Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Make sure your plan answers every relevant question that you could possibly imagine from your business partners, spouse, and potential investors. Don’t expect them to believe your $100M revenue projection, if you are still waiting for the first revenue dollar. Get a real customer and real revenue. Only real results count.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

ConversionXL

AUGUST 11, 2021

But it’s not as simple as reaching out to a company you want to collaborate with and putting their name on your website in exchange for cash. If your audience isn’t interested in a sponsor’s product or service, then putting their name to your offer won’t deliver the ROI they’re looking for, ruining any chance of a long-term partnership.

Audience 139

Audience Social Media Email Ruby 139

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

At the Upfront Summit in early February, we had a chance to have many off-the-record conversations with Limited Partners (LPs) who fund Venture Capital (VC) funds about their views of the market. LPs See The Over-Valuations and Don’t Like It. All isn’t completely rosy in the LP views of the venture industry.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital LP Silicon Valley Marketing 150

VC Cafe

JANUARY 27, 2021

Now synonymous with video-conferencing, the company-name-turned-verb stock peaked in October 2020, a market interpretation of how the Zoom Boom has defined the daily lives of many millions throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Next47 and American Insight Partners VC, demonstrates growing trust in its current and future business model.

Vertical 148

Vertical Video Technical Review Europe 148

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Make sure your plan answers every relevant question that you could possibly imagine from your business partners, spouse, and potential investors. Don’t expect them to believe your $100M revenue projection, if you are still waiting for the first revenue dollar. Get a real customer and real revenue. Only real results count.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

It was a “disappearing text app” where the founders told me that they named the company because the idea came from how Tiger Woods got caught cheating on his wife because all of his mistresses had evidence that he cheated because they saved text messages from him. . I didn’t do that.

IPO 214

IPO Los Angeles Technical Review Silicon Valley 214

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

To provide relevant perspective, listing past convertible note(s) and/or equity financing(s) including total round size and valuation (caps) is helpful. For example, stating “angels” is fine, and even highlighting notable names can be useful, but it’s unnecessary to share an exhaustive list.

Cap Table 211

Cap Table Seed Stage Valuation Dilution 211

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

I’m sure many of you have heard his name. Companies horde cash and squeeze the most revenue and margin from the money they use. Look at the valuations of companies like Tesla, Illumina, and Twitter. The companies that can show “startup-like” growth rates of 50% plus per year will get stratospheric market valuations.

Private Equity 329

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 329

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

K9 Ventures

JUNE 5, 2015

Low supply of companies with traction drove the valuations and deal sizes up. The Venture Capital industry as a whole does a terrible job of giving things the right name and so we end up keeping the same name, but changing the meaning out from under it. Valuations are rising to match. Seed stage was super tough.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation 48

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Each VC firm/partner has a different spin on what to weigh more.) Five Quarters of Profitability During the 1980’s and through the mid 1990’s startups going public had to do something that most companies today never heard of – they had to show a track record of increasing revenue and consistent profitability.

Silicon Valley 235

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 235

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

PEVCTech is partnering with Blue Future Partners to run the first large-scale survey of VCs’ technology stack. Johann Kratzer of Blue Future Partners , a fund of funds, observed, “The majority of the hundreds of funds we’ve diligenced rely predominantly on their relationships to source deals. Greylock Partners.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

In the market we’ve seen the massive uptick of SaaS valuations in the public markets and commensurate attention on private market fundings and valuations. He joined when we were a small team with no revenue and shitty offices. Rob, Nick & Tim must know the International flight attendants by name.

Valuation 288

Valuation eCommerce Revenue Social Network 288

Gust

OCTOBER 20, 2011

In 2011, the valuation of pre-revenue, start-up companies is typically in the range of $1.5–$2.5 Scorecard Valuation Methodology. Such comparisons can only be made for companies at the same stage of development, in this case, for pre-revenue startup ventures. The range of the data is from a low pre-money valuation of $0.8

Valuation 146

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Technical Review 146

YoungUpstarts

MAY 14, 2018

Marks, founder and managing partner of High Rock Partners and author of “ Middle Market M & A: Handbook for Investment Banking and Business Consulting “ Conventional wisdom says that a company grows by reaching new customers, increasing its workforce, expanding marketing or launching new products or services.

Acquisition 124

Acquisition Finance Raleigh Mezzanine 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

If you’re a venture capitalist … you have limited partners that give you money to invest on their behalf, and you’re responsible for giving them outsize returns. As an entrepreneur, you’re always fighting that external war whether that’s with partners or with investors. Nayeem : (Nods.) Orders increased.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Ohio Columbus Entrepreneur 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Naming a Business. But with the help of Grahams company, which specializes in creating tech systems for start-ups, Jumpstart grew to more than $50 million in revenue--enough to make it an attractive acquisition for media conglomerate Hachette Filipacchi. Graham is careful about whom he chooses to partner with. Tools & Research.

