Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

Our 3rd fund began investing in March 2009 (raised in 2008) and our 4th fund started in April 2012 so this fund will naturally begin investing around March / April 2015. As I like to say when asked, “For entrepreneurs you generally need to go to 2-3 cities max and probably pitch 5-15 investors. Was it hard to raise the fund?

Venture Capital 396

Venture Capital Funding Technical Review Startup 396

Xconomy

MARCH 11, 2018

million on a “venture studio” model that allows experienced entrepreneurs to run with their own ideas. As Belmonte explained in 2015, “In a venture studio, you’re building your own companies. You have 100 percent equity ownership, you’re in control, Read more » Reprints | Share: UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS.

Media 55

Media San Diego Equity Advertising 55

TechCrunch LA

JULY 21, 2020

But it was in 2015 when she took her family to see the Women’s World Cup in Vancouver that Nortman’s private passion for soccer began to turn into a more public search to bring more attention to the sport — and the women who play it. “I was like… ‘Hey! Image Credits: Angel City.

Writing 171

Writing Los Angeles Equity Startup 171

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2016

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. In 2015, the new Kickstarter Pebble smartwatch raised $20.3 These groups are now largely run by volunteers at no cost to entrepreneurs.

Equity 54

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Demand 54

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. In fact, perhaps the most important model, equity crowdfunding for non-accredited investors, is still not legal in the U.S., Startup equity model. In the U.S.,

Venture Capital 108

Venture Capital Angel Satisfaction Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A popular myth these days is that successful entrepreneurs must attract investors to get their businesses going, when the reality has been that more than 80 percent of new businesses are started and grown with no outside investment at all. Bootstrapping not only reduces cash needs, but increases commitment. The need to hire staff immediately.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity Summary 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Every investor in your startup, even friends and family, normally expects a share of your company (equity), which means your return for all your effort goes down quickly. This is at least double the time required for most equity investments, and may be a delay you can’t afford in keeping up with the market and your competitors.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Most entrepreneurs looking for an investor can tell you how much money they need, but few have given much thought to what they are willing to give up for it. Investors, on the other hand, look at the money figure, and even the equity, as the easy part. This is a loan with an option to convert to equity at a later date.

Demand 105

Demand Startup Equity Invest 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2015

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. Ancillary objectives, like retiring existing debt, buying a building or paying salaries to people with equity ownership will not get traction. How much equity ownership are you willing to offer?

Help 104

Help Startup Equity Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. Most investors won’t touch a first-time entrepreneur at this stage. These funders often offer convertible notes, rather than the traditional priced equity. Business accelerator funding.

Funding 104

Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2015

Many entrepreneurs forget that their success is more about helping other people than about personally becoming famous, or overcoming the odds and getting rich. These are lessons that every entrepreneur should take to heart: Hold the vision. Marty Zwilling Published on IvyExec.com on 10/20/2015. Stand for something.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Customer Custom Mentor 106

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. Think about the valuation implications and equity you are willing to give up for each investment amount. You shouldn’t invest in an undefined business.

Startup 107

Startup Equity Invest Acquisition 107

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2015

When an entrepreneur first incorporates his or her business, he or she may find him or herself the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares. every entrepreneur should incorporate early and file an 83(b) election with the IRS within 30 days of founding the company. In the U.S.,

Startup 99

Startup Entrepreneur Acquisition Demand 99

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

In fact, an entrepreneur friend of mine, who made millions on her marketing expertise, asserted recently that most inventors fail in business because they refuse to believe that any business expertise or experience is worth more than 5 percent in partner equity. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 10/9/2015.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. Investors are business experts, while the entrepreneur is more likely the product expert. The entrepreneur needs to show a strategy for such an event, and a projected value and return to the investor.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2016

Most first-time entrepreneurs seem to believe the myth that they need a minimum of a half a million dollars to start a business. Find team members to work for equity rather than cash. Managing employees and contracts is difficult and expensive, and new entrepreneurs aren’t very good at it anyway.

Startup 61

Startup Social Media Entrepreneur Equity 61

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes. Most share expertise as well as money.

Angel 106

Angel Startup Venture Capital Seed Funding 106

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Incubator 106

Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

In this capacity he worked with U2′s Bono, as well as Steve Jobs and a number of other notable celebrities whom Len encouraged to lend their brand equity to bolster RED’s cause. He shared the following advice for emerging entrepreneurs who have limited time and money but an unlimited passion to give back philanthropically.

Google 220

Google Technical Advisors Technical Review Equity 220

Xconomy

OCTOBER 25, 2016

billion, 2,034 deals) and the third quarter of 2015 ($21.1 billion, 2,559 deals), signaling perhaps a period of digestion given how much had been invested during the 2014-2015 window. As a percentage of overall activity, seed investing dropped from 55 percent in the third quarter of 2015 to 50 percent in this year’s third quarter.

