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National Technical Systems Gets $14M In PIPE

socalTECH

Calabasas-based National Technical Systems , which provides testing and engineering services, said today that it has raised $14M in a private placement. The firm said it raised the debt and equity with Mill Road Capital. The firm said the new funding will go towards one or more future acquisitions by the company. Riley & Co.

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How to Handle a VC Presentation with No Deck

Both Sides of the Table

I recently filmed a show for This Week in Venture Capital in which I talked about how to prepare for a VC meeting: whom you’ll meet, who should attend from your side, what materials you should bring and how you should run the meeting. The “Triple Play&# of VC Presentations. But take prompts from the VC.

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What is the Right Burn Rate at a Startup Company?

Both Sides of the Table

We want money to make some acquisitions (investors would prefer to fund M&A if they know specific deals – not to encourage bad behavior. Plus, most early-stage M&A fails so this isn’t likely a good use of capital for a young company). We want a strong balance sheet (um, ok. Valuation.

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The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Software Patents

Startup Professionals Musings

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The good news is that a patent can scare off or at least delay competitors, and as a “rule of thumb” patents can add up to $1M to your startup valuation for investors or M&A exits (merger and acquisition).

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Software Patents are Becoming a Tax on Innovation

Startup Professionals Musings

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. essay, and the most recent “ Enough is Enough ” article by VC Fred Wilson, sparked by the Lodsys case. They don’t insist on something very narrow, with proper technical content.

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Software Patents Have Become a Startup Nightmare

Startup Professionals Musings

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. essay, and the “ Enough is Enough ” original Lodsys article by VC Fred Wilson. They don’t insist on something very narrow, with proper technical content. Different rules around the world.

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Frank Addantes FounderBlog: Startup 5.0 – I’m just going to chill out for a bit… (OK, for a month…)

Frank Addante

► August (3) Venture Capital - What's the rush? StrongMail Systems (Digital Messsaging Infrastructure Software) Status: VC-backed (Sequoia Capital, Globespan and Evercore) Lesson: Trust your gut. . Internet Advertising ASP) Exit: $112M IPO and acquisition Lesson: Think big. Venture Capital Funding 7.

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