View from Seed

JULY 8, 2020

Today I’m excited to announce the relaunch of our most popular resource ever: board meeting deck templates for seed-stage startups, now in conjunction with an investor update email template. Download Investor Update Email Template. Investor Update Email Template and How & When to Use It.

Email 331

Email Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication 331

NZ Entrepreneur

AUGUST 4, 2021

And if you’re a high-growth startup looking to get off the ground or expand, it’s likely you’ll need an injection of capital to do that. For investors, capital raises provide an opportunity to invest in a company’s ambitions. Lead investors and term sheets. As the saying goes, you need to spend money to make money.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Software Review Founder Due Diligence 61

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

There is much talk these days that startup valuations have decreased and may continue to do so and that the amount of time it takes to fund raise may take longer. There are ways to do this politely and even if your investors don’t answer as directly as you may like – there is at least something that can be read into this.

Burn Rate 150

Burn Rate Cap Table Valuation Software Review 150

The Next Web

OCTOBER 7, 2013

That’s what a couple of my friends – engineers at Google and Bloomberg who have been following the rise of startup culture with intrigue – told me recently. Startup employees are granted common shares out of something called an option pool. Every time a startup raises capital, all common shareholders are diluted.

Engineer 129

Engineer Dilution Option Pool Vesting 129

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

I love how open Danielle has been throughout the development of her startup Mattermark including honest reflections of when she has changed her opinion. They now have a strong VC lead from Foundry Group and from experience when you get advice from Foundry it comes with authority, experience, empathy and the right amount of straight talk.

Cap Table 150

Cap Table Cofounder Silicon Valley Startup 150

Hippoland

AUGUST 9, 2016

One question that seed investors love to ask is if you have a lead investor in your seed round. But once you figure out why an investor is asking, tactically speaking, what do you do? Let’s say that you find out that an investor is asking because he/she does not invest without a lead investor in place.

Lead Investor 48

Lead Investor Term Sheet Due Diligence Convertible Security 48

View from Seed

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Specifically: – We are high-conviction, hands-on lead investors. VC-backed startups used to be an industry that was hyper-concentrated in a few clusters and dominated by very tight profiles of people. We make very few investments on a per-partner basis, which is why we are quite top-heavy as a firm.

Cofounder 156

Cofounder San Francisco Portfolio Limited Partner 156

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. While I had been part of a few failed startups, none of them had fallen squarely on my shoulders until Rocket Science Games where my business card said CEO. “What’s gone and what’s past help.

Redemption 330

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 330

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. I told Ethan on the spot that I wanted to be the lead investor in his new company.

Southern California 359

Southern California San Francisco CTO Hire SEM 359

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 1, 2021

As part of The Startup Magazine Founder Interview Series , we interviewed Maha and David Harper, wife and husband co-founders of Atlas Group London, a construction-tech startup that has digitized the building of healthcare facilities. David : If I’m the train, then Maha is the engine. Co-Founder & CEO. Maha Harper.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Founder Saudi Arabia Cofounder 110

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Want to start a startup? August 2010 Two years ago I wrote about what I called " a huge, unexploitedopportunity in startup funding :" the growing disconnect betweenVCs, whose current business model requires them to invest largeamounts, and a large class of startups that need less than theyused to. Get funded by Y Combinator.

Startup 93

Startup Valuation Non-Compete Deal Flow 93

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. 9 Tips for Raising Startup Funds on AngelList. Joshua Baer is the co-founder and CEO of Otherinbox , a prolific angel investor and the director of Capital Factory , Austin’s seed-stage incubator.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 12, 2017

To outside investors, the future of early stage and startup companies can be murky. When investors believe in the founders, products, or ideas they will provide companies with funding. For many startups this results in a need to raise additional financing through debt or equity arrangements.

San Francisco 133

San Francisco Forecast Early Stage Term Sheet 133

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2012

The second reason is that investors want to know that YOU believe in your own startup…and the best way for you to demonstrate that is to show that you have personally put your own money where your mouth is. Start by letting absolutely everyone know that you’ve got a great startup looking for early investors.

Software Review 164

Software Review Term Sheet Technical Review Angel Investor 164

David Teten

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

But in practice, these phenomena create a tremendous volume of startups, which investors then have to filter. Most investors rely on their network of colleagues and service providers to source investments. Companies like PrivCo and Navon Partners (my old startup) are working on automating this signal identification process.

Private Equity 114

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Equity 114

techcrunch.com

APRIL 26, 2013

For Startups And Winning SEC Approval, AngelList Opens Up Investment Platform To More Companies. In December, AngelList , a service that matches early-stage startups with investors, debuted the ability to allow accredited investors to actually invest in startups on the platform with as little as $1,000.

SEC 61

SEC Accredited Investor San Diego New York City 61

Gust

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

The principal roles of the lead investor was to negotiate the terms of an investment with the founder of the startup. In theory, the terms could be “here’s a million dollars to use; if the company becomes a big success, please give it back to us.” Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works.

Due Diligence 91

Due Diligence Term Sheet Common Stock Preferred Stock 91

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. While I had been part of a few failed startups, none of them had fallen squarely on my shoulders until Rocket Science Games where my business card said CEO. “What’s gone and what’s past help.

Redemption 222

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 222

Gust

NOVEMBER 16, 2013

In unusual (but not unique) cases, a well-respected or high-profile individual angel may be able to successfully lead the first professional funding round of an early-stage startup with a very small investment, accounting for only a small percentage of the round.

