Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

If you’re an early-stage enterprise startup services revenue is exactly what you need. The most important way to sell a product for an early-stage business (or frankly any stage) is to have strong referenceable customers. That it is non-dilutive financing? We only want software revenue.”

Technical Review 403

Technical Review Software Review Startup API 403

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

These tensions seep out in some angels or seed funds publicly or semi-privately deriding later-stage VCs for their “bad” behavior. I have seen bad behavior from later-stage VCs, believe me. But I have seen equally bad behavior from super early stage investors. As always a balanced perspective is in order.

Technical Review 336

Technical Review Later Stage Early Stage LP 336

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

These usually play a role in the very early stage of your business, primarily pre-revenue. If you are facing any problem you can always check out this: Business Loan vs. Equity Financing. Stages of Equity-based funding. ? Inception stage. Early-stage. Options for initial setup. ? Capital is expensive.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 14, 2010

After the recent announcement of the Series Seed Financing documents by Marc Andreesen, Brad Feld points out that there are now four sets of “open source&# equity seed financing documents: TechStars Model Seed Funding Documents (by Cooley). Y Combinator Series AA Equity Financing Documents (by WSGR). under $500K).

Finance 70

Finance Software Review Term Sheet Liquidation Preference 70

View from Seed

MAY 2, 2019

This is the logical path that one would think is pretty “standard” for early stage companies. The challenge with pre-seed rounds is that pricing will sometimes be pretty dilutive. So your net dilution may end up worse and you may miss out on working with a really hands-on pre-seed partner early in your company’s life.

Early Stage 214

Early Stage Dilution Valuation .Net 214

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And the loosening of federal monetary policies, particularly in the US, has pushed more dollars into the venture ecosystems at every stage of financing. What Has Changed in Financing? The biggest change for us in early-stage investing is that we now need to commit earlier. Of course we can’t.

Pre-Money Valuation 471

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Venture Capital Early Stage 471

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

As an early-stage VC I love this phase. This financial leader could well have come through the finance org at another startup or at a larger company but they often also can come from strategy consulting (Bain, BCG or McKinsey) or through investment banking (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.).

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Seed-stage compatible: Like traditional equity VC investors, Flexible VCs accomodate early-stage investment risk within their portfolios better than a traditional RBI funder. Early-stage: Cofounder with engineering/ product background from top-tier university or major technology company. Short track record.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Austin Startup

JULY 6, 2018

Ask the Users Startup Accelerators: Bundled and Unbundled Over the past several years, accelerators have emerged as a powerful filtering and signaling mechanism in early-stage startup ecosystems, allowing high-potential young startups to connect with investors, advisors, and other strategic partners far faster and more efficiently than before.

Dilution 48

Dilution Startup Technical Review Equity 48

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Since 2017 we’ve managed $3 million in revenue-based financing, which helps cash-strapped technology companies grow. Benefits: Non-dilutive, flexible credit offerings that fit SMB or enterprise SaaS. According to John Borchers, Co-founder, Decathlon is the largest revenue-based financing investor in the US.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

View from Seed

OCTOBER 28, 2019

Over the past few years, “pre-seed” as a distinct category has emerged within the early stage fundraising landscape. But this financing contour description is just a proxy for underlying business metrics. It really does depend from startup to startup.

Seed Stage 247

Seed Stage Finance Dilution Early Stage 247

View from Seed

JULY 15, 2020

Some early stage businesses may even be able to get to CFBE fairly quickly. Mid-stage portfolios can be more acutely impacted if many companies have fat cost structures and were investing heavily in growth that is not materializing. Other companies are great businesses, but are effectively encountering a dilution event.

Portfolio 215

Portfolio IRR Dilution Distribution 215

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

When I started out in VC, there was a strong consensus around early stage investors that the “right” level of ownership was 20%. Fast forward 12 years or so and I’m seeing early stage funds exhibit some of the same dynamics around ownership. Pretty much every firm was targeting at least 20% ownership.

