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. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Technical Review 436

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 436

Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

Dino Vendetti a VC at Bay Partners, moved up to Bend, Oregon on a mission to engineer Bend into a regional technology cluster. Today with every city, state and country trying to build out a technology cluster, following Dino’s progress can provide others with a roadmap of what’s worked and what has not. Tech investing is risky.

Early Stage 287

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 287

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

For the past 10 years, with interest rates near zero, VC investors plowed record amounts into tech startups and enjoyed a seemingly ‘easy’ investing environment. See the recent reports by Frontline Ventures and Creandum on what makes founders choose one offer over another. Don’t just take it from me.

Venture Capital 215

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Institutional Investors 215

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. There are a few situations where cutting corners, even in the early stages, can cause big headaches (and significant real money costs) in the future.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Early Stage 108

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 14, 2022

And with the technology available these days, it is convenient to invest in emerging startups. Of late, with the advent of new technology and the spread of the internet to nearly all corners of the country, Indians have taken up a new kind of shop! Some sectors where they have left their indelible mark are – Health tech.

Technical Review 142

Technical Review Due Diligence India Startup 142

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. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. In fact, they are well-qualified overall, having worked with high technology and computers for at least 20 years, are highly educated, and highly motivated.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

For early-stage startups, the goodwill component can easily exceed the size of all the financial elements together, or can just as easily mark a company with good financials as not investable. For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Focus on talent and people growth.

Valuation 311

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Leadership 311

ReadWriteStart

AUGUST 28, 2012

But when it comes to core technical skills, more and more entrepreneurs are opting to partner with technical co-founders rather than hiring someone for an in-house position. How Innovative Is Your Technology? If you want to start a tech company, you must understand the space. You Need To Know Tech Basics.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Cofounder Founder Software Review 131

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

It is not always a financial transaction; sometimes it comes in the form of managerial or technical expertise. 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. Understand VC Term Sheets.

Venture Capital 143

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Security 143

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

The Equity Kicker

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

We see this all the time at Forward Partners where we invest right from the idea stage and most of the companies get a first version of their product live for less than £30k (that generally includes founder salaries and time spent doing customer research). Entrepreneurs can now achieve an awful lot with very little money.

Early Stage 119

Early Stage Development Team Review Technical Review Software Review 119

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board. In Why assemble an advisory board?

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Advisory Board Technology Fractional CTO 150

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

You have unbounded curiosity for emerging trends, a love for experimentation, and you’re always eager to dive into new products and technologies before others do. You have 5-10 years of professional experience as a technology operator, founder, and/or investor. You act as an “ invited guest.”. consumer, etc.). You are hungry.

Technical Review 156

Technical Review North America Seed Stage Bandwidth 156

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

ReadWriteStart

AUGUST 28, 2012

But when it comes to core technical skills, more and more entrepreneurs are opting to partner with technical co-founders rather than hiring someone for an in-house position. How Innovative Is Your Technology? If you want to start a tech company, you must understand the space. Laura Roeder , LKR 2.

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Cofounder Founder Software Review 79

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

The FUND Conference brings together over 100 startups to present their early-stage products and pitches in front of hundreds of investors and industry leaders. I work in technology where the dress code is relaxed, but an executive woman my age can wear neither a hoodie nor a stuffy suit.).

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Software Review Illinois Due Diligence 151

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2020

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. In fact, they are well-qualified overall, having worked with high technology and computers for at least 20 years, are highly educated, and highly motivated.

Advisory Board 312

Advisory Board Startup Dividend Angel Investor 312

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

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

As a result of the IPO window shifting we saw a massive inflow of public-market capital into the latest stages of venture. The reality is that as a result of two major trends the costs of starting a technology startup went down massively. So What Impact Did the Drop in Tech Founding Costs Have on VC?

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage IPO 328

YoungUpstarts

MAY 19, 2016

Think of a tech startup the same way. Forty-six percent of those cases fall short due to issues of “incompetence,” which can allude to any type of structural snafu. Be diligent about income and expenses and how each relates to your milestones. Ideally, tech startup founders stay on till the very end.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Burn Rate IP Intellectual Property 124

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

At Remagine Ventures we like to say that “we invest in technologies that change how people spend their time and money”. Advancements in technology and changing cultural behaviour are big drivers of this trend and Covid-19 was like pouring gasoline on fire. . *by Kevin Baxpehler. Enter Toya . My Farm by Toya.

