Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” Some people are too independent to be partner material. Neither partner needs to be managed.

Cofounder 221

Cofounder Software Review CTO Hire Founder 221

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2014

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material. Level of integrity.

Partner 269

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 269

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One.” The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material. Level of integrity.

Partner 258

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Equity 258

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2020

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Most founders like to talk about their many months or years of sweat-equity , but cash invested is a stronger commitment.

Technical Review 436

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 436

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Investors, partners, team members, and customers implicitly value or devalue a startup based on the leader’s physical presence, emotional identity, social skills, intellectual agility, moral values, and past performance in the domain.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2017

The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” Some people are too independent to be partner material. Neither partner needs to be managed.

Partner 140

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 140

View from Seed

JANUARY 30, 2020

One of the often neglected parts of fundraising is the process of doing due diligence on potential investors. But assuming success, a moment will come when a founder will have multiple funding options. When you do your VC diligence, here are some of the things to consider focusing on. Raising money is super hard.

Due Diligence 195

Due Diligence Partner Term Sheet Finance 195

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

The market was down considerably with public valuations down 53–79% across the four sectors we were reviewing (it is since down even further). ==> Aside, we also have a NEW LA-based partner I’m thrilled to announce: Nick Kim. To that end I’m really excited to share that Nick Kim has joined Upfront as a Partner based out of our LA offices.

Technical Review 416

Technical Review Pre-Money Valuation San Francisco Valuation 416

View from Seed

APRIL 14, 2020

This led to a number of repercussions that most VC’s have lamented during this time, including higher prices, larger rounds, shoddy due diligence, and many companies raising large sums of venture capital that probably aren’t suited to VC funding. VCs are always founder focused no matter the market environment.

Early Stage 374

Early Stage Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence 374

Gust

APRIL 13, 2014

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material. Level of integrity.

Partner 179

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 179

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2011

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ Ten Steps in Choosing the Right Startup Partner ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material.

Partner 240

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 240

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Most founders like to talk about their many months or years of sweat-equity , but cash invested is a stronger commitment.

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

NZ Entrepreneur

AUGUST 4, 2021

Byron van Vugt from NZ Growth Capital Partners explains. That’s why it’s important for founders to understand that the clearer you can articulate the opportunity and its potential risks – and proposed mitigations – the better equipped investors will be to assess your business as a viable investment. Lead investors and term sheets.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Software Review Founder Due Diligence 61

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2010

A week ago I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ How to Select an Ideal Startup Co-Founder ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal business partner. You may be too independent to be partner material. Similar values and goals.

Partner 230

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 230

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 25, 2018

Today, Mark Attanasio gets to flex his full range of expertise and interests as co-founder and Managing Partner of Hillcrest Merchant Partners, a Toronto-based merchant bank focused on early stage and mid market growth companies. Even better, Attanasio says, is if they have done extensive due diligence first.

Partner 113

Partner Technical Review Management Due Diligence 113

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

VC Partnerships Start by understanding how many partners are at the firm you are approaching. It’s pretty easy since nearly every VC lists its partners on the website. Some firms are trickier since they artificially call everybody “partner” but they’re not all “investment partners.” How many partners are there?

Technical Review 314

Technical Review Due Diligence Partner Term Sheet 314

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Investors, partners, team members, and customers implicitly value or devalue a startup based on the leader’s physical presence, emotional identity, social skills, intellectual agility, moral values, and past performance in the domain.

Valuation 311

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Leadership 311

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Arif Bhalwani is the co-founder and CEO of Third Eye Capital (TEC) in Toronto, Canada. The most poignant of these challenges was the quest for capital partners, which was not just about securing capital but about finding collaborators who were willing to believe in the vision and commit to the long-term journey.

Technical Review 132

Technical Review Due Diligence Bankruptcy Intellectual Property 132

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2017

In my activities as an angel investor, and my work with new ventures seeking investment, I find the “due diligence” stage to be fraught with the most risk. Most founders consider the story already told and the deal pending, so they aren’t sure what more then can do. Update reference customers, partners, and vendors.

Due Diligence 148

Due Diligence Bankruptcy Angel Investor Stock 148

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

by Kenneth Coats, founder of eKnowID. If you don’t perform a background check on your potential partner before doing business with him, you’re setting yourself up to get duped. It’s imperative to perform a due diligence check before entering into any business relationship — especially for an entrepreneur. Don’t panic.

Technical Review 219

Technical Review Partner Due Diligence Bankruptcy 219

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

Are you preparing to expand, take your business in a new direction, or take on new partners? Due diligence prep: You’re coming up on a funding round or looking at a potential exit. Choosing the right partner for a technical review is important. Think ahead to tomorrow, to the next six months, and to next year.

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review Architecture 260

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

It is possible to attract a venture capital partner with an idea for a business, but most deals are closed after the business has a founding team , a minimum viable product or MVP, and customers. The corporate governance section defines the power distribution between the founders and the investors. Due Diligence and Closing the Deal.