Dilution 136

Dilution Early Stage Business Model Founder 136

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

Early-stage investors in technology startups are only looking for growth-oriented companies that can achieve an “exit&# someday – either via selling your company to a larger company or via an IPO. That’s the deal you get when you’re raising in a good market for startup financing. That’s fine.

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2015

I am reminded of this problem every time my firm does a financing where a note went before us but more specifically I was reminded by this great post by Brad Feld to talk about the pre-money vs. post-money conversion issue. So how DOES a VC think about financings at early stages? It’s very simple. Size of my check.

Pre-Money Valuation 150

Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Post-Money Valuation Dilution 150

Haystack

JULY 8, 2018

So, that’s why I’m writing this short post specifically for 1) employees of early-stage startups and 2) the earliest investors in these startups, who are often themselves new to the entire sector. And as a disclaimer, 1) I am figuring this out myself in real-time.

Early Stage 95

Early Stage Dilution Private Equity Common Stock 95

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

I call it drip-financing. Most entrepreneurs have no choice but to avail of this sort of financing along with the mentoring and the contacts that could come with it (doesn't always come along, though). In 1M/1M, our preferred financing strategy is customers. You can get cash without diluting your ownership in the company.

Cloud 115

Cloud Silicon Valley Incubator Finance 115

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Either way, if you know you’re going to fail, it’s much better to do so with your own money on the line than money that also costs you in dilution, perpetuity or more. Consider convertible debt Before diving into a seed round, you may want to consider convertible debt over equity financing. I speak from experience.

Strategic Investors 49

Strategic Investors Austin Angel Investor Bootstrapping 49

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 28, 2017

Early stage entrepreneurs will also still likely value experienced advice on company-building from seasoned venture capitalists. In these early times, some startups may be hesitant to pursue this path because of the uncertainty and perceived risk. But many are. Shift of value from equity holders to token holders.

Early Stage 20

Early Stage Equity Venture Capital Government 20

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 28, 2017

Early stage entrepreneurs will also still likely value experienced advice on company-building from seasoned venture capitalists. In these early times, some startups may be hesitant to pursue this path because of the uncertainty and perceived risk. But many are. Shift of value from equity holders to token holders.

Early Stage 20

Early Stage Equity Venture Capital Government 20

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It’s like we need a finance 101 course for entrepreneurs. In finance they call it “terminal value” but the truth is the price is as arbitrary at your A round as it is at your seed round. And now I have to explain to team that they’re taking more dilution than they expected if we do a down round.

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 7, 2014

There weren’t a lot of seed funds in 2007 so this was often done by angels, funding consortia or sometimes early-stage funds that existed then (First Round Capital, True Ventures, SoftTech VC, etc.). 5 million was always the classic definition of an A-round between the late nineties (crazy financings aside) and say 2007.

Cap Table 399

Cap Table Silicon Valley Term Sheet Finance 399

Gust

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Last week , we took the plunge and began dissecting an example term sheet for a convertible debt financing round piece by piece. In Part II, we looked at the mandatory conversion language that is at the heart of any convertible debt financing. Same, except at the option of the noteholders (per the term sheet example above).

Finance 107

Finance Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Early Stage 107

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 28, 2010

Common areas to address are decisions around capitalization, executive hiring and firing, share issuance (dilution), and acquisitions. It is very likely that one or more co-founders will be putting in some cash in the early stages of the company. What are the financing plans for the company? Is it debt?

Cofounder 128

Cofounder Founder Equity Dilution 128

Feld Thoughts

JULY 29, 2011

Finance Friday’s gets off the ground with today’s post by introducing you to an imaginary startup, the entrepreneurs that we’ll being following throughout the series, and their first challenges: splitting up the founders’ equity and addressing the case where one of the founders provides the initial seed capital for the business.

