Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2013

The explosion in seed funding, without a corresponding explosion in investors willing to lead the next round (Series A), may mean that you can’t get a second round and will be “orphaned” or die. Seeded companies will take longer to raise a next round. As soon as you get seed money, it’s time to start working on the next round.

Massachusetts 249

Massachusetts Silicon Valley Venture Capital California 249

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 31, 2019

If you live in a major hub of VC - e.g., Bay Area, Boston, NYC, LA - it’s easier to tap into your local resources to help augment your understanding, but there are a lot of smart people with great ideas in other parts of this country and globally for whom access to information is just not as available.

Lean 108

Lean Venture Capital Conversion IPO 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

With modest variations on Paul’s pattern, this new class of mentors-plus-capital programs has grown to include TechStars operating in Boston, Boulder, and Seattle, Austin Capital Factory , deep in the heart of Texas, LaunchBox in the DC area, and a number of others. This process is not for the faint of heart. The entry screenings are tough.

Incubator 201

Incubator Programming Virginia DC 201

The Next Web

JULY 27, 2013

A Boston Globe article exploring the downside of crowdfunding new businesses noted the example of a man who raised $87,000 on Kickstarter in 2010 for a lock-picking set. He quit his job to fulfill his orders and imagined starting a great new business from the seed money. Investors provide guidance.

Seed Money 130

Seed Money Massachusetts Equity Campaign 130

Version One Ventures

JANUARY 28, 2013

As I’m assuming this is a common question heard in huddled discussions in offices from San Francisco to Boston, here’s my advice on how to navigate today’s financing waters: If you haven’t raised your seed round yet… If you’re looking to raise your seed round, aim for more money than you had originally planned.

Burn Rate 140

Burn Rate San Francisco Vesting Finance 140

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

It wasnt because they werent accredited investors that I didntask my parents for seed money, though. When we were starting Viaweb,I didnt know about the concept of an accredited investor, anddidnt stop to think about the value of investors connections.The reason I didnt take money from my parents was that I didntwant them to lose it.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76