Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

Uber , Zenefits , Tanium , Lending Club CEOs of companies with billion dollar market caps have been in the news – and not in a good way. Why do these founders get to stay around? Because the balance of power has dramatically shifted from investors to founders. 20th Century Tech Liquidity = Initial Public Offering.

Founder 273

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 273

Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 7, 2014

At first glance, Hubspot and Moz are very similar companies: both are popular marketing platforms, use web-based subscription models, and primarily target the SMB market (although larger brands use both). Its customer acquisition costs are roughly 85 times that of Moz (if Krager’s figures are accurately comparing apples to apples).

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. The market for recent IPOs also remains extremely volatile, and as a result many of them are currently trading below their opening price.

Exit Strategy 128

Exit Strategy IPO Initial Public Offering SEC 128

Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 7, 2014

At first glance, Hubspot and Moz are very similar companies: both are popular marketing platforms, use web-based subscription models, and primarily target the SMB market (although larger brands use both). Its customer acquisition costs are roughly 85 times that of Moz (if Krager’s figures are accurately comparing apples to apples).

Initial Public Offering 77

Initial Public Offering IPO SEC Valuation 77

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. Concerns over valuations being reset to a new normal, and a soft exit market, are seen as key drivers. Exposure to increased liability risk.

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering SEC Stock Options 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control. IPOs in 2008, the market was up to a still trivial 159 in 2011. After a record low of 39 U.S.

Exit Strategy 239

Exit Strategy IPO Investment Bankers Entrepreneur 239

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

In the old days, every entrepreneur dreamed of someday taking their startup public, and making it a multi-national powerhouse. Going public is an expensive process. Typical costs for startups today range from $250,000 to $1 million, even if the offering does not go through. Startup founders don’t fit in a public company.

IPO 242

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 242

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control.

Exit Strategy 235

Exit Strategy IPO Investment Bankers Entrepreneur 235

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

Why Startups Offer Stock Options. In tech startups stock options were here almost from the beginning, first offered to the founders in 1957 at Fairchild Semiconductor , the first chip startup in Silicon Valley. This “we’re all in it together” kept founders and employees aligned on incentives. Here’s why.

Stock Options 334

Stock Options Stock Vesting Common Stock 334

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2010

At this stage, your startup better be selling a commercial offering, have price and cost validated, with significant customer sales and a real revenue stream. Companies at this stage must have a large market, good traction, and be focused on scaling infrastructure and market adoption. Growth stage. Exit stage.

Investment Bankers 231

Investment Bankers Venture Capital Startup Initial Public Offering 231

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 19, 2019

There are times when small and slow is the right strategy for a specific market opportunity. And, as the industrial revolution showed us, there are some real costs to scale. When the market conditions are right, you should blitzscale for the benefit of all stakeholders: customers, employees, investors, and society.

Cofounder 28

Cofounder Business Model IPO Non-Compete 28

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

The Golden Age (1970 – 1995): Build a growing business with a consistently profitable track record (after at least 5 quarters,) and go public when it’s time. Dot.com Bubble ( 1995-2000): “ Anything goes” as public markets clamor for ideas, vague promises of future growth, and IPOs happen absent regard for history or profitability.

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Founders who avoid the use of the term “profit” had better have deep pockets of their own. They are looking for solutions that will reduce their costs by 20%, or double productivity, or cut traffic accidents by a third. Tiny markets may excite your passion but won’t sustain a business or leave you with a long-term positive legacy.

Intellectual Property 48

Intellectual Property Initial Public Offering Merger Acquisition 48

Growthink Blog

MAY 23, 2011

With this capital, the company propels itself to $50 million+ in revenues, and to either a sale to a strategic acquirer or to an initial public offering. Technical progress and market traction are much slower and cost a lot more than anticipated. There are a lot of dark, hard days.

Angel Investor 112

Angel Investor Venture Capital Sweat Equity Cram Down 112

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

I gained nearly 20 pounds during those two years, in part because of the growing frustration I felt when I would leave yet another meeting with VCs who I felt didn’t genuinely listen to, understand, or value my experience as a black founder and CEO. Those were teachers, accountants, consultants, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Technical Review Venture Capital San Francisco 48

VC Cafe

MARCH 11, 2010

T aking a company through an initial public offering (IPO) is not an easy task. Eyeblaster pulled out of its initial IPO filing in October 2008 citing the “market conditions&# as a reason for the delay. percent) and co-founder Osfer Zadikario (6.2 Net income did however increase to $9.8 percent). —

IPO 68

IPO SEC Initial Public Offering Stock 68

online.wsj.com

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Loading… Markets. Loading… Market Data. Media & Marketing. Marketing & Strategy. Consider Daniel Dreymann, a founder of Goodmail Systems Inc., Low Cost Franchises. Marketing Services. Breaking Up (With a Co-Founder) Is Hard to Do. » More. Loading… Business.

Venture Capital 107

Venture Capital Software Review Rhode Island North Dakota 107

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 5, 2012

"A lot of the noise in the market right now is about bringing back irresponsible IPOs. Their task was to draft a set of recommendations for how the nation's "IPO crisis," as some call it, could be resolved - a post-bubble lull in the number of startup companies in all sectors that proceed to the initial public offering stage and go public.

IPO 118

IPO SEC Silicon Valley Startup 118