YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

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. You may be able to generate revenue, but VCs want exponential growth.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

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. forward revenue in February 2016 (the low), they appreciated by 6% each month for the following six months. So, what really happened in 2016?

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Early Stage Portfolio Valuation 60

Steve Blank

JUNE 27, 2017

This article originally appeared in the Harvard Business Review. As more and more companies face disruption from globalization, new technology, and startups that have more capital than the incumbents, the continuing cry from Wall Street investors is, “Why can’t companies be as innovative as startups?”.

Startup 275

Startup New York City Valuation Distribution 275

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. It’s true that some later-stage private equity firms like to fund “roll ups” (a company that acquires many related companies in it sector), but this is seldom the domain of VCs.

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. Our categorization is not a technical one. Additionally, Flexible VC can accommodate all types of companies, not just asset-lite, tech-enabled companies.”. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Of the Inc. raised from angels.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

So if your costs are $500,000 per month and you have $350,000 per month in revenue then your net burn (500-350) is equal to $150,000. Plus, most early-stage M&A fails so this isn’t likely a good use of capital for a young company). Gross burn is the total amount of money you are spending per month.

Burn Rate 383

Burn Rate Balance Sheet .Net Valuation 383

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. Due to the struggling economy as well, traditional individual Angel investors haven’t been able to fill the gap. New “up-and-comer” VCs focus on early-stage companies. Technology costs are plummeting, meaning you can do more with less.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

David Teten

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical VC thesis: “we invest in tech startups in Europe at an early stage” However, our experience shows that in many cases: . “Tech” means B2B Saas/Fintech or Consumer apps. Technical” Companies (i.e. any mention of a focus on tech companies). Technical founders .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Cofounder Venture Capital Deal Flow 78

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. As an early-stage VC I love this phase. An example of the systems companies build are pricing & revenue management tools to best help to optimize yield.

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

Gust

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

The Risk Factor Summation Method the fifth methodology for estimating the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue companies we have described in recent posts. Readers may have noted that both the Scorecard Method and the Dave Berkus Method considered a narrow set of important criteria for investment in arriving at a pre-money valuation.

Valuation 102

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Ohio Early Stage 102

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” I hear tons of ideas for early-stage apps. I should have. That’s a benefit for us as a local VC.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

VCs tout themselves as frontier technology investors, but most are using the same infrastructure tools they have used for the past 20+ years: Excel and recent college grads searching Google. According to Knowledge.VC , under 5% of US VCs have a full-time team member focused on technology. . But we’re doing it slowly.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. As the risks below get eliminated the higher the valuation investors are prepared to pay.

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. I conclude that the genesis of this trend seems to come from several forces, including the following: Less investment capital available due to the recession. Due to the economy as well, traditional individual angel investors haven’t been able to fill the gap.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

VC Cafe

JULY 5, 2010

investors the opportunity to participate in the Israeli high-tech market. based Angel capital with early stage technology companies in Israel, and do so in a way that substantially mitigates the risk of seed stage investing. Janvest: In 2009, roughly 450 Israeli high-tech companies raised a little over $1.0B.

Technical Review 106

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. Friends and family. Small business grants.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

They allow you to hire more people, purchase new technology, and establish new business connections, among many other benefits. Proposed private equity deal: Eventually, this business will require private equity to provide sufficient funding to develop some of the more robust aspects of the technology that will attract Fortune 500 clients.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 25, 2015

The key reason for the explosion in capital flowing into the industry, and therefore the large increase in practitioners, had nothing to do with 1970’s performance, early stage investing, or technology. Some were Silicon Valley early stage companies, such as Apple, Quantum, and Masstor Systems. This isn’t true.

Venture Capital 70

Venture Capital SBIC Technical Review Silicon Valley 70

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 7, 2010

At today's roundtable we had some interesting companies and a lot of fundraising discussions, and I will review them shortly. Bottom line, early stage equity is very, very expensive. As a thumb rule, try to get enough validation so that you can get to at least a $2 million pre-money valuation before raising equity capital.

Valuation 119

Valuation Silicon Valley Pre-Money Valuation Bootstrapping 119

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

What’s critical for entrepreneurs to understand is that valuations for startups do not increase at a linear rate; they increase geometrically based on achieving the right milestones. The best entrepreneurs raise enough money to achieve a set of interim milestones and then raise capital again at a significantly increased valuation.

