Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Remember a term sheet agreement is not a deal until the check clears. Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. However, there is no set pattern of terms an entrepreneur might be able to anticipate from an angel, either. Marty Zwilling.

Term Sheet 227

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 227

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

This summer, I had the pleasure to be a mentor at the Entrepreneurship Summer School , an elective at London Business School (my alma mater) where students are tasked with testing whether their startup ideas can turn into a fundable business over the course of three months. 10 tips for raising money from business angels.

Startup 133

Startup Cofounder Warrant Stock Options 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2012

Remember a term sheet agreement is not a deal until the check clears. Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an Angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. However, there is no set pattern of terms an entrepreneur might be able to anticipate from either.

Term Sheet 223

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 223

David Teten

MAY 20, 2013

This is part 2 of a 2-part series on domain names and startups; part 1 was “ Should a Startup Spend VC Funding on a Domain Name? ”. I’ve written in the past about how to identify a great startup opportunity. The last thing a startup needs is MORE risk. credit: Wikipedia)).

Naming 114

Naming Startup Venture Capital Portfolio 114

David Teten

MAY 20, 2013

This is part 2 of a 2-part series on domain names and startups; part 1 was “ Should a Startup Spend VC Funding on a Domain Name? ”. I’ve written in the past about how to identify a great startup opportunity. The last thing a startup needs is MORE risk. credit: Wikipedia)).

Naming 114

Naming Startup Venture Capital Portfolio 114

Genuine VC

JULY 30, 2012

In theory, there are three levels of pricing for an entrepreneur to potentially signal to a prospective investor: Lower than “market.” This approach is almost never a good idea. By definition, all entrepreneurs should think that their endeavor is truly exceptional. Above market.

Valuation 136

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Angel Investor Syndicate 136

Gust

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Last week , we gave some attention to the “why” behind convertible note financing for early stage startups. In this installment, I’ll dig into the “how” by dissecting an example term sheet based on a real deal. These deal terms are simple but significant. This paragraph is the heart of the whole deal.

Finance 79

Finance Preferred Stock Term Sheet Early Stage 79

Gust

OCTOBER 21, 2011

This week we move on to something near and dear to the hearts of entrepreneurs and investors alike: The exit, more formally known as a “ liquidity event.” Entrepreneurs generally don’t ask for this kind of language, but most sophisticated investors will insist on it in one form or another.

Finance 79

Finance Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Liquidity Event 79

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

Jonathan Bragdon , CEO, describes Capacity as “a team of founders-turned-funders making non-dilutive, founder-aligned investments of $50-$300k in post-startup, post-revenue businesses planning to 2X revenues in 12-24 months. GCVF is pioneering the future of venture capital and high growth startups for all small communities.

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

David Teten

OCTOBER 1, 2015

I’ve seen a range of options for supporting entrepreneurs, which I can rank from least to most involvement in companies by investors: financier VCs, e.g., Correlation Ventures. How would one set up such a startup to eventually raise capital from outside VCs, who will be wary of ‘dead equity’ (i.e., mentor VCs, e.g., most VCs.

Software Developers 60

Software Developers Software Development Software Review Technical Cofounder 60

Tim Keane

AUGUST 20, 2009

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. Who the entrepreneur takes money from (see this post ) is always more important than the terms. "  The problem has been that too-high valuations and too generous terms have spawned painful down rounds that squash the entrepreneur and his early investors. 

Milwaukee 60

Milwaukee Bootstrapping Cram Down Deal Structure 60

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 27, 2011

Most entrepreneurs would love to be in a position to have to decide! There are plenty of folks who wouldn’t sell their company for a billion dollars; Jason Fried and Joel Spolsky are public examples from the bootstrapped startup world. That means you have to be that sure that that’s the number, regardless of deal structure.

Sales 235

Sales Term Sheet Stock Deal Structure 235

Gust

OCTOBER 26, 2011

Common examples include papering founders’ stock issuances, catching up on Board minutes, and ensuring that all members of the team have entered into IP agreements with the company assigning rights in their work to the startup.

Finance 79

Finance Term Sheet Covenant Accredited Investor 79

grasshopperherder.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Not that they were trying to take advantage of me necessarily, but it happened because of the deal structure. Four Startups in Four Weeks - Suicide by MVP (9). Lean startup (26). In a couple of cases the other person actually made out with a fair bit of cash and I got screwed. Tristan says: January 24, 2011 at 9:07 pm.

Sweat Equity 41

Sweat Equity Equity Cofounder Non-Compete 41

Cracking the Code

OCTOBER 10, 2008

As all good sales VPs will tell you, the compensation plans of the sales team will drive behavior, so it is critically important that you structure the sales and account management plans to align with the key metrics of your business: CMRR, Churn, and Cash flow. ” Gary Messiana, Bessemer Entrepreneur-In-Residence and former CEO, Netli.

Software Review 48

Software Review North America Europe Metrics 48