Reid Hoffman

DECEMBER 10, 2020

With Airbnb’s IPO, I thought the time was right to take a look back at the past decade (Greylock led Airbnb’s Series A in November 2010) and reflect on what I learned from the journey. it took years for Airbnb’s metrics to really start accelerating. This essay is based on a Greymatter podcast episode, which you can listen to here.

Hosting 69

Hosting Hockey Stick IPO Silicon Valley 69

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” They got a bigger office space so their employees would feel comfortable and they could improve employee retention.

Startup 418

Startup Revenue Technical Review Flash 418

Mucker Lab

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Why should a public market downturn determine an investment in a startup that has seven to 10 years to go before it can even think about an IPO? But many of today’s billion dollar venture firms invest in four-person startups as well as pre-IPO startups with thousands of employees.

Harvest 60

Harvest Vertical IPO Early Stage 60

crowdSPRING Blog

JANUARY 18, 2013

Thanks To Facebook, Strongest Year For IPOs Since 2000 With $21.5 The 6 Marketing Metrics Your CEO Actually Cares About [Cheat Sheet] | Hubspot Blog - [link]. Valve’s employee handbook is a fascinating read. The 6 Marketing Metrics Your CEO Actually Cares About [Cheat Sheet] | Hubspot Blog - [link].

Social Media 94

Social Media Small Business Design Media 94

Ben's Blog

OCTOBER 29, 2020

Since then, the debate over IPOs has continued, with a particular focus on allegedly underpriced offerings that jump shortly after opening — the dreaded “pop.” ” As some criticism has it, this supposedly deprives companies of millions of dollars that should have been theirs if not for underpricing the IPO.

IPO 36

IPO Securities and Exchange Commission Demand SEC 36

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 17, 2014

One way to suss this out – ask the co-workers about the metrics or key performance indicators they owned. This employee supposedly has a great job, so why do they want to leave? Or even worse, the employee is going to use your offer just to get a raise (see more about this below). Who did they report to? I’ve found many don’t!

IPO 86

IPO Cofounder Hiring Reputation 86

ConversionXL

AUGUST 13, 2019

SaaS sales and marketing teams can get overwhelmed by metrics. But without any metrics, it’s impossible to track growth. If growth is the best way to get out alive, marketing metrics do little unless they correlate with sales. According to Gartner , three metrics form the foundation for those growth levers: (Image source).

Metrics 117

Metrics SQL Retention Churn Rate 117

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

A cautious person wouldn’t try to pry people out of Twitter right before their IPO to” join my cause!!” Good press and industry mojo wasn’t enough to overcome the financial metrics of the business and the offers came in at more like $10 million. It was not. I wasn’t surprised. We decided not to sell.

Startup 417

Startup Dilution San Diego Stock Options 417

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 19, 2020

He also has strongly held ideas about structuring a company to institutionalize these intentions to make sure the next leader, future employees, and the next board will be true to that philosophy. Brian asked himself two questions as he prepared to help employees being laid off through their transition: “Did you do everything you could?

Management 122

Management Cofounder China IPO 122

View from Seed

MAY 16, 2019

I have friends who are execs or shareholders of the company, but I have no stake in Slack nor intent to invest in the IPO. A somewhat unique thing about the Slack IPO is that they’re pursuing a direct listing on the NYSE. But now we have a chance to really dig in and understand Slack’s business a bit better.

Lock-up Period 168

Lock-up Period Retention Azure .Net 168

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

There were no metrics. Him: On metrics. If we priced it based on any metrics your company would likely be worth less than 7 figures at your A round. Less than you’ll probably grant your most junior employees in stock options? Maybe an IPO – who knows? So a convertible note was easier. Your A round?

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 7, 2013

They’re using metrics that are often unworkable in the current business environment, causing growing businesses to look elsewhere for capital and increasingly towards alternative forms of financing. Case in point: It took Amazon six years to earn a dime, during which it consumed huge amounts of venture funding and issued an IPO.

Advisory Board 249

Advisory Board Entrepreneur Portland Oregon 249

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

— Unremarked and unheralded, the balance of power between startup CEOs and their investors has radically changed: IPOs/M&A without a profit (or at times revenue) have become the norm. In the 20th century tech companies and their investors made money through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Founders Take Money Off the Table.

Founder 252

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 252

Gust

FEBRUARY 1, 2014

The ideal angel investor would spend a great deal of his/her time working on behalf of the company in support of the CEO, in every way other than being a full-time employee. In addition to doing the kinds of things that anyone (employee, friend, parent, founder, etc.)

Angel Investor 148

Angel Investor Startup IPO Early Stage 148

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 16, 2009

In the case of C3, that was to run payroll for 87,000 employees, who were presumably receiving payroll before the project began. ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th.

Agile 111

Agile Customer Development Developer San Francisco 111

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 25, 2009

► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th. The visionary’s lament The Superbowl ad test Lo, my 57692 subscribers, who are you? Startup Lessons Learned - the Conference (April 23.

Agile 60

Agile Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment 60

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 21, 2012

She suggested that how cofounders fight was a key metric in predicting the success of a founding team. You’re looking for an employee, not a partner. We don’t care if entrepreneurs want to build lifestyle businesses or go for IPOs, if they are tethered to their email or check out at 7pm – that’s a personal decision.

Cofounder 330

Cofounder IPO Early Stage Green 330

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 5, 2010

I used to give copies of Four Steps out to my employees, in the hopes that it would instantly indoctrinate them into the methodology of Customer Development. I used to give copies of Four Steps out to my employees, in the hopes that it would instantly indoctrinate them into the methodology of Customer Development.

