Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, or going public through the side door as a reverse merger. Most public shells ready for sale are not listed on a national securities exchange, but are instead traded in a less glamorous setting, such as the OTC Bulletin Board.

Merger 261

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 261

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2013

Initial Public Offerings (IPO) are back as an exit strategy. According to a report just out, a record 156 operating companies went public in the U.S. Cost of entry for a startup is at an all-time low. A year from now that’s projected to go as high as 100. in 2013, with aggregate proceeds of over $38 billion.

IPO 273

IPO Entrepreneur Social Media Startup 273

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Whatever funding stage your business is at, use the executive summary to clearly outline the objective, whether that be a future round of funding or potential exit routes, whether they are a trade sale, management buyout (MBO) or initial public offering (IPO). Market analysis. Your business should address a market need.

Business Plan 93

Business Plan Technical Review Initial Public Offering Due Diligence 93

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. The founders.

Founder 245

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 245

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2015

Initial Public Offerings (IPO) are back as an exit strategy. Cost of entry for a startup is at an all-time low. With the key social media platforms today, an entrepreneur can tune a product, build a brand, and grow the business with very low cost and a high interactivity never before possible.

IPO 120

IPO Angel Investor Startup Incubator 120

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. The cost of the shell, plus the cost of navigating the process, can add up to a half-million dollars, depending on the shell company, according to LawCast , a law firm based in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Merger 303

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 303

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

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

Instead of a startup going public six to eight years after it was founded to raise capital to grow the company, today companies can to $50M+ funding rounds is a deferring the need for an Initial Public Offering to 10 or more years after a company is founded. Today that’s less true.

Stock Options 333

Stock Options Stock Vesting Common Stock 333

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. Going public is an expensive process.

IPO 245

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 245

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

In the old days, every entrepreneur dreamed of easily taking their startup public, and making it big. Today the rate of startups going public (IPO – Initial Public Offering) is up from the dead zone, but is still less than half the rate of 15 years ago. Going public is an expensive process.

IPO 120

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 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 148

Initial Public Offering IPO SEC Valuation 148

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. Most public shells ready for sale are not listed on a national securities exchange, but are instead traded in a less glamorous setting, such as the OTC Bulletin Board.

Merger 198

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 198

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. As a result, D&O insurance responds largely to defense costs only, never paying the difference in stock prices.

IPO 147

IPO Prospectus Merger Initial Public Offering 147

VC Cafe

MARCH 11, 2010

T aking a company through an initial public offering (IPO) is not an easy task. million, in part due to cost-cutting (Eyeblaster says it “focused on cutting costs given the uncertain global economic environment” during the first half of 2009). By contrast, sales had jumped 43 percent the year before.

IPO 68

IPO SEC Initial Public Offering Stock 68

ReadWriteStart

JULY 20, 2023

While venture-backed startups struggle to find relief amidst a backlog of richly priced ventures, some tech companies are defying expectations and going public with resounding triumphs. By focusing on revenue streams, cost management, and operational efficiency, tech companies can navigate the path to success.

IPO 107

IPO Startup Initial Public Offering eCommerce 107

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. All strategy and operational moves become public.

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering Entrepreneur Private Equity 120

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. It takes real money to get into the game.

Merger 246

Merger OTC IPO Stock 246

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. There are real ongoing costs of maintaining a public company. PwC estimates that public companies incur an average of $1.5

Exit Strategy 128

Exit Strategy IPO Initial Public Offering SEC 128

YoungUpstarts

MAY 31, 2016

Yes, cash flow is king and every start-up wants to achieve greatness or hit a sizable IPO, initial public offering sooner than later. Right from the get-go, it’s important to think of this costly endeavor as a journey and not a sprint.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Leadership Early Stage Initial Public Offering 100

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

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. There are real ongoing costs of maintaining a public company. PwC estimates that public companies incur an average of $1.5

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering SEC Stock Options 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

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. Consider the recent example of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

IPO 224

IPO Founder Exit Strategy Investment Bankers 224

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. Most public shells ready for sale are not listed on a national securities exchange, but are instead traded in a less glamorous setting, such as the OTC Bulletin Board.

Merger 120

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 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. Consider the recent example of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

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.

IPO 242

IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 242

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

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. 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

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

VC Cafe

JANUARY 20, 2014

222 firms held initial public offerings last year, raising $55 Billion, the most since 406 companies went public for $97 million in 2000. Now the cost of entry to the Party is rising. The bull market will celebrate its 5 th anniversary in March (NASDAQ grew 38.3%

Venture Capital 155

Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation IPO 155

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. Are you ready to answer to the new public stockholders and accept responsibility for both the good and the bad as it unfolds in an uncertain future?

IPO 223

IPO Social Media Media Exit Strategy 223

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. 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

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Qualtrics, a company purchased for $8 billion by SAP in late 2018 just days before a planned initial public offering, grew rapidly for a decade before taking in VC funding and is only the latest example of a company that found most of its success without VC firms behind the scenes. And at what cost?

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Technical Review Venture Capital San Francisco 48

Growthink Blog

MAY 14, 2012

One of the key objectives of the recently passed JOBS act is that it will “open” the now 11 years and counting "shut” window for initial public offerings. Because golly, when it comes to the IPO market and public market returns in general, help is needed in a big way. companies went public. Hopefully, it will help.

IPO 78

IPO Private Equity Initial Public Offering Balance Sheet 78

Gust

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

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. 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

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 14, 2012

IPO stands for Initial Public Offering, and is the first sale of a private stock to the public. Several on- and offline resources serve as references and reminders of this important framework; a simple search can help you fall into the GAAP. What You Thought It Meant: Giant Awesome Animatronic Porcupine.

Non-disclosure Agreement 202

Non-disclosure Agreement NDA IPO Covenant 202

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

The reward for doing so was a liquidity event via an Initial Public Offering. Startups that win in the bubble will be those that get wide adoption (using freemium, viral growth, low costs, etc) and massive distribution (i.e. They taught you about customers, markets and profits. Wide Adoption. Visibility.

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Pascal's View

MARCH 24, 2010

The cost of filing patents has increased dramatically. The cost of enforcing patents has gone through the roof. monopolists) and low cost producers (e.g., offshore companies with lower labor costs, fixed currencies and weaker environmental standards).

Intellectual Property 52

Intellectual Property Global San Francisco Technical Review 52

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

They are looking for solutions that will reduce their costs by 20%, or double productivity, or cut traffic accidents by a third. Constituents look for a long-term strategy of continuing return, normally including an initial public offering (IPO) or merger/acquisition, to on-going value or option to cash out.

Intellectual Property 48

Intellectual Property Initial Public Offering Merger Acquisition 48