Venture Capital 40

Venture Capital Capital Activity Invest 40

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2015

While all forms of technology research and development will always be required, entrepreneurs need to understand that the funding for these efforts comes from many different sources, depending on the stage. Thus the best entrepreneur strategy for funding is to build solutions, not technology.

Develop 102

Develop Development Product Funding 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Startup equity investments imply a long-term business relationship, lasting an average of five years.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

" Investors want to buy into an entrepreneur with a startup that can provide evidence of an ability to double customer productivity, at half the cost, with patented technology. When sizing your funding request, be aware of the value of your startup today, since most investors expect an equity share for their contributions.

Summary 101

Summary Patents Technical Review Competition 101

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 21, 2019

Supreme’s ardent control of supply has resulted in a vibrant secondary market, in which resellers hire people to stand in line, as described in the 2015 documentary entitled, Sold Out. Like ticket scalpers, the reseller community crowds-out ordinary consumers and routinely sells goods at significant markups.

Demand 160

Demand Pricing Product Equity 160

Xconomy

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Some entrepreneurs, though, are acting as if Prop 64, known officially as the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative, has already passed. Co-founder and CEO Eric Gomez said Canopy San Diego won’t enroll startups or entrepreneurs who are directly engaged in the cultivation or sale of marijuana or its derivatives.

San Diego 40

San Diego Startup Southern California Invest 40

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2018

Love Goodly recently launched its own crowd equity funding campaign. Justine Lassoff: I have a background in e-commerce, and we're both experienced entrepreneurs. Justine Lassoff: We launched in 2015, and we have now been around for three years. Photo: On left, Justine Lassoff, on right, Katie Bogue Miller. What is Love Goodly?

Startup 157

Startup Commerce Los Angeles Product 157

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2015

You thought media twitter was bad… You thought tech twitter was bad… — Hunter Walk (@hunterwalk) August 24, 2015. If markets come back quickly then you’ll see a return to normal 2015 funding timeframes (which I can tell you are much quicker than in times past). My favorite Tweet of the morning came from Hunter Walk.

Marketing 150

Marketing Venture Capital Startup Invest 150

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

We took it to the market in January of 2015. What's the biggest lesson you've learned so far as an entrepreneur? We would have been able to been more effective, and retained a greater percentage of equity. How long has your software been available? From a revenue perspective, we've seen 300 percent, year-over-year growth.

Startup 124

Startup Cornerstone OnDemand Software Review Woodland Hills 124

socalTECH

MAY 25, 2016

At Idealab, we saw many shots on goal with companies who were consumer focused, and we have found the quality of entrepreneurs going to consumer Internet companies has changed dramatically, which represents a real opportunity. It's all about the entrepreneur. Each and everyone is creating their own equity scenario.

Southern California 113

Southern California Capital Funding Invest 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Where there are lots of players focused on different types of equity, different types of investments, different types of debt, they're doing it in a very unfocused manner. Brett Crosby: We have been in invitation-only mode for all of 2015, and that's been growing and growing. Those loans are very mis-priced, in our opinion.

Southern California 100

Southern California Google Technical Review Manhattan Beach 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2015

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, the most common question I get is, “I want to be an entrepreneur -- how do I start?” Many people with great ideas never make it as entrepreneurs, and true entrepreneurs can make a business out of anything. Few entrepreneurs can assimilate and hone a complete plan in their head.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Ideas Startup 104

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

We try to hire people who we believe will be upfront and respectful of entrepreneurs and know that it’s far easier to judge ones decisions on the outside than it actually is to have to make the tough decisions inside of a startup every day. You don’t have unlimited equity to dole out. You can’t make everybody an SVP.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 3, 2015

The main takeaway from our conversation and from other marketing gurus I’ve heard speak since, is the benefits of co-branding since it creates so much more access and opens up distribution channels an entrepreneur, startup, nonprofit or brand may not otherwise achieve on their own. Novel concept.

Conference 40

Conference Entertainment Startup Digital Hollywood 40

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I’d like to explain as best I can my opinion on what is going on because most of what I hear from entrepreneurs is not only wrong but is reminiscent of what I heard in 1997-2000. ” “This will be great for VCs and bad for entrepreneurs.” What is the True Sentiment of VCs? ” “Sure, prices are dropping.

Startup 150

Startup Company Companies Venture Capital 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

Startup 100

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2020

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

Startup 151

Startup Equity Funding Demand 151

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2015

Boy wearing Oculus Rift via Wikipedia As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. He points out that the word crowd precedes funding in crowdfunding.

Startup 53

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 53