Customer Development 166

Customer Development Developer San Francisco Customer 166

Agile VC

MAY 16, 2019

I have friends who are execs or shareholders of the company, but I have no stake in Slack nor intent to invest in the IPO. A somewhat unique thing about the Slack IPO is that they’re pursuing a direct listing on the NYSE. But now we have a chance to really dig in and understand Slack’s business a bit better.

Lock-up Period 100

Lock-up Period Retention Azure .Net 100

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 17, 2009

► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th. The visionary’s lament The Superbowl ad test Lo, my 57692 subscribers, who are you? Startup Lessons Learned - the Conference (April 23.

Lean 76

Lean San Francisco Web Continuous Deployment 76

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 28, 2010

With 21 employees today, kaChing is devoted to recruiting professional managers and finding product/market fit , first for money managers, then for consumers. With 21 employees today, kaChing is devoted to recruiting professional managers and finding product/market fit , first for money managers, then for consumers.

San Francisco 158

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment SEC 158

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 4, 2008

That institution will touch many people in its life: customers, investors, employees, and everyone they touch as well. ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th.

San Francisco 155

San Francisco Technical Cofounder Fractional CTO CTO 155

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Every board meeting, the metrics of success change. This is why companies often get out-competed by former employees (Palm vs Handspring to name just one), even though the upstart lacks all of the familiar resources, tools, processes, and support they used to have. And yet, their investors are frustrated.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 28, 2008

We pitch to potential partners, vendors, publishers, conferences, employees, and even lawyers. ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th.

San Francisco 128

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 128

Haystack

DECEMBER 26, 2018

This doesn’t even yet account for a bear-case scenario of all the private Bay Area juggernauts which are primed to IPO next year — if those all hit, and assuming local investors and employees own at least a third six months after IPO.

IPO 76

IPO Private Equity Valuation Acquisition 76

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 26, 2022

You’d like to believe the world is completely meritocratic—that you’ll put your heads down to work on your company, hit all your metrics, and just show up on the doorstep of a VC firm who will just be bowled over at the fantastic little company you’ve created. Unfortunately, this has real consequences for founders.

Founder 103

Founder .Net Term Sheet Aggregator 103

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 8, 2008

I bought a bunch of copies, gave them out to my co-founders and early employees, and then expected the whole companys behavior would radically change the next day. I bought a bunch of copies, gave them out to my co-founders and early employees, and then expected the whole companys behavior would radically change the next day."

Customer Development 168

Customer Development Developer San Francisco Customer 168

Rob Go

APRIL 13, 2015

When Kayak went public, the company had one of the highest revenue/employee ratios of any business. Here’s what Kayak looked like when it went public: Kayak: IPO Market Cap: $1B, Revenue: $225M (2011), Employees: 185 (July 2012), Rev / Employee: $1.2M (Paul has quoted $1.5M, which makes sense given growth of the business in 2012).

Technology 28

Technology IPO Boston Cofounder 28

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 30, 2008

When Ive asked mentors of mine who have worked in big companies about the role of the CTO, they usually talk about the importance of being the external face of the companys technology platform; an evangelist to developers, customers, and employees. Thats an important job, for sure, and Ive been called upon to do it from time to time.

CTO 168

CTO Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review 168

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

I would add, though, a further question: Do new employees write code on their first day? So if an employee pushed code that broke the site, wed ask: why didnt our cluster immune system catch that? Do new candidates write code during their interview? Completely necessary. Occasionally, itd have to be their second day.

Software Review 144

Software Review Technical Review San Francisco Continuous Deployment 144

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 3, 2009

The same has been true of an unfortunate number of startups, they manage to generate a lot of hype, raise a lot of money, and sometimes make some of their investors, employees, or founders rich. They dont really create value. But did they leave the world a better place than before they existed? If youre not doing both, youre missing out.

Lean 60

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment Cofounder 60

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

What metrics are going to be the key startup metrics and how do we get those metrics without too much cost? It's also the sad fact that there's often a desire to bring someone in who has a bigger reputation and likely experience with larger startups that have gone through M&A or IPO.

CTO Hire 231

CTO Hire Technical Review Developer Software Review 231

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

Scott left the company, which eventually IPO’d and became Internet Brands. And finally, Scott demonstrated his internal management tool for managing the metrics of his business. Based in San Francisco with 13 employees, CEO Zach Coelius. -A It’s awesome. The deals we quickly went through are: 1. Foursquare.

San Francisco 248

San Francisco Venture Capital Analytics Government 248

Gust

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

There were no metrics. Him: On metrics. If we priced it based on any metrics your company would likely be worth less than 7 figures at your A round. Less than you’ll probably grant your most junior employees in stock options? Maybe an IPO – who knows? It’s like we need a finance 101 course for entrepreneurs.

Liquidation Preference 153

Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet Stock 153

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 26, 2009

Every two months, the company would have a big end-of-milestone meeting, with our Board of Directors, Business Advisory Board, and all employees present. Every two months, the company would have a big end-of-milestone meeting, with our Board of Directors, Business Advisory Board, and all employees present.

Advisory Board 151

Advisory Board Customer San Francisco Lean 151

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Next, they carefully consider the range of multiples being used today to value companies being acquired or doing IPOs in the market that the business is in.   For the sake of this discussion it’s the method rather than the specific metric that is important. [2] times the investment.). here of 7.65 [2].

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2022

Pick a single metric that is the focus for all growth. Today’s world is full of metrics leading to business growth, including customer logins, revenue per customer, retention, and average solution price. Maximize employee engagement by fitting roles to strengths. Less is more. But never take your eye off today’s customer.

Startup 361

Startup Social Media India Acquisition 361