Equity 137

Equity Finance Pre-Money Valuation Denver 137

www.seriesseed.com

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Series Seed Financing Documents Blog. I hesitate to use a quote from one of the greatest people ever to grace planet earth, and certainly the question of how to structure early stage investment is a laughable cause as compared to the rights that Ghandi (also a lawyer) fought to advance.  SeriesSeed.com. Blog Archives.

Term Sheet 40

Term Sheet Ratchet Dilution Equity 40

The Equity Kicker

MAY 14, 2012

Twice in the last week I found myself coaching founders on how to build a financing plan around value creation milestones so I thought I would share what I said here. Given that the valuation of a startup increases when milestones like these are hit it makes sense to build a financing plan based on when they are likely to come in.

Finance 118

Finance Valuation Venture Capital Dilution 118

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

Funnily enough I just answered this question yesterday on Quora when somebody asked, “Why would an early-stage investor specifically NOT prefer a convertible note structure to straight equity (e.g. a priced/valued preferred stock financing)?&#. Why many early-stage investors DO price rounds (e.g.

Equity 319

Equity Early Stage Angel Investor Valuation 319

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

While the answers are somewhat semantic, the pre-seed funding round is making a comeback in 2024 startup financing. Pre-seed rounds accounted for 14% of all seed stage deals in 2023, up from just 5% in 2020 according to Pitchbook data and I predict it will be even higher in 2024. Seed is about showing initial product market fit.

Valuation 186

Valuation Software Review Generative AI Technical Review 186

View from Seed

JANUARY 26, 2016

There are a number of factors that have contributed to the rise of pre-seed rounds, but the strongest have been the frothy late-stage financing market, coupled with both the scaling-up of some of the early winners in the institutional seed ecosystem and the scaling-down of some larger funds that retrenched after the financial crisis.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Early Stage Cofounder Finance 120

Gust

OCTOBER 21, 2011

To account for scenarios in which the startup is acquired before it has a chance to complete a priced equity financing round, most term sheets and deal documents contain a “ change in control ” provision. Suppose the notes converted as if the acquisition were an eligible financing round.

Finance 79

Finance Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Liquidity Event 79

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

Investors expect nothing less than a full-time commitment, even in the early stages when the business model has not yet been proven. Keep later critical financing needs viable. Don’t let early funding increase risk and dilute your potential. For aspiring entrepreneurs, a fallback plan is always good.

Bootstrapping 120

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Exit Strategy 120

Berkonomics

APRIL 26, 2018

If fixed expenses, especially payroll, are paid out before cash is received from services or shipments, the company is financing its growth with ever-increasing working capital needs. Many great businesses in their growth periods find themselves stretched for cash.

Dilution 90

Dilution Acquisition Early Stage Book Value 90

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

All it says is that the VC has the right (but not obligation) to invest his/her proportional ownership in the next round of financing. So if you’re raising $10 million and only want to face 20% dilution and that’s the threshold for a new investor, you’re going to see tension. Why would this happen? You allowed it.

Entrepreneur 310

Entrepreneur Dilution Finance Silicon Valley 310

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 20, 2018

Why are you so strongly sold on royalty licensing as the most effective way to finance a tech-based early stage company? What are the advantages of using royalties instead of raising investor funds, other than no dilution of equity? I asked him five important questions, which he answered, and I’ve summarized below.

IP 54

IP Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Product 54

BeyondVC

FEBRUARY 6, 2007

I can also say that there is a similarly fine line between dilution and delusion but this one is easier to draw. As we walked through the process for the current round of financing, my partners and I clearly understood that while we can guide the market with our pricing expectations, that ultimately the market decides.

Dilution 60

Dilution Term Sheet Valuation Early Stage 60

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 1, 2009

I know this is unconventional thinking but if you want to understand more I cover my rationale on this post about The Most Common Early Stage Startup Mistakes and again in this post covering how to implement startup prenuptials. You don’t necessarily have to have a ying and yang c0-founder.

Hiring 289

Hiring Cofounder Dilution Startup 289