socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2019

Los Angeles-based startup Trellis Research , which is developing decision making tools and maintains a database of California court records, said on Wednesday that it has raised $2M in a seed funding round. Source of the funding was not disclosed.

Tool 100

Tool Seed Funding Class Research 100

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Most of the venture capital firms covered in TechCrunch and other tech publications compete for a spot on the cap table of the hottest Bay Area, New York or Los Angeles companies of the moment. Competition for access to deals in the Bay Area, however, has priced many investors out of the most sought-after rounds.

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Funding Seed Funding Activity 211

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 29, 2019

When ProGuides pulled the covers off of its service earlier this year, the young Los Angeles-based startup intended to give gamers a way to train with professional and semi-pro esports players from around the world. million in pre-seed funding last June. “Our tagline is ‘Play with pros’ now,” says Wang.

Coach 180

Coach Seed Funding Training Platform 180

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Upfront Ventures was created 20 years ago as one of the original VC funds in Los Angeles. https://medium.com/media/d9fa90bfcfd8c4a9fdce54b16c47e2e8/href In addition to all the great companies being created here another often overlooked feature of Los Angeles is just how many great VC funds have been formed here in the past decade.

Dollar Shave Club 321

Dollar Shave Club Cornerstone OnDemand Riot Games Venture Capital 321

socalTECH

JULY 26, 2016

Los Angeles-based Kite & Lightning , a new virtual reality studio, has raised $2.5M in a seed funding round, the company announced this morning. According to Kit & Lightning, the funding goes to expand its title Bebylon Battle Royale, a virtual reality title which focuses on "competitive spectator gaming".

Seed Funding 100

Seed Funding Venture Capital Competition Los Angeles 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2021

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 123

Software Review Seed Funding Funding Startup 123

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 15, 2010

Heck, stick around and watch me discuss the seed funding debate that is going on right now and what is happening in the VC industry overall. Can you please explain convertible debt and specifically how it pertains to angel deals? I give a sneak peek at a blog post I’m writing on the topic next week.

Venture Capital 210

Venture Capital Seed Funding Pricing Southern California 210

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

So super angel and seed funds are proliferating – As a result there has been an explosion in the number of amazing early-stage investors such as Softtech VC , Floodgate , Felicis Ventures , K9 Ventures , OATV , Lowercase Capital , Founder Collective , and many, many more. But in bad economies many angels get burned.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Commit a source of internal or external seed funding. There is no point incubating an innovative new venture if you don’t have the funds to launch and expect quick self-sustaining revenue. Don’t count on friends and family, crowdfunding, angels, or other external investors.

Incubator 143

Incubator Seed Funding Metrics Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. That’s about the same ratio that angel investors claim. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 14, 2015

Good news, Fixed , the San Francisco app that helps drivers fight tickets has just launched in Los Angeles after raising an additional $650,000 in seed funding last February. Fixed is not without competition, LA-based Cited launched last year and charges 20% of the cost of the ticket. Yeah, purposefully vague.

Los Angeles 40

Los Angeles Angel Software Review Seed Funding 40

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. That’s about the same ratio that angel investors claim. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

These tensions seep out in some angels or seed funds publicly or semi-privately deriding later-stage VCs for their “bad” behavior. Why prorata rights used to be less of a big deal to angels. Why prorata rights are becoming a bigger deal to angels.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). Lower costs to start a business (95% reduction), many more companies created & funded by angels / seed. ” The new narrative is “will my seed funds be able to fund the prorata of their winners?”

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 106

Software Review Funding Startup Seed Funding 106

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

But the majority of VCs & Angels all speak. Have you looked at competition? How well financed is the competition? My advice: Do not mention the other VC firms, angels, seed funds, etc. It’s called competition. It’s healthy competition. Entrepreneurs need angels.

Pricing 292

Pricing Entrepreneur Technical Review Venture Capital 292

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2010

The problem with VC Seed Funding – Chris is right to raise the issue with entrepreneurs because there have been instances where large VC funds have set up seed programs where the investments have been used as “options.&# There are many problems with this. As always it comes down to competition.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Seed Funding Pricing Invest 265

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

A few years ago it became fashionable for large VC’s to do seed funding. Many VCs who do lots of seed stage deals are very supportive and active. I think they definitely qualify as a VC and not a seed fund. What exactly is seed funding anymore? Is an average of $675k each a seed deal?

