ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

I have often been asked about Startup Funding by entrepreneurs. Many myths surround the subject of startup funding. Here is Startup Funding, a Comprehensive Guide for Entrepreneurs. You must have seen a lot of startups giving out promotions, discounts, and incentives at the early phase of their business. Bootstrapping.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

Two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth? Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you “deserve” 90 percent of the equity. Now comes the reality check.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 18, 2024

Still, there are a lot of downsides to taking venture money—the push to grow at all costs, our desire to be all up in your business, literally, and sometimes, we’re kind of obnoxious. These are people that didn’t make their money through a tech startup or startup investing. It will save everyone a lot of cost and time.

.Net 88

.Net Cap Table Startup Technical Review 88

Gust

APRIL 9, 2014

Equity dilution works when the same pie is divided among more people. Over time, other people receive pieces of equity in exchange for work (employee stock options), money (seed, angel and venture investors), services (attorneys, directors, etc.). Uncategorized company equity dilution founder investors startup'

Dilution 150

Dilution Equity Vesting Stock Options 150

The Next Web

OCTOBER 7, 2013

That’s what a couple of my friends – engineers at Google and Bloomberg who have been following the rise of startup culture with intrigue – told me recently. Quite frankly, waiting provides more assurance around employment risk without the commensurate sacrifice in equity comp. “It kinda sucks to be engineer #1.”.

Engineer 129

Engineer Dilution Option Pool Vesting 129

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “ Startup Burn Rate is Normal. I love how transparently Danielle lives her startup (& encourages other to join in) because it provides much needed transparency to other startups. ” I highly recommend reading it.

Burn Rate 383

Burn Rate Balance Sheet .Net Valuation 383

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

This time by the efforts of Adeo Ressi to introduce a new kind of structure called “ convertible equity.” My initial reaction to Adeo when we spoke was that while it may have solved some issues (debt versus equity) it didn’t solve the ones that I’ve been warning entrepreneurs about most loudly.

Ratchet 354

Ratchet Liquidation Preference Equity Stock 354

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

There’s been a lot of digital ink spilled around the various types of capital available to startups today. As a startup grows, venture debt becomes a viable option to continue that growth. As a startup grows, venture debt becomes a viable option to continue that growth. What is it, and how should founders think about it?

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

Austin Startup

JULY 6, 2018

Background Reading: Why startups need signals. The below outlines how I would approach the decision: Cash and Equity. Very simply, what are you giving and what are you getting in return in terms of cash and equity for joining the program? Anti-Dilution. See: Startup Accelerator Anti-Dilution Provisions; The Fine Print.

Dilution 48

Dilution Startup Technical Review Equity 48

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Startup owners need to assume a three to five year wait for a liquidity event, such as acquisition or going public, before they can cash out. Typically, vesting in startups occurs monthly over four years, starting with the first 25 percent of shares vesting only after an owner has remained active for at least 12 months (one year cliff ).

Stock 240

Stock .Net Vesting Founder Vesting 240

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2020

They know from forums such as Shark Tank on TV that asking for either too much or too little will derail credibility in the eyes of the investor, and leave the entrepreneur with no money and a struggling startup. Here is where projections of cost, pricing, volumes and cash flow are critical.

Startup 337

Startup Preferred Stock Exit Strategy Equity 337

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. From traditional equity VC, Flexible VC borrows the option to pursue and reap the rewards of an outsized exit. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Equity Ownership. Yes, typically preferred equity. Funder Category.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2022

They know from forums such as Shark Tank on TV that asking for either too much or too little will derail credibility in the eyes of the investor, and leave the entrepreneur with no money and a struggling startup. Here is where projections of cost, pricing, volumes and cash flow are critical.

Preferred Stock 304

Preferred Stock Exit Strategy Equity Angel Investor 304

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down. Mobile and web software apps may cost even less.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

As a startup advisor and investor, living in an area with several local universities, I’m continually surprised by how little many entrepreneurs know about the resources available from these institutions. They have equipment and smart students that would otherwise cost you a fortune through an outside contract.

Arizona 276

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Entrepreneur 276

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

More recently, the desire for extra income has become the key driver in new startups, according to the popular press. This usually means not taking money from equity investors, since investors want fast growth, high profits, and an exit event, to allow investments to be recouped. Startup funding comes from personal savings and family.

Entrepreneur 371

Entrepreneur Equity Dilution LLC 371

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down. Mobile and web software apps may cost even less.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup 314

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 24, 2013

One of the challenges for investing in startups has always been the lack of an established way for founders and investors to actually measure and decide on the valuation of the startup concerned. “If you are an angel investor and a venture is seeking capital from you, insist on getting its Worthworm report.

Pre-Money Valuation 150

Pre-Money Valuation Web Technical Review Angel Investor 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. A good place to start looking is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups. Professional help costs money. Processing and approvals take time.

Government 230

Government Equity Cost SBIR 230

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2021

Startup owners need to assume a three to five year wait for a liquidity event, such as acquisition or going public, before they can cash out. Typically, vesting in startups occurs monthly over four years, starting with the first 25 percent of shares vesting only after an owner has remained active for at least 12 months (one year cliff ).

