Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

Even if you work every day in the world of new-venture funding, as I do, the options are confusing, and their meanings seem to change on a regular basis. I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. Business accelerator funding.

Funding 104

Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition. o CPM model gave him control over the information in the acquisition cycle so he focused on that. - On Entrepreneurship: What makes a great entrepreneur? [if On Entrepreneurship: What makes a great entrepreneur?

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2017

Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. This usually means not taking money from equity investors, since investors want fast growth, high profits, and an exit event, to allow investments to be recouped. Startup funding comes from personal savings and family. According to William R.

Entrepreneur 69

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Course 69

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2018

Editor's note: All this week, and into the start of next year, we'll be featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. Over the last four years, I watched numerous entrepreneurs raise equity. What was the biggest news for your company in 2018?

Southern California 133

Southern California SoCal Culver City Venture Capital 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2015

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. Yet the process is eerily realistic, and every entrepreneur can glean some important lessons. Investors invest in people, more than ideas.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 106

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 16, 2011

Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed, however, the firm said that private equity firm JMI Equity has provided it funding in support of the transaction. JMI Equity General Partner Peter Arrowsmith and Vice President David Greenberg have joined Resource Nation's board as part of the acquisition.

Resource 178

Resource Southern California Santa Monica Equity 178

socalTECH

JUNE 24, 2010

Los Angeles-based CapLinked , an online startup developing software to help link entrepreneurs with their investors, has raised $350,000 in an equity investment round, according to a regulatory filing by the firm today. Tags: caplinked paypal mafia venture capital investment startup entrepreneur. READ MORE>>.

Venture Capital 243

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Equity Invest 243

Xconomy

JANUARY 7, 2020

When a group of scientists from Amira Pharmaceuticals wanted to start a new biotech after the company’s 2011 acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb , Celgene provided seed funding. Rob Williamson, a longtime biotech entrepreneur, joined PharmAkea as CEO in 2013 after the company formed its “build-to-buy”-style.

Seed Funding 63

Seed Funding Equity Research Acquisition 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

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). Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2020

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. Yet the process is eerily realistic, and every entrepreneur can glean some important lessons. Investors invest in people, more than ideas.

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

Based on my own years of experience in startups and big business, and more recently as an angel investor, I often cringe when I see one of you entrepreneurs missing a cue that I have seen work for many before you. A passionate entrepreneur I met a while back had found that a certain algae could be grown cheaply, and could end world hunger.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Greathouse: Your collective experiences have clearly made bootstrapping a viable option for you, more so than might be the case for a typical, younger entrepreneur who needs more direction, doesn’t have cash discipline, etc. We focus very much on finding employees who are a cultural fit and we share equity when appropriate.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Technical Review Course Patents 117

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

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 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

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). Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources.

Startup 93

Startup Funding Venture Capital Ideas 93

socalTECH

AUGUST 6, 2019

Ian talked to us about the rewards and challenges of being an entrepreneur, plus how important it is to manage lifetime value (LTV) of a customer versus customer acquisition cost (CAC) in making a successful company. (We Ian Chen: In my previous life, I was working in private equity in LA. How are you funded?

Startup 113

Startup Equity Customer Custom 113

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

He or she wants to know how long the money you will raise will last and whether this is long enough to warrant taking a risk on funding you. VCs tend not to want to fund founders who raise too much money in a given round also because they know that sometimes having too many resources will lead to founders burning through cash too quickly.

Venture Capital 247

Venture Capital Capital Funding Demand 247

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2019

Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. This usually means not taking money from equity investors, since investors want fast growth, high profits, and an exit event, to allow investments to be recouped. Startup funding comes from personal savings and family. According to William R.

Startup 77

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Course 77

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2010

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Angel Technical Review Course 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Startup Report Summary 95

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 recommend five-year projections, to show the evolution of revenues and expenses and funding and profitability expectations over time.

Startup 107

Startup Equity Invest Acquisition 107

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2017

Retain maximum equity by requesting minimal funding. Size your funding requests to cover the next 18 months, and then buffer the amount by at least 25 percent. The best strategy is to hire people who are smarter than you (in their domain), and allow you to learn from them, rather than the other way around.

Entrepreneur 72

Entrepreneur Competition Customer Custom 72

socalTECH

JUNE 27, 2019

He saw that the cost of acquisition for many, many different businesses were going through the roof, week after week. We saw that they were hitting the inflection point, where they were spending more than they were receiving from customer acquisition. We received venture funding from Comcast Ventures and Crosscut.

Dollar Shave Club 113

Dollar Shave Club Artificial Inteligence Customer Custom 113

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

In the technology world there are a few websites that most startups track to keep up with the latest financings, acquisitions, product announcements and gossip: BusinessInsider, TechCrunch, Mashable, GigaOm, etc. In the VC & Private Equity world there’s a small number, too, with one of the most respected being PEHub.

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control.

Startup 94

Startup Entrepreneur Report Summary 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2014

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. Here are some basic “rules of thumb” that every Angel or venture capital equity investor uses, to help you anticipate their reactions. Gross margins greater than 50%.

Equity 99

Equity Venture Capital Invest Pricing 99

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 19, 2013

Silicon Valley’s 9+, an accelerator founded by serial entrepreneur and company builder Peter Relan is investing $110,000 into game developers to quit developing games and shift to consumer, mobile, Big Data and wearable apps. 110,000 to quit developing games for wearable apps. 2 million raised. 2 million raised. Growth hackers.

Startup 79

Startup Develop Development Incubator 79

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2013

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. Here are some basic “rules of thumb” that every Angel or venture capital equity investor uses, to help you anticipate their reactions. Gross margins greater than 50%.

Startup 97

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 97

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2013

Rubicon Project , the online advertising technology firm headed by serial entrepreneur Frank Addante, looks like it may just be the next Southern California company to file for an IPO, based on a number of executive appointments made Tuesday.

Southern California 180

Southern California Chief Technology Officer Legalzoom OpenX 180

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

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). Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 73

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 73

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. These don’t get funded, nor bought by customers. Immediate investment requirements and use of funds.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2010

For entrepreneurs who want to learn about how to work with investment banks, how to position yourself to be acquired and what the IPO markets look like this is the episode to watch. A bank can help you balance fund raising with running your company. They have relationships that are hard for entrepreneurs to build.

Venture Capital 242

Venture Capital Mission Ventures Capital Help 242

socalTECH

JULY 5, 2017

I moved down here to work as a large, $10 billion private equity fund with Ron Burkle, at Yucaipa Companies. There were lots of things we did around investment and acquisitions. It's quite unusual to see an apparel company with venture funding, how did that happen? I was in the consumer, retail space.

Web 2.0 100

Web 2.0 Equity Legalzoom Capital 100

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

Founded by Steve Poizner last year to accelerate the growth of a startup entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southern California, The Alliance is building a network of investors, entrepreneurs and universities to provide ballast in the south to the dominance of the Northern California tech industry.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. How big is the funding request, and how much equity will you give? Quantify founder investments, both cash and sweat-equity.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

.” And because most startups have 12-18 months’ cash-on-hand at any point in time (usually less that 1 year, actually), the age old neurosis of whether to fund raise now or “wait and see what buyers might propose” comes up. You are either bought for stock or for equity. I’ve lived this personally.

Venture Capital 316

Venture Capital Pricing Social Network Acquisition 316

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Course Patents 109