The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 15, 2022

There are many benefits of selling your startup through a mergers and acquisitions advisor. When selling your startup with a mergers and acquisitions advisor, it’s essential to identify the key employees who have made the most valuable contributions to the business. Source: Pixabay. Identifying key employees.

Merger 130

Merger Acquisition Due Diligence Valuation 130

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Many entrepreneurs are paranoid about the partnership approach, and think that M&A is only an alternative for large companies who are flush with cash.

CTO Hire 229

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Merger Non-Compete 229

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2018

With the current strong economy, as an active startup mentor, I’m seeing a new surge of entrepreneurs and startups, with the commensurate scramble for funding. Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, or going public through the side door as a reverse merger.

Merger 198

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 198

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 3, 2014

With the uptick in the economy, as an active startup mentor, I’m seeing a new surge of entrepreneurs and startups, with the commensurate scramble for funding. Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, and an old one long out of favor, the so-called “reverse merger.”

Merger 246

Merger OTC IPO Stock 246

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

With the current volatile economy, as an active startup mentor, I’m seeing a new surge of entrepreneurs and startups, with the commensurate scramble for funding. Thus I’m getting more questions on new mechanisms, like crowd funding, or going public through the side door as a reverse merger.

Merger 261

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 261

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

Although his focus is naturally on bigger companies, I contend that his recommended strategies apply equally well to entrepreneurs and startups: Demand a mindset of deep thinking for the long term. In my experience, even in startups, longer-term strategy often gets pushed off the agenda due to current challenges.

Technical Review 312

Technical Review Due Diligence Merger Social Media 312

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs probably have long searched for that special idea that will catapult you and your startup to success. True entrepreneurs are born, not made. It’s true that some people are natural risk-takers, but these often do not make the best entrepreneurs.

Dilution 428

Dilution Entrepreneur Merger Acquisition 428

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2021

When you see startups like SpaceX and Pinterest grow from a low valuation to a billion dollars in just a few years, it’s easy to assume that if you just keep doing what you are doing, you can get there as well. In my experience, less than half of founding entrepreneurs even aspire to stay and scale their company.

Merger 379

Merger Due Diligence SEC IPO 379

NZ Entrepreneur

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

It is our startup sector which will drive this innovative progress. Startup founders are our ambitious problem solvers. To generate growth in a startup, it is almost always necessary to raise external capital to run the necessary. In order to understand startup governance, you need to understand risk and reward.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Software Review New Zealand Due Diligence 88

Hearpreneur

JUNE 4, 2021

We asked some entrepreneurs and business owners, why they started their businesses: #1- Express thoughtfulness and kindness. 3- I’ve always been an entrepreneur. For me, I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. I decided to decline that job offer and start my new career as a real estate entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 136

Entrepreneur B2B Database Technical Review 136

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding.

Technical Review 294

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 294

YoungUpstarts

MAY 6, 2019

by Arsalan Sajid, startup community manager at Cloudways. Life is not a box of chocolates and startups are not always easy to start. There is a complete process that governs the startup lifecycle including inception to exit. These people exist and they are called ‘Serial entrepreneurs.’. How are they doing it?

Startup 113

Startup Technical Cofounder Merger Early Stage 113

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2010

There is a telltale sign of an inexperienced startup entrepreneur. As a startup you shouldn’t focus on buying other companies until you’ve figured out your own business. As a startup you shouldn’t focus on buying other companies until you’ve figured out your own business. I understand this.

Merger 276

Merger Technical Review Early Stage Dilution 276

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2010

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding.

Angel Investor 241

Angel Investor Technical Review Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 241

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

I recently wrote a post about why I didn’t think early-stage startups should have COOs. I’d say about 80% of the experienced entrepreneurs & VCs I know privately agreed with me. What a luxury in a startup to have the number one person in the business get to focus on just strategy? Naturally some didn’t.

Operations 292

Operations CTO Hire Startup Early Stage 292

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2014

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The good news is that a patent can scare off or at least delay competitors, and as a “rule of thumb” patents can add up to $1M to your startup valuation for investors or M&A exits (merger and acquisition).

Software Review 250

Software Review Software Technical Review Intellectual Property 250

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2020

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. Officially, the investment banks mission is to raise money for companies by issuing and selling securities in the capital markets, and providing advice on transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. Many investment banks even call themselves “boutiques.”

Silicon Valley 362

Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering Term Sheet 362

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2021

“Intrapreneurs” are entrepreneurs inside big companies, who do corporate spin-offs. A spin-off is merely a startup spawned by a mature parent (company), and conventional logic would dictate that it has a survival advantage over the lowly startup. Yet spin-offs seem to most often fail to launch in the real world.