Lead Investor 150

Lead Investor Term Sheet Early Stage Angel Groups 150

ithacaVC

MARCH 9, 2017

Good corporate governance is critical at startups and other companies alike! The importance of the Board is why institutional investors (like VCs) often get a seat on the Board after an investment. We followed in line with the lead investor and went along with the structure. The list goes on and on.

Seed Stage 58

Seed Stage Software Review Institutional Investors Lead Investor 58

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

We are hugely appreciative of their successes because it’s helped grow technology talent in Los Angeles and some time down the line we know the “Snapchat Mafia” will be armed with millions of dollars and fund and create startups all over LA. We felt proud to be the lead investor in Maker Studios at a sub $5 million valuation.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

Rob Go

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

As the venture capital industry has evolved, more and more seed investors are passing on traditionally “seed stage” startups because there isn’t enough traction. We are also seeing more investors try to be a part of syndicated A rounds for companies that are raising $5M or more and are really not what most would consider “seed” stage.

North America 36

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 36

View from Seed

OCTOBER 21, 2014

As the seed-stage startup fundraise process has received more transparency in recent years, ranging from published advice on how to raise seed capital to increased availability through AngelList, Funders Club, and various accelerator programs, I’ve noticed another trend emerging. Lower-Than-Market Value.

Valuation 336

Valuation Founder Seed Stage Angel Investor 336

Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

Browse through the many hundreds of video answers to startup questions that we’ve filmed from the world’s leading VCs and angels. You really should have spent a heck of a lot of time beforehand in thinking through all of the issues surrounding your startup.

Angel Groups 159

Angel Groups Elevator Pitch Software Review Deal Flow 159

YoungUpstarts

MAY 1, 2020

Given that mindset, it’s only natural that most entrepreneurs jump at the first chance they get to secure early-stage startup funding. Most startups will need a viable product and proof of credibility before they can expect early-stage investors to really bite. However, strategy — not speed — is often the name of the game.

Early Stage 165

Early Stage Security Angel Investor Lead Investor 165

David Teten

MARCH 31, 2012

I’m exceptionally excited to announce that I’m now Chairman and lead investor with some other angels in a new company, Spright Governance Inc. (An aerial view of Parliament House in Singapore. Photo credit: Wikipedia).

Government 154

Government Singapore New York City Non-Compete 154

View from Seed

JUNE 11, 2019

Aside from the early commitments, the next most important thing to focus on is nailing down your lead investor. I’ve found that the lead investor will end up doing 90% of the work for a startup (or will cause 90% of the pain if you get the decision wrong). As the old adage says, big rocks first.

Syndicate 202

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Lead Investor 202

Austin Startup

APRIL 1, 2017

out of state VCs Don’t rush a term sheet In assessing financing terms and interacting with their lead investors, most founders instinctively focus on two core things: economics and control. But because founders often have significantly narrower networks than their lead investors (who are repeat players), that is easier said than done.

Term Sheet 48

Term Sheet Institutional Investors Technical Review Lead Investor 48

Hunter Walker

DECEMBER 30, 2022

The same can be said of startups and their founders, in the sense that so many things can go wrong in the building of a company to an exit, that success almost seems to be a statistical anomaly [more on how bees fly ]. Neither Satya or I would continue doing this work if we were turned into passive investors, no matter the financial success.

Cap Table 67

Cap Table Venture Capital Cofounder Portfolio 67

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . See best practices in building financial models , a template financial model , and valuing startup employee options. : Best Practices of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds in Originating Investment Opportunities. 5) Manage deal flow.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

See my summary on how lead investors think about building out their syndicate. . See best practices in building financial models , a template financial model , and valuing startup employee options. : Best Practices of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds in Originating Investment Opportunities. 5) Manage deal flow.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Private Equity Management Cap Table 60

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 17, 2023

Leading Funding Rounds Now Requires More Thematic Focus To See, Pick, Win & Service Startups. This doesn’t mean every partner is so narrow as to invest in just a single type of startup. Similarly, founders of these companies are looking for lead investors who can de-risk their path forward.

Early Stage 86

Early Stage Lead Investor Matching Software 86

Austin Startup

MARCH 4, 2019

Steve Kelly, Lead Investor; Godfrey Nazareth, President & CEO; and Matthew Maltese PhD, co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer The Forrest Four-Cast: March 3, 2019 Fifty diverse startups will aim to impress a panel of judges and a live audience with their skills, creativity and innovation at SXSW Pitch Presented by Cyndx.

Startup 79

Startup Philadelphia Cofounder Distribution 79

OnlyOnce

APRIL 27, 2021

Last week, I blogged about Bolster’s Board Benchmark survey results , which really laid bare the lack of diversity on startup boards. My new mantra for Startup Boards is simple: 1-1-1. Then 1 independent for every 1 investor. The conversation with a new potential investor about not taking a board seat.

Vesting 48

Vesting Cofounder Startup Term Sheet 48

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Seed investing is a fun way to stay actively engaged in the startup ecosystem. I find the best angels tend to do great not because they are fixated on making money but because they want to participate in the startup community and be involved in the most exciting projects. A Primer on Angel Investing. Why Invest? Investment Strategy.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Seed investing is a fun way to stay actively engaged in the startup ecosystem. I find the best angels tend to do great not because they are fixated on making money but because they want to participate in the startup community and be involved in the most exciting projects. A Primer on Angel Investing. Why Invest? Investment Strategy.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

Gust

AUGUST 6, 2014

25 individual angel investors funding a startup on a convertible note. This means that it is a “buyer’s market”, and it is infinitely more common for an investor to decline to make an investment offer than it is for a company to decline to accept an investment offer.

Term Sheet 170

Term Sheet Lead Investor Preferred Stock Common Stock 170