Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The most striking example was the one hundred million–dollar purchase of one of my companies by a New York private equity investor using only five million of its cash. But I learned it again and again in my various business lives. Here’s a striking example.

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Berkonomics

JULY 16, 2020

It may not be equity. Venture or angel-financed companies with plenty of working capital sometimes are immune to this working capital need for some time into their growth, but at some point, it will become clear that the cheapest form of finance is not equity in a growing enterprise. Back to loans costing less than dilution of equity.

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Company Companies .Net Equity 156

TechCrunch LA

JULY 19, 2022

Ghost itself closed on a Series A equity round of $13 million, along with $7 million in debt, in June. The company raised $5 million in equity last November from Equal Ventures and Eniac to give it $28 million in total equity and debt funding. The equity will go toward hiring more talent to join Ghost’s 25-person team.

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Product Funding Technical Review Equity 191

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2020

With one of the many new tools , and a dose of sweat equity, you can create a website for almost nothing -- and you are on your way to success with ecommerce, your latest invention or personal services. Use multiple social-media channels, blogging, email and voicemail to build the same image and responsiveness as larger competitors.

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Social Media Startup Equity Summary 169

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Friends, family and fools: [Email readers, continue here…] This term, although pejorative, describes the typical mix of early investors in a small, young growing business. In return, the accelerator often invests $25,000 to $100,000 in the young enterprise and takes from five to ten percent of the equity in return.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition. o On 1/11/05 his daughter was born at 8AM, at 6 PM email showing first million dollar rev day for the company and 8 PM term sheet from Experian to buy the company – all on the same day! He told them it was now or never.

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socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2017

Santa Monica-based private equity investor Clearlake Capital Group announced this morning that it has acquired NetDocuments , a provider of cloud-based document management, email management, and collaboration software for law firms and corporate legal and compliance customers.

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TechCrunch LA

JULY 15, 2021

. “John, Eric, and their team manage the end-to-end process of permitting, building, and installing on behalf of their customers,” he told TechCrunch. The result has been very high levels of customer satisfaction and rapid growth.” Abodu’s success would be a win-win that strengthens communities.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2013

Bootstrapping avoids all the cost, pain, and distractions of finding angels or VCs, and allows you to keep control and all your hard-earned equity for yourself. Use voicemail, a world-class website, and personal customer service, with small expenses, to beat your big competitors. Act big, behave small. Do it yourself. Marty Zwilling.

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Equity Startup Summary Tips 96

Berkonomics

MAY 1, 2014

So I went to visit a number of customer CEOs, told them my story, and asked them to advance some amount against their future billing from me. I sometimes counsel CEOs to consider consulting to their prospective customers or in their industry while they are simultaneously developing their product for market. Raising money'

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Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Email readers, continue here…] It is common and certainly appropriate to tell the world that our profits and success serves not just our shareholders but our stakeholders, which include employees, suppliers and customers in that mix. And who do we serve with our profits? An easy response to “world domination”.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Your historical trading information including financials and a “customer file” which shows the history of your transactions so that investors can run “cohort” analyses Customer reference, personal references, key team members, compensation, cap table, stock option plan, etc. But just putting a customer reference list in a data room?

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Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Partly out of the fact that in 1 week I depart for England to speak at LeWeb, attend our DataSift board meeting and generally make myself available to the DataSift team to meet their customers, partners and employees. Email updates frequently. Key point – if your emails are as long as my blog posts you’re forked.

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Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 7, 2020

Thousands of companies have indicated interest in the last several days,” a spokesperson wrote in an email. ” For its part, Silicon Valley Bank said it was working around the clock to make sure its customers were able to access the federal money. Relationship managers are not responding to emails or calls either.

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Startup Email Los Angeles Entrepreneur 167

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Email readers, continue here…] If you have no intention of giving up ownership or even control over time, state that early and plan accordingly. Evergreen companies can focus upon profit as more important than rapid growth, upon customer service above immediate profit, and upon people first before all of these.

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Equity Venture Capital Course Email 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

I recently got an email from a friend who had been approached by a well known VC. He sent me an email asking whether the approach was real and whether he should take it seriously. Here is the email he received (reprinted without names with his permission). Why do VCs send generic outbound emails like this?

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Venture Capital Entrepreneur Email Equity 294

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

It’s apropos because there is so much noise these days with email, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, web shows, etc. I was thinking back to a few previous “insider baseball&# blog debates that raged for several weeks: AngelGate (aka Bin38 secret cabal), convertible debt vs. equity, bubble vs. not, and now the AngelList discussion.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2020

Too many of you business owners think success only means being the next Amazon, or you stress yourself out trying to be everything to every customer. Just because you want to start a business doesn’t mean you are entitled to outside equity, loans, or crowdfunding. Be prepared to update it regularly as customers and trends change.

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Custom Customer Tool Writing 125

Berkonomics

MAY 8, 2014

The company grows in value to its customers and to prospective buyers of the business, but without any dilution of control or ownership for the founders. How refreshing! Often, grants require that you partner with other organizations to deliver the results, or measure the effectiveness of your special project.