Venture Capital 144

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Security 144

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 14, 2022

A business plan is drawn up to attract investors and partners. At this stage, the founder mainly raises funding from their sources or family and friends. At this stage, since the company has created a presence for itself, the founder turns to Venture Capitalists to secure funding for further company growth. 3) Company formation.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Due Diligence India Startup 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2015

As an advisor to startups, I often get asked what to look for in an ideal co-founder or business partner. After some reflection, I now realize these attributes are necessary but not sufficient to be an ideal business partner. This means every entrepreneur needs partners who are smarter than they are in complementary domains.

Partner 120

Partner Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 120

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 21, 2023

With so many other challenges to address, many founders regard using a lawyer to draft bespoke commercial contracts as a luxury rather than a necessity. This means that founders and third party developers and suppliers (including freelancers) need to have assigned the IPR to the business in writing.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Early Stage 109

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

You race back to the office to tell everybody how well it went and you wait for the follow-up call to have a partners’ meeting or talk about term sheets or at least dip into due diligence. I left the meeting and had to attend a 3-hour board meeting where two founders have been fighting and each want the other one fired.

Software Review 381

Software Review Churn Rate Due Diligence New York 381

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

Due diligence should always be a two-way street. A while back, I published an article on “ Startup Due Diligence Is Not a Mysterious Black Art ,” describing what investors do to validate your startup before they invest. I’ve had startup founders tell me that it’s only about the color of the money, but I disagree.

Due Diligence 241

Due Diligence Entrepreneur Offshore Angel Groups 241

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2020

In the spirit of helping you prepare and respond positively, I offer my list of the most common new venture founder unexpected realities, with some thoughts on how to mitigate each one: The business seems to be driving you, rather than you driving it. You need all the positive traction you can get to survive and prosper.

Due Diligence 306

Due Diligence Entrepreneur Startup Acquisition 306

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

By contrast, they backed 620 funds in the last three months of 2021 First time fund managers hit hard: In 2022, limited partners backed 141 funds run by first-time managers, a 59% decline from the prior year and the lowest number since 2013 How does the constrained LP environment manifest for funds and startups? Support emerging managers.

Venture Capital 215

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Institutional Investors 215

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

With over three decades of experience in private equity investments, acquisitions and mergers, Mark Hauser has developed a keen ability to recognize trends and do his due diligence. Their investment supported Stat Health’s recapitalization, alongside Spanos Barber Jesse & Co.

Private Equity 128

Private Equity Equity Technical Review Software Review 128

Hearpreneur

FEBRUARY 1, 2019

Toronto’s Mark Attanasio , co-founder of Hillcrest Merchant Partners, has years of significant experience with advising clients on mergers and acquisitions raising capital and navigating the landscape of general capital markets. Hillcrest Merchant Partners with Donato Sferra. In 2017, he embarked on a new venture, founding.

Cofounder 48

Cofounder Venture Capital Partner Leadership 48

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

As an advisor to many early-stage entrepreneurs, I caution them to always be prepared for that chance meeting with a famous investor, a potential partner or an industry guru. The investors I know are quick to do some real due diligence. It’s not smart to believe that your passion and gift of gab will impress anyone.

Due Diligence 321

Due Diligence Founder Angel Investor Affiliate 321

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

Yet I find that many technical founders don’t feel they need it at all, or at best point to one person on the team who is marketing. For example, as a member of an angel investment group, I sometimes do some “due diligence” on promising startups looking for funding. Your team is your business, and you can’t sell without them.

Technical Review 178

Technical Review Marketing Due Diligence Social Media 178

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Due diligence should always be a two-way street. A while back, I published an article on “ Understanding the Dreaded Investor Due Diligence ,” describing what investors do to validate your startup before they invest. I’ve had startup founders tell me that it’s only about the color of the money, but I disagree.

Due Diligence 224

Due Diligence Offshore Angel Groups Matching 224

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

They had been introduced by my friend Brian Garrett, a partner at Crosscut Ventures and the ambition outlined in their deck seemed almost unbelievable, “to make wireless charging of phones (and other devices) as easy as WiFi” that I had to see it for myself. Meredith came to see me along with the CTO Marc Berte.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review Due Diligence CTO Hire 418

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

by Lu Zhang, founder and managing partner of Fusion Fund. Competition from other startups and established incumbents, constraints on time and capital, and limited access to talent and technology resources are just a few of the hurdles nearly every first-time founder faces while trying to build a business.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

VC Adventure

JUNE 14, 2022

Most founders don’t feel they are getting value from their investors, even in areas like follow on rounds where they would hope to see specialized experience. All of this highlights (again) why performing due diligence on potential investors is so important. The answer may surprise you. They feel they can do better. .

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Due Diligence Portfolio Venture Capital 150