Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

This has led VC & entrepreneur bloggers alike to similar conclusions: start raising capital early and be careful about having too high of a burn rate because that lessens the amount of runway you have until you need more cash. I’m surprised how few entrepreneurs have this open conversation with their investors.

Burn Rate 150

Burn Rate Cap Table Valuation Software Review 150

Gust

APRIL 16, 2014

Invested Interests business entrepreneur investor contract startup' But something like that would be way, way outside the norm. original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

Liquidation Preference 152

Liquidation Preference Revenue Entrepreneur Startup 152

The Equity Kicker

JUNE 28, 2013

Otherwise the investors won’t make the multiple on their investment that they want and after liquidation preferences are paid the amount left for the entrepreneur may well also be disappointing. back making 8.3x (£2m off the top and then 33% of the remaining £19m) and the entrepreneur makes £12.7m. Nobody is happy.

Liquidation Preference 116

Liquidation Preference Valuation Portfolio Operations 116

Gust

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Me: Raising convertible notes as a seed round is one of the biggest disservices our industry has done to entrepreneurs since 2001-2003 when there were “full ratchets” and “multiple liquidation preferences” – the most hostile terms anybody found in term sheets 10 years ago. Revenue multiple? Your A round? Him: On metrics.

Liquidation Preference 153

Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet Stock 153

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Please see later version of this post on May 16, 2010 Entrepreneurs are often not experts in the area of term-sheet negotiations and all of the surrounding issues.   Investors sometimes “present” the terms they’d like and expect the entrepreneurs to react. Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

As the check size increases, investors tend to look for more traction, established revenue models, proven unit-economics, and other metrics that were previously associated with later stage companies. The founders of these funds are entrepreneurs in their own right and every entrepreneur has an innate desire to make things grow.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2009

I often have career discussions with entrepreneurs – both young and more mature – whether they should join company “X&# or not. BTW, this ignores liquidation preferences which actually mean you’ll earn less. Ventro was trading at $8 billion on sub $2 million of revenue. Let’s face it.

Stock Options 418

Stock Options Stock Liquidation Preference Option Pool 418

Up and Running

DECEMBER 30, 2015

When raising your first round of capital, there are a few common mistakes many entrepreneurs make. Overestimating future revenue. Founders should pay attention to the liquidation preference in the term sheet to ensure it does not become detrimental to them in a less than favorable exit. See Also: Rejected by Investors?

Due Diligence 84

Due Diligence Valuation Liquidation Preference Redemption 84

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

You know this isn’t likely to lead anywhere and frankly you didn’t quit your job to pursue your life dream of being an entrepreneur to sell 12 months later in an acquihire. The don’t understand VC liquidation preferences or multiple return expectations. But staff can’t make the delineation in their heads.

Startup 417

Startup Dilution San Diego Stock Options 417

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

A friend of mine is a serial entrepreneur and is running a high-profile, early stage company in NorCal. We exchanged ideas when I was an entrepreneur along side him in NorCal in 05-07 and my point-of-view on founder / VC relationships hasn’t shifted even 1% since I went to the dark side. >50% of our revenue in now viral.

Founder 329

Founder Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Participating Preferred 329

Growthink Blog

MAY 23, 2011

An entrepreneur starts a company in classic " bootstrap " fashion - with a combination of sweat equity and their own financial resources. The angel then introduces the entrepreneur to his or her wealthy friends and business connections who, based on the good reputation of the referring angel, also invest. All live happily ever after.

Angel Investor 112

Angel Investor Venture Capital Sweat Equity Cram Down 112

Spencer Fry

APRIL 17, 2017

If this is the case, you may find yourself starting all over with little revenue (if any), a 1-2 person team that might be consulting on the side to pay bills, and no marketing spend. As a bootstrapper, you have nobody above you on the cap table (note: investors sit above you in their liquidation preference), so it’s your way or the highway.

Bootstrapping 63

Bootstrapping Cap Table Liquidation Preference Cofounder 63

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

As a result, a “late-stage” financing is no longer reserved for high-revenue, pre-profitability companies getting ready for an IPO; it is simply any large round of financing done at a high price. Buying into such a notion is dangerous – dangerous for the entrepreneur and dangerous for the investor.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

Gust

MAY 24, 2012

Yet I’m skeptical that a widespread shift will occur anytime soon, and for reasons discussed below, as much as I admire and advocate for talented entrepreneurs, I believe it would be a losing proposition for nearly all involved.

IPO 159

IPO Equity Common Stock Stock 159

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

We talked about how business school historically hasn’t positioned entrepreneurs well for success. I wrote about that before in a post about “ whether MBAs are necessary for entrepreneurs. His class reading lists could be a primer for any entrepreneur, not just MBAs. ” No royalty paid until there is revenue.

Bankruptcy 403

Bankruptcy Offshore Liquidation Preference Balance Sheet 403

dondodge.typepad.com

JANUARY 15, 2011

Entrepreneurs face some pretty tough questions at a very early stage. Both the entrepreneur and the investor have much higher expectations than just "even money" on their bet. The entrepreneur expects the company to be worth many times this valuation and so does the investor. Should I take Angel or VC money?

Equity 40

Equity Employee Dilution Valuation 40

abovethecrowd.com

APRIL 20, 2016

A high performing, high-growth SAAS company that may have been worth 10 or more times revenue was suddenly worth 4-7 times revenue. Many modern entrepreneurs have limited exposure to the notion of failure or layoffs because it has been so long since these things were common in the industry. Entrepreneurs/Founders/CEOs.

IPO 40

IPO Term Sheet Silicon Valley Valuation 40

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I’d like to explain as best I can my opinion on what is going on because most of what I hear from entrepreneurs is not only wrong but is reminiscent of what I heard in 1997-2000. ” “This will be great for VCs and bad for entrepreneurs.” What is the True Sentiment of VCs? ” “Sure, prices are dropping.

Valuation 150

Valuation Down Round Startup Later Stage 150

Life Beyond Code

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

One Million by One Million is a global initiative that aims to nurture a million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars each in annual revenue and beyond by 2020, thereby creating a trillion dollars in global GDP and ten million jobs. SM: In September 2008, when the first Entrepreneur Journeys book was released, D.D.

Programming 116

Programming Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 116