Vesting 298

Vesting Dilution Stock Founder Vesting 298

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

Boards are not appointed to be founder-friendly lapdogs for the 1–3 founders who start companies and usually own the largest equity positions in the company. ICOs certainly have a place in startup financing.

Cofounder 217

Cofounder Stock Options Equity Technical Review 217

Austin Startup

MAY 8, 2018

Background reading: Founder Compensation: Cash, Equity, Liquidity Fatal Errors in Early Startup Hiring Early Hires: Options or Stock Given how deeply involved we are with early-stage startups hiring their first key employees, I figured it would be helpful to outline a few key principles to help entrepreneurs navigate the topic.

Employee 48

Employee Seed Stage Startup Equity 48

View from Seed

DECEMBER 4, 2014

Editor’s note: Understanding how to divide founder equity at a startup can be tricky, even to the point of reaching emotional riffs between founders. Below, Lee Hower offers advice for approaching these equity discussions objectively and properly. Sometimes co-founders put off the equity split question for some time.

Equity 315

Equity Founder Sweat Equity Cofounder 315

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2021

In my experience as a business advisor and occasional investor, many of you won’t make it that far, succumbing to the high costs of getting those first customers, funding an initial inventory, and building an operational support process. Join a startup accelerator or structured peer group. Build your plan around resources you know.

Dilution 404

Dilution Incubator Bootstrapping Government 404

Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

As a result, one of the trickier things co-founders tackle is determining the equity split amongst the founding group of individuals. Across both the startups I’ve personally been involved in (PayPal and LinkedIn) and the startups in which I’ve been an investor, I’ve seen a broad range of co-founder equity splits.

Cofounder 255

Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 255

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2010

There is a telltale sign of an inexperienced startup entrepreneur. As a startup you shouldn’t focus on buying other companies until you’ve figured out your own business. A close friend of mine in LA who is 3 years into his startup called me about 2.5 How much dilution should I take for it?

Merger 276

Merger Technical Review Early Stage Dilution 276

The Next Web

OCTOBER 3, 2012

Andrew is the co-founder and CTO of Parse.ly , a technology startup that provides big data insights to the web’s best publishers. Startups die due to a variety of causes. In 2007, Paul Graham gave a variety of causes for startup death in How Not To Die. Distraction is fatal to startups.

Cofounder 155

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Technical Review Software Review 155

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

When I first read Paul Graham’s blog post on “High Resolution&# Financing I read it as a treatise arguing that convertible notes are better than equity. Either would be fine with startups, so long as they can easily change their valuation. Photo credit: D. Blanchard/O’Reilly Media. When I’m in, I’m in.

Finance 286

Finance Term Sheet Technical Review Warrant 286

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

As a startup advisor and investor, living in an area with several local universities, I’m continually surprised by how little many entrepreneurs know about the resources available from these institutions. They have equipment and smart students that would otherwise cost you a fortune through an outside contract.

Arizona 310

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Dividend 310

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

This structure offers some of the benefits of traditional equity VC, without some of the negatives of equity VC. I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. Benefits: Non-dilutive, flexible credit offerings that fit SMB or enterprise SaaS.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

It seems that most of you entrepreneurs I meet in my role as business advisor are convinced that starting a new business requires equity investors, exponential growth, and a plan to go public via IPO. Personal income is related to operations versus equity. With major investors, your equity and return is diluted and delayed.

Small Business 311

Small Business Small Business Administration SBA Equity 311

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Advisor. ); STARTUP. Should You Share Equity with Consultants? To grow his cash-strapped start-up, Parker ended up sharing equity -- not only with employees, but also with consultants and vendors. Parker found that equity as compensation helped build loyalty to his company -- even among consultants. Email address: Home.

Fractional CTO 40

Fractional CTO Equity Iowa Technical Cofounder 40

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2019

More recently, the desire for extra income has become the key driver in new startups, according to the popular press. This usually means not taking money from equity investors, since investors want fast growth, high profits, and an exit event, to allow investments to be recouped. Startup funding comes from personal savings and family.

Startup 194

Startup Equity Dilution LLC 194

Austin Startup

JUNE 30, 2017

TL;DR : Elite accelerators have cemented themselves as the universities of the entrepreneurial world; offering a bundle of resources in exchange for a price (tuition in form of equity). in exchange for a price: usually 6–9% of equity, with (sometimes) heavy anti-dilution rights, and pro-rata rights.

Curation 48

Curation Startup Cofounder Equity 48

Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

As a result, one of the trickier things co-founders tackle is determining the equity split amongst the founding group of individuals. Across both the startups I’ve personally been involved in (PayPal and LinkedIn) and the startups in which I’ve been an investor, I’ve seen a broad range of co-founder equity splits.

Cofounder 173

Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 173

Up and Running

JULY 1, 2020

Operations, marketing, and personnel plans: You’ll outline the details of what operational costs, marketing budget, and additional positions you’ll need for your expansion to be a success. Lenders and equity investors are less emotionally involved in the plan as people within the company. Planning for new regions.

Business Plan 152

Business Plan Forecast Operations Dilution 152

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down. Mobile and web software apps may cost even less.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Startup Portfolio 260