Arizona 40

Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution. In this section, you need to be passionate about revenue, profit, and volume growth. Many people seem to use the social network advertising model for revenue, but forget it assumes at least 100M users and $50M investment. Funding requirements.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Cracking the Code

MARCH 12, 2010

Given the predictability of SaaS GAAP revenues on a quarterly basis, the fact that the 08/09 projections were unchanged is not a surprise. Given that the revenues are not growing very fast, this means that most of the companies have reduced their sales force and focused on productivity improvement. SaaS 13 Index Valuation.

Software Review 63

Software Review Technical Review Cloud Forecast 63

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2015

Is revenue per customer or transaction size increasing? Featured visibility or signed contracts with name brand players and distributors, such as Home Depot or Amazon, almost always indicate traction. This is not a viable long-term strategy. Penetration levels in pilots below 1 percent may not indicate traction.

Acquisition 120

Acquisition Valuation Angel Investor Stock 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution. In this section, you need to be passionate about revenue, profit, and volume growth. Many people seem to use the social network advertising model for revenue, but forget it assumes at least 100M users and $50M investment. Funding requirements.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Many of the best entrepreneurs I see find themselves besieged by investors, and have actively turned them away , at least until they reach a point of valuation and scaling where they don’t have to give away a lion’s share of ownership and control. Famous investors bring value just for their credibility and name recognition in the marketplace.

Bootstrapping 120

Bootstrapping Cofounder Equity Agile 120

Up and Running

APRIL 11, 2016

Michelle Stansbury , a realtor at Bluegrass Partners Trust Realty says, “My first year was a lot of fumbling around figuring out what didn’t work. When asked how he figured out who his target market was, he responded, “I looked at the volume of sales in my city, from the property valuation administrator, and then looked for the ‘sweet spot.’

Reputation 60

Reputation Cofounder Naming Business Plan 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Name the three top ones, and present your sustainable advantage as well as barriers to entry for new startups. You need to identify pricing details, sales channels, strategic partners and a customized marketing plan consistent with your industry and target segment. What are your forecasts for revenue, expenses and cash flow?

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Advisory Board Liquidity Event Startup 120

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution. In this section, you need to be passionate about revenue, profit, and volume growth. Many people seem to use the social network advertising model for revenue, but forget it assumes at least 100M users and $50M investment. Funding requirements.

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

David Teten

AUGUST 7, 2019

LTV / CAC, revenue growth, etc.) than comparable companies in the same sector that raised at a higher valuation. However, Abe Othman, Partner at Indicator Fund and Head of Data Science at AngelList, observes, “Those companies don’t have a “margin of safety” though, in the traditional Seth Klarman sense of the word.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Valuation Stock NDA 60

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 21, 2017

Nothing seems to apply--you're not a tech company, you bootstrapped your way to millions in revenues before taking on capital, and you sell mostly through brick and mortar. Technically, that's what we called it, but it didn't seem entirely appropriate given that it had already been up and running for years and had millions in revenue.

Cap Table 102

Cap Table Cofounder Valuation .Net 102

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 22, 2012

As you may have already seen , I’ve been breaking down the pitches on this season’s Shark Tank while wearing my work hat as a Managing Director at Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company has gotten off to a fast start, $150k in revenue in the first two months, with all the marketing coming from social media.

Pre-Money Valuation 101

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Dilution Differentiation 101

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

But in business, you want a lot of partners. In the private equity universe, most Partners have primary training as deal-makers, not as managers. See Bessemer Venture Partners’ A comprehensive guide to security for startups. Cobalt for General Partners helps GPs to optimize their fundraising strategy. 1) Manage the firm

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution. In this section, you need to be passionate about revenue, profit, and volume growth. Many people seem to use the social network advertising model for revenue, but forget it requires at least 100M users and $50M investment. Exit strategy.

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186

Up and Running

JANUARY 5, 2018

The company also changed its official name from Wal-Mart Stores to Walmart last December in order to highlight its growing omnichannel focus. Walmart also recently expanded its in-store robotics program, partnering with startup Bossa Nova Robotics to install robots in 50 stores to monitor shelves and help with restocking. Madison Reed.

Acquisition 94

Acquisition Hawaii Partner Non-Compete 94

Cracking the Code

JANUARY 28, 2008

Eloqua is bringing this revolution to the B2B marketers by providing on-demand applications and best-practice expertise for B2B marketers to execute, automate and measure effective marketing programs that drive revenue. Philippe Botteri Accel Partners London, UK My Bio. Detailed SaaS Spreadsheet (Valuation and CAC benchmark).

Software Review 48

Software Review Technical Review Los Angeles Europe 48

Software By Rob

APRIL 2, 2014

With SaaS businesses the majority of revenue will be through monthly, quarterly or annual billing recurring payment plans. Guarantees to the new owner that they can market with your name aren’t worth near as much as a neutral product offering to begin with. Choose your payment processor carefully. Don’t discount without reason.

Affiliate 67

Affiliate Valuation Reputation Sales 67

Hunter Walker

JUNE 7, 2016

Bettina Stern: My business partner Suzanne Simon and I have been cooking together for many years. Bento Box – our mobile-friendly website was created by them to help drive revenue and customers. UberEats – we recently partnered with this behemoth to get our food to more customers. How did it all begin?

Caching 69

Caching DC Social Media Finance 69