors.

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 5, 2011

So here are the most common exit strategies and considerations these days for planning purposes: Merger & Acquisition (M&A). Initial Public Offering (IPO). If your startup was less than a success, you’ll definitely want to erase it from memory. This used to be the preferred mode, and the quick way to riches.

Exit Strategy 231

Exit Strategy Initial Public Offering Startup IPO 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2011

So unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks. Investment banks normally charge fees consisting of three components.

Silicon Valley 211

Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering Startup 211

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2010

At this stage, you need investment bankers to negotiate a merger or acquisition (M&A), go private, or help you go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Investment Bankers 231

Investment Bankers Venture Capital Startup Initial Public Offering 231

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

For years, the most desirable exit strategy for startup companies was to go public through an initial public offering. eBay was ultimately unable to generate sufficient profits and synergies from the acquisition. Price offered was high relative to income prospects. In 2011, Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5

IPO 162

IPO Exit Strategy San Francisco Startup 162

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 11, 2015

This compensation can come in the form of a stock option , a stock appreciation right, or a similar financial instrument, which can potentially be quite lucrative for employees at the time of a merger, acquisition or initial public offering (IPO).

Valuation 100

Valuation Stock Options CPA Merger 100

Gust

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

At this stage, you need investment bankers to negotiate a merger or acquisition (M&A), go private, or help you go public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Venture Capital 171

Venture Capital Investment Bankers Angel Investor Initial Public Offering 171

Growthink Blog

APRIL 2, 2014

Well, if you don’t, try on these IPO, M&A, and financing stats from 1st Quarter 2014: Initial Public Offerings: 72 companies went public in the U.S. Mergers & Acquisitions: Global mergers & acquisition activity totaled $710 billion (Thomson Reuters), up 54% from last year.

Private Equity 69

Private Equity Merger IPO Initial Public Offering 69

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

It probably had more to do with the fact that they had doubled their sales annually for several years, and still managed to squeeze out a profit of $11M in their year of acquisition. The best advantage includes intellectual property to provide a barrier to entry or incent acquisition.

Intellectual Property 48

Intellectual Property Initial Public Offering Merger Acquisition 48

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2010

So unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks. Investment banks normally charge fees consisting of three components.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Private Equity Startup Initial Public Offering 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

20th Century Tech Liquidity = Initial Public Offering. In the 20th century tech companies and their investors made money through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Technology cycles have become a treadmill, and for startups to survive they need to be on a continuous innovation cycle.

Founder 245

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 245

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 2, 2012

The real truth is, since the "Internet bubble" burst in 2001, initial public offerings have not resumed the vitality levels of the late 1980s, let alone the boom years of the '90s. Over 85% of CEOs said that going public was not as attractive of an option as it was in 1995.

IPO 121

IPO Startup Florida Seed Capital 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

That means merger and acquisition (M&A), not initial public offering (IPO). Exit strategy. What’s most realistic these days is an exit via sale to an existing major company for which you solve a meaningful problem. Shooting for that sort of exit over a three to five year period is usually the best strategy.

Cram Down 269

Cram Down Angel Investor Intellectual Property Venture Capital 269