Startup 313

Startup Non-Compete Merger Leadership 313

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. Every startup has a core competency which should not be shared. Let market response dictate a later split, merger, or acquisition. No entrepreneur has all the insights they need, and none should be so arrogant as to assume they hold all the cards.

Non-Compete 262

Non-Compete Intellectual Property Merger Acquisition 262

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

The road to becoming an entrepreneur is a journey , and it’s not a short trip. Every entrepreneur starts by accepting the reality that you have a rare mindset of joy of discovery, with an intense curiosity about how certain things or people work, or why a new technology hasn’t yet been accepted.

Entrepreneur 348

Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Incubator Merger 348

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. entrepreneurs intestors startups characteristics business'

Technical Review 273

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 273

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

Entrepreneurs can still build big businesses on the outskirts.” David encourages entrepreneurs to stay away from the big tech firms (such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) because they are hard to compete with. We once thought the merger of AOL/Time Warner needed to be investigated by the DOJ. Laughable now.

Silicon Valley 299

Silicon Valley Technical Review Early Stage Cofounder 299

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down. Super angels have greater scope to match talent with a startup.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup 314

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down. Super angels have greater scope to match talent with a startup.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 25, 2018

Toronto’s Mark Attanasio has spent some 20 years advising businesses at various stages in their development on what it takes to position themselves for growth – whether it’s through traditional transactional activities like management buyouts and mergers and acquisitions or via a public listing on a Canadian stock exchange.

Partner 113

Partner Technical Review Management Due Diligence 113

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2010

I have often found entrepreneurs want to present the positive progress of the company to impress the board rather than engage in debate about how to make things better. Of course there are times where a board’s voice is gospel: mergers, raising capital, replacing the CEO, etc. Tags: Startup Advice.

Startup 288

Startup Merger Technical Review Framework 288

Gust

OCTOBER 19, 2014

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The good news is that a patent can scare off or at least delay competitors, and as a “rule of thumb” patents can add up to $1M to your startup valuation for investors or M&A exits (merger and acquisition).

Software Review 173

Software Review Software Technical Review Intellectual Property 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

Based on my own years of experience in startups and big business, and more recently as an angel investor, I often cringe when I see one of you entrepreneurs missing a cue that I have seen work for many before you. I find that good entrepreneurs always find ways to keep their project moving forward, in good times and in bad.

Exit Strategy 406

Exit Strategy Merger Angel Investor IPO 406

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2020

Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. Every startup has a core competency which should not be shared. Let market response dictate a later split, merger, or acquisition. No entrepreneur has all the insights they need, and none should be so arrogant as to assume they hold all the cards.

Non-Compete 317

Non-Compete Intellectual Property Merger Acquisition 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2016

Most entrepreneurs work long and hard to get a handshake agreement from an investor, and then tend to relax and wait for the check to clear. What they don’t realize is that about half the investment deals fail to close at this stage, including mergers and acquisitions , during the due-diligence process. Skeletons in the closet.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Cap Table Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

What every entrepreneur is asking me these days, is “How do I get to be a unicorn?” Based on some good estimates of how many new ventures have been started in the last five years, the statistical odds of any individual startup making it to this level are less than one in a million.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Merger Exit Strategy 120

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Here’s how you too can use IV to your advantage, something all entrepreneur traders need. Possible mergers or acquisitions. The post Entrepreneur Trader Tip: Use Implied Volatility to Your Advantage appeared first on The Startup Magazine. Implied volatility (IV) is an effective strategy for options trading.

Stock Options 144

Stock Options Merger Stock Entrepreneur 144

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2022

Even entrepreneurs who have built many startups, or sold their last one for millions of dollars, know they make occasional people leadership mistakes. Thankfully, most mistakes won’t be as spectacular as the America Online merger with Time Warner for $350 billion, back in 2000, engineered by then superstar entrepreneurs Stephen M.

Management 297

Management Merger Leadership Affiliate 297

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. An example of a startup which used non-organic growth early and effectively was Microsoft.

Merger 243

Merger Acquisition Startup Bandwidth 243

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2012

It’s a great survival strategy for small companies or entrepreneurs, and a good expansion strategy for even the largest companies. Also, this competitor will now be a better candidate for merger or acquisition (M&A), due to the existing relationship, when either of you is ready for that step.

Non-Compete 241

Non-Compete Merger Technical Review Software Review 241