Valuation 100

Valuation Dilution Chicago Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2011

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. Friends and family. Small business grants.

Technical Review 233

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 233

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

We All Know That Dollars into Venture Have Gone Up … As a starting point, we know that the dollars into venture have steadily rebounded to pre great-recession levels, with just under $30 billion committed to US technology venture capital in 2015. LPs See The Over-Valuations and Don’t Like It.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital LP Silicon Valley Marketing 150

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

I obviously don’t have a crystal ball so the economy could fare better than my gut, but here’s why I’m cautious for some time in 2010 or early 2011: Why is the future still so unpredictable? This has a tangible impact on the valuation of start-ups and the pace of investment.

Technical Review 269

Technical Review Stock Hawaii Early Stage 269

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

In product business it is often measured over multiple purchases and assumptions are made about the repeat rates and in the enterprise or services world LTV can be based on churn rates, which are notoriously hard to predict in an early-stage business. In SaaS (or any recurring revenue business) this is also a very difficult task.

Metrics 150

Metrics Cost Acquisition Startup 150

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. What are Early Stage VC’s Really Asking? Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail.

Customer Development 262

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 262

Gust

JUNE 17, 2012

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. Friends and family. Small business grants.

Technical Review 164

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 164

Gust

JULY 23, 2014

So even if my own mother asked me to meet with you, and you were pitching me a biotech opportunity for a $10 million investment at a $90 million valuation, I might take the meeting, but it wouldn’t be particularly useful for either of us. Now comes the really tricky part: getting me to review all that stuff you just neatly uploaded.

Angel Investor 153

Angel Investor Elevator Pitch Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review 153

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

Thomas Clayton has started and run numerous high-tech startups in Silicon Valley. Many Asian entrepreneurs tell me that they want to raise funds from Silicon Valley firms because they perceive the valuations to be higher. The rest of Asia is still developing with far more angel and early-stage investors than mid-to-later stage folks.

Asia 132

Asia Silicon Valley India Term Sheet 132

Up and Running

AUGUST 19, 2014

I have pitched to hundreds of angel investors over the years as a result of co-founding two tech companies and raising just shy of $1M in angel capital. My favorite part of pitching to them was the due diligence process. Entrepreneurs impress me when they demonstrate a proven revenue stream before asking for capital.

Angel Investor 161

Angel Investor Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 161

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

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. Greycroft is an early-stage VC. Note that these are “gross” revenue numbers. CEO hinted to WSJ that it may go public in early 2011. OTHER DEALS: 1.

Partner 240

Partner New York City Cofounder Syndicate 240

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2010

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. Friends and family. Small business grants.

Technical Review 149

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 149

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Silicon Valley is still emerging from the tech bubble and massive downturn of late 2000-2002. LinkedIn’s product had only been live for a couple months, we only had tens of thousands of registered users, and wouldn’t start generating revenue for more than a year after this point.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations.   I’ve sat down with entrepreneurs and a copy of a term sheet guide I like [ “Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations ” by Alex Wilmerding, Aspatore Press.] The Valuation Question.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

There were massive late stage rounds because all the big funds wanted companies which already had traction. Low supply of companies with traction drove the valuations and deal sizes up. Seed stage was super tough. Valuations are rising to match. Your early stage investment portfolio may no longer really be early stage.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

Early stage startups have to survive one day at a time and are often presented with limited choices of the moment that enable them to continue. There are many ways to measure technical skills and check work histories and achievements, but assessment of team chemistry is a high art form.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

Transformify

AUGUST 27, 2017

Your team is directly correlated with the valuation of your startup. All of the above is true, but it is also true that many startups have failed because they hired too early, too fast, or fired too late. However, you can’t utilize their time as you are still at an early stage. Team comes first. The downside?

Hiring 64

Hiring Software Review Burn Rate Startup 64

Up and Running

JUNE 14, 2017

Early stage idea validation can be accomplished without building an application. It’s possible to simulate user experience through existing, lower-tech resources. But when I ran the numbers, the revenue from just the first three months from the 150 who were interested in premium would cover the investment and more.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Distribution Redemption Demand 96