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Want to Know How First Round Capital was Started?

Both Sides of the Table

They chose the name First Round Capital because they thought capital would be deployed most efficiently at smaller seed stage rounds considering the cost to build an internet business had come down drastically. He also says it is important to be able to participate in follow on rounds so as not to get “crammed down”.

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The Damaging Psychology of Down Rounds

Both Sides of the Table

a) doing what is effectively a down round preemptively when I don’t have to, by underpricing my current round in this market vs. b) accepting the market price along with some risk of taking a down round in the future, if I don’t hit my milestones, why would I ever choose b)?” We know that.

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Why Seed Funds Have Scaled

Haystack

For those following this blog and the seed market over the past decade, you may have noticed that every year, we see increases across the board — more investors, newer funds, and funds that get larger. Rather, this short blog is filled only with my own observations from being in the middle of the evolving seed market since 2013.

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Does raising money mean you should start scaling?

The Next Web

The two most important considerations are team dynamics and where you fit in the market. You’re basically tinkering with everything at this stage – product, marketing, sales, partnerships, etc. You’re tinkering with your marketing and sales channels. How it applies to your marketing channels. Your company will die.

Metrics 136
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5 Ways to Make Your Startup a Choice Investment

Startup Professionals Musings

The single most important ingredient of success is not the idea, but having a team in place that has impeccable integrity, can iterate the product quickly, pivot the business model as necessary, and keep costs down in the process. This requires a visible focus on the company’s revenue model, the costs to get there, and cash on hand.

Cram Down 269
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Startup Fairy Tales and Other Tall Tales That Venture Capitalists Tell

Growthink Blog

Technical progress and market traction are much slower and cost a lot more than anticipated. A " black swan " investor appears out of the blue and backs the company - less impressed by the technology than by the talent, desire, and grit of the entrepreneur. There are a lot of dark, hard days.

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Lean Startups aren't Cheap Startups

Steve Blank

In times when venture capital is hard to get, investors extract high costs for failure (down-rounds, cram downs , new management teams, shut down the company.) Sales people cost money, and when they’re not bringing in revenue, their wandering in the woods is time consuming, cash-draining and demoralizing.

Lean 244