Technical Review 178

Technical Review South Korea Due Diligence IP 178

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. However, I’ve now begun questioning how and what an early-stage / startup CTO should be. I’ll address the specifics of what this Founder Developer Gap looks like below.

CTO 225

CTO Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review 225

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

The tech market is filled with many stories of early-stage funding. That’s why I’m proud to announce today that HealthDataInsights (founded by Victor Chaltiel), where GRP Partners was a 30% owner, has been acquired for $400 million. ” Let me explain all three. HDI is based in Las Vegas.

Partner 285

Partner Las Vegas San Francisco Baltimore 285

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2021

But in the grand scheme of things, 10 years is a blip, and one that had a continuous bull market in tech. Like a number of funds of our era, early fundraising was not terribly easy. The objection goes something like this: “yes, I can see rookie founders turning to you for a seed round. In some ways, this feels like an eternity.

Dilution 399

Dilution Later Stage Portfolio Technical Review 399

View from Seed

APRIL 27, 2020

Founders do not have this luxury. Most founders are going through hell right now, and that is not going away any time soon. For investors and founders, the next several years are going to be very different. Pre-seeds will be tougher as investors gravitate more towards proven founders or folks within their existing networks.

Cofounder 194

Cofounder Software Review Portfolio Technical Review 194

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

It occurred to me that although we mentioned our new thematic approach when we raised our last fund in 2017, we haven’t really shared a broader manifesto about how we are approaching the early stage market. It’s been an interesting several years in the early stage venture eco-system, and the sands have shifted considerably.

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

(co-written with Jamie Finney, Founding Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. From RBI, Flexible VCs borrow the ability to reap meaningful returns without demanding founders build for an exit. Our categorization is not a technical one. His work on VC and small communities can be found at greatercolorado.vc/blog. Of the Inc.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

You have two founders and it was agreed that one would get the CEO role so the other needs to call themselves president or COO. Many times they also pick up product and tech, too. In an early stage start I believe it’s the CEO’s job to manage these functions. But ask yourself, what does a COO actually do?

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Startup Cofounder Due Diligence 325

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. Most experienced VCs won’t push you to give up founder control at this stage of the business nor should they. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions. Mentorship.

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Early Stage Software Review Los Angeles 325

Eric Friedman

MAY 1, 2023

The theme of becoming a better advisor has been a core principle of how I make decisions – from the people I choose to work with, companies I invest in, founders/execs I coach, and really what I do with my life. We had a great network of technical and non-technical tallent.

Technical Review 117

Technical Review Engineer Early Stage Operations 117

View from Seed

MARCH 4, 2020

In a few months, we are likely to see the annual Forbes Midas list of top performing early stage VC investors. There is always some debate about the methodology and accuracy of the list, but I think it’s a pretty interesting data set that reflects some of the things that have been happening in tech and VC over time.

Venture Capital 313

Venture Capital China Technical Review Africa 313

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Every potential early-stage Venture Capitalist should take a year and do it before he or she makes partner. Over time Venture firms realized that the partners in the firms needs a variety of skills: People skills (ability to recognize patterns of success in individuals and teams). we do not even try to train new partners.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Early Stage Technical Review Startup 332

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

Founders stock, and stock options, will be worth nothing for the first several years, if not forever. The partner most obsessed with the startup lifestyle tests the water by going to work in an early-stage startup, similar to one they might hope to start someday. Kick your networking up a notch.

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Due Diligence Silicon Valley 250

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Our guest this week on #TWiVC was Dana Settle , partner at Greycroft Partners , a venture capital firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. It’s always fun debating companies with Dana because she’s always so knowledgeable on deals – particularly those in the digital media, ad-tech and eCommerce spaces. Time will tell.

Partner 240

Partner New York City Cofounder Syndicate 240

techcrunch.com

AUGUST 12, 2012

Zachary Bogue And Matt Ocko Launch Data Collective, An Early Stage Fund For Big Data Startups. Data Collective has already made 46 investments from its first fund, which it calls “comparable with other seed and early stage funds” (Ocko and Bogue wouldn’t reveal fund size.). Headphones. CrunchBase.

Early Stage 70

Early Stage San Francisco Los Angeles Southern California 70

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Every announcement – whether it was a funding round, exit or layoffs – was analyzed within the context that the tech bubble has definitely burst or that we’re still in the bubble. At the same time, seed money is still abundant due to the proliferation of micro VC over the past few years. So, what really happened in 2016?

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Early Stage Portfolio Valuation 60