Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 7, 2014

At first glance, Hubspot and Moz are very similar companies: both are popular marketing platforms, use web-based subscription models, and primarily target the SMB market (although larger brands use both). However, as Scott Krager points out in his post, the companies have vastly different approaches for generating revenue.

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Initial Public Offering IPO SEC Valuation 77

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

Entrepreneurs often ask me why investors expect financial projections for a new startup even before the product is built and while the market is still being defined. I tell them that the projection process and results are most important for you the founder, to evaluate if there really is a business that can be built from the idea.

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Liquidity Event Startup Initial Public Offering Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

In the old days, every entrepreneur dreamed of someday taking their startup public, and making it a multi-national powerhouse. There is no accommodation for smaller public companies, who can’t be competitive in their space with the new accounting, documenting, and reporting processes required.

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IPO SEC Prospectus Startup 242

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

Why Startups Offer Stock Options. In tech startups stock options were here almost from the beginning, first offered to the founders in 1957 at Fairchild Semiconductor , the first chip startup in Silicon Valley. This “we’re all in it together” kept founders and employees aligned on incentives. Here’s why.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2010

At this stage, your startup better be selling a commercial offering, have price and cost validated, with significant customer sales and a real revenue stream. Companies at this stage must have a large market, good traction, and be focused on scaling infrastructure and market adoption. Growth stage. Exit stage.

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Investment Bankers Venture Capital Startup Initial Public Offering 231

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

The Golden Age (1970 – 1995): Build a growing business with a consistently profitable track record (after at least 5 quarters,) and go public when it’s time. Dot.com Bubble ( 1995-2000): “ Anything goes” as public markets clamor for ideas, vague promises of future growth, and IPOs happen absent regard for history or profitability.

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Version One Ventures

JUNE 29, 2017

What I missed in most of this commentary was the fact that Matt Salzberg and his team had created a company with over $800m in revenues and a $2b valuation in a short 5 (!) This is an incredible entrepreneurial achievement that very, very few founders ever get to.

IPO 141

IPO Stock Valuation Business Model 141

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 19, 2019

There are times when small and slow is the right strategy for a specific market opportunity. When the market conditions are right, you should blitzscale for the benefit of all stakeholders: customers, employees, investors, and society. Blitzscaling is a response to market dynamics, not the cause.

Cofounder 28

Cofounder Business Model IPO Non-Compete 28

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Founders who avoid the use of the term “profit” had better have deep pockets of their own. Tiny markets may excite your passion but won’t sustain a business or leave you with a long-term positive legacy. Investors look for a team with business, financial, marketing, and operational skills, as well as a social passion.

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Intellectual Property Initial Public Offering Merger Acquisition 48

Version One Ventures

JULY 20, 2015

Our rule of thumb is that marketplaces at scale are valued at roughly 1x annualized GMV (typically about 6-8x annual revenue). Consensus estimate of approximately $270M for 2015 revenue. Etsy had a market cap of about $2.22B as of July 20, with a revenue multiple of 8.2 YoY growth of at least 30%. for 2015 GMV.

Valuation 60

Valuation Early Stage IPO eCommerce 60

Growthink Blog

MAY 23, 2011

With this capital, the company propels itself to $50 million+ in revenues, and to either a sale to a strategic acquirer or to an initial public offering. Technical progress and market traction are much slower and cost a lot more than anticipated. There are a lot of dark, hard days.

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Angel Investor Venture Capital Sweat Equity Cram Down 112

Growthink Blog

MAY 10, 2012

If it's not your plan to get venture capital down the road, then you'll probably stop in Stage 2-receiving enough funding to boost your marketing, sales, and infrastructure to grow organically from there to the point where you are satisfied or ready to sell. So during this round, you'll be testing what works and what doesn't.

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Equity Mezzanine Later Stage Venture Capital 88

VC Cafe

JANUARY 15, 2024

A billion dollar valuation, the Unicorn status was once the holy grail for many VCs and founders. With the IPO window closed, growth funding severely dwindled and multiples down as a result of the public market, unicorns face tough choices in 2024. trillion, according to CB Insights.

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IPO Valuation Private Equity 89

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

I gained nearly 20 pounds during those two years, in part because of the growing frustration I felt when I would leave yet another meeting with VCs who I felt didn’t genuinely listen to, understand, or value my experience as a black founder and CEO. Those were teachers, accountants, consultants, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.

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Silicon Valley Technical Review Venture Capital San Francisco 48

VC Cafe

MARCH 11, 2010

T aking a company through an initial public offering (IPO) is not an easy task. Eyeblaster pulled out of its initial IPO filing in October 2008 citing the “market conditions&# as a reason for the delay. Revenue inched up only two percent to $65.1 percent) and co-founder Osfer Zadikario (6.2

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IPO SEC Initial Public Offering Stock 68

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 5, 2012

"A lot of the noise in the market right now is about bringing back irresponsible IPOs. Their task was to draft a set of recommendations for how the nation's "IPO crisis," as some call it, could be resolved - a post-bubble lull in the number of startup companies in all sectors that proceed to the initial public offering stage and go public.

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IPO SEC Silicon Valley Startup 118

online.wsj.com

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Loading… Markets. Loading… Market Data. Media & Marketing. Marketing & Strategy. If failure is defined as failing to see the projected return on investment—say, a specific revenue growth rate or date to break even on cash flow—then more than 95% of start-ups fail, based on Mr. Ghoshs research.

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Venture Capital Software Review Rhode Island North Dakota 107