Company 166

Company Companies Writing Education 166

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2015

Today, we have some thoughts from Jeb Spencer of TVC Capital , a private equity investment company in San Diego. Build a great team that is focused on providing a unique product or service that offers something of great value that your customers simply cannot live without. Then treat these customers well and great things will happen.maybe

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Capital Cloud Computing Southern California Equity 100

Berkonomics

AUGUST 21, 2013

Venture or angel-financed companies with plenty of working capital sometimes are immune to this need for some time into their growth, but at some point it will become clear that the cheapest form of finance is not equity in a growing enterprise.

Capital 153

Capital .Net Equity Pricing 153

Berkonomics

JANUARY 26, 2017

The most striking example was the one hundred–million–dollar purchase of one of my companies by a New York private equity investor using only five million of its cash. Email readers, continue here…] There are so many ways to satisfy a seller, sometimes a seller’s ego, by making a price seem higher than the reality of the purchase.

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Pricing Sales Tool Equity 120

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Email readers, continue here…] Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally-generated funds. In return, the accelerator often invests $25,000 to $100,000 in the young enterprise and takes from five to ten percent of the equity in return.

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Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

- SoCal CTO , January 13, 2010 5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 9 Reasons Why Many Smart People Go Nowhere - Life Beyond Code , March 29, 2010 No Accounting For Startups - Steve Blank , February 22, 2010 Startup Advice In Exactly Three Words - #StartupTriplets - OnStartups , January (..)

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Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2009

Agoura Hills-based TouchCommerce , a provider of live chat services to help companies convert online customers, has reportedly raised $10M in a venture funding round. According to PEHub.com, the round included participation by existing investors Partech International, Emergence Capital, Dolphin Equity Partners and Hudson Ventures.

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Agoura Hills Report Agoura Venture Capital 100

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Who's the customer? You will get a response via email to schedule a time to talk. I'm looking for free (equity only) development, should I contact you? See Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers for more on this. How Does it Work? You need to send us an overview of what you are doing. How are you different?

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CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 264

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Who's the customer? You will get a response via email to schedule a time to talk. I'm looking for free (equity only) development, should I contact you? See Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers for more on this. How Does it Work? You need to send us an overview of what you are doing. How are you different?

CTO Hire 259

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 259

Berkonomics

AUGUST 27, 2015

They financed their companies, to the extent possible, in a manner minimizing the cost of capital, planning for organic growth in the number of customers served and in associated revenues. The Flipper’s executives usually have significant equity holdings, either actually owned or reflected in stock options.

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Entrepreneur Equity Competition Pricing 120

InfoChachkie

MAY 6, 2013

If you are forced to accept a lower value, consider reducing the dilutive impact by raising a mix of equity and debt, as described more fully below. Expect such debt to include a modest equity kicker component, in the form of warrant coverage. In addition, be on alert for camouflaged fees. Share and Enjoy.

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Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Capital 246

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

How do you get access to customers? should you email before you call? brains vs. relationship? how can you evaluate a good sales person? how do you know one when you see them? How much to compensate them? how to structure the comp plan. getting past the assistant. when to call. is it OK to call an exec on his mobile phone. Salesforce.

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Software Review Sales Tips Help 300

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

These are the endless stream of email, phone calls, and daily crises which prevent really important accomplishments, like closing customers. Start each day with the highest priority task you need done that day, and leave the emails and phone calls till the end of the day, if you have time. Rest makes you more productive.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2018

The old cold call or broadcast email to anyone who has “investor” in their bio just doesn’t work. Schedule early high-profile customer calls for partnerships. As much as you need an investor, you need a few key customers to be your advocate and beta test site. Offer a realistic equity percentage to generate interest.

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Startup Equity Funding Slides 56

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2016

With one of the new free tools and a dose of sweat equity, you can create a website for almost nothing -- and you are on your way to success with ecommerce, your latest invention or personal services. Use multiple social-media channels, blogging, email and voicemail to build the same image and responsiveness as larger competitors.

Social Media 60

Social Media Startup Equity Entrepreneur 60

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2012

Last week, Pasadena-based Punchcard (www.punchcard.com) launched its mobile apps, which help local retailers provide rewards to loyal customers. It provides consumer rewards, and on the merchant side, it allows them to identify local customers and reacquire them by pushing them offers and incentives to come back. What is Punchcard?

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Southern California Idealab Startup Custom 245

socalTECH

DECEMBER 11, 2017

From a customer standpoint, though, it's pretty clear. So, from the customer side, it was much easier. We sold that to a very large private equity company. We'll also be doing significant enhancements to our customer portal. We had to simplify all of this for them to use us. The supplier is the hard part. Cloud Capital.

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Startup Metrics Custom Customer 174

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

I got an email recently from my friend & fellow VC, Jeff Bussgang from Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston. Sales people aren’t always motivated only by cash – especially in early-stage business you need to focus on equity because cash won’t be plentiful. And that leads me to today’s post. In Summary.

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Startup Sales Course Competition 319

socalTECH

AUGUST 4, 2011

We've developed technology, originally developed at YLighting, which enables us to understand that if a customer comes to a website via marketing, and a cookie was deleted, then subsequently comes back and converts, we know what marketing happened before that cookie deletion. What kind of customers are using the tool? Jeff Zwelling.

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