Seed Funding 283

Seed Funding Venture Capital Funding Software Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2011

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 98

Software Review Funding Seed Funding Startup 98

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And as a result of this there are now very robust secondary markets where founders and seed-funds alike are selling down their ownership long before an ultimate exit. At Upfront we have always done 40% of our investing in Greater Los Angeles and it’s precisely for this reason. We aren’t going to win every great deal in LA?—?there

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

My favorite new VC blogger, Hunter Walk, weighed in with some thoughtful comments about how Syndicates might actually pit, “ angel vs. angel.” ” And even the venerable Fred Wilson weighed in with how people “ leading vs. following ” in funding rounds play different roles and have different skills.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Los Angeles-based Enrou (www.enrou.co) thinks it has a way--by connecting people with products that also help support international development and causes, via its own online marketplace. How can you make your shopping during the holidays more than just a gift--but something that might actually improve lives around the world?

Commerce 140

Commerce Help UCLA Organization 140

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. That’s about the same ratio that angel investors claim. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Incubator 87

Incubator Startup Resource Seed Funding 87

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. That’s about the same ratio that Angel investors claim. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Incubator 106

Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

Meredith Perry came up with the idea for uBeam while still in college at University of Pennsylvania and like many great inventors won her school’s business plan competition. She had raised seed funds from a who’s who list of investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Marissa Mayer, Mark Cuban, Troy Carter and so on.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

An impressive number of new VCs have been created – most of them with new seed funds. We’ve had an explosion of alternate sources of financing from crowd-sourcing, angels, accelerators, incubators, corporates, corporate incubators. And importantly we’ve had revenue. Sales Startup Lessons'

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2010

Yesterday I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 95

Software Review Startup Seed Funding Funding 95

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

Building a standout destination site for video gamers takes moxie in the highly competitive and lucrative on-line game industry. Every founder can directly access any investor or mentor in the Amplify army of cohorts, which adds up to more than 70 of the most influential business professionals in Los Angeles and beyond.

Web Design 103

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

Sure, there will always some seed funding (10% of overall deal flow), but you can bet that this money goes to entrepreneurs who have been there before and won. Angels are also moving up-stage, leaving a bigger and bigger black hole for new startups. Line up a winning team. Identify the right people in the right venture firms.

Venture Capital 101

Venture Capital Startup Capital Seed Funding 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

Sure, there is always some seed funding (10% of overall deal flow), but you can bet that this money goes to entrepreneurs who have been there before and won. Angels are also moving up-stage, leaving a bigger and bigger black hole for new startups. Don’t try to talk your way to a deal before you have the documentation.

Venture Capital 93

Venture Capital Startup Capital Seed Funding 93

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

We seed funded a company a few years ago called Parachute Home that has grown 180% CAGR (compounded annually) and is now doing tens of millions of revenue with very little capital raised. There are various models of this but amongst the most successful I’ve seen executed is FabFitFun , based in Los Angeles.

Product 296

Product Course Customer Custom 296

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2010

So by offering convertible debt you can avoid a price discussion in the same way that angel investors sometimes do in order to win competitive early-stage deals. He had raised about $500,000 in seed funding that lasted a long time. These aren’t angel investors or family friends for whom $250k might be a big deal.

Startup 290

Startup Funding Venture Capital Pricing 290

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

Building a standout destination site for video gamers takes moxie in the highly competitive and lucrative on-line game industry. Every founder can directly access any investor or mentor in the Amplify army of cohorts, which adds up to more than 70 of the most influential business professionals in Los Angeles and beyond.

Web Design 40

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

But the biggest thing to know is this: Companies who are scaling quickly in revenue and with a high gross margin often should invest as much capital in growth as they can manage responsibly because when you find a product / market fit and your company is growing at a very fast scale you want to capture market share before competition sets in.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

There are too many deals to look at, too many seed funds or angels asking you to look at deals and weekly “demo days” with manicured and monocultural presentations crafted by experienced story tellers to help even the mundane idea sound like it will. For investors life is no different. You don’t need to be hot.

Software Review 150

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 11, 2021

Linktree leads the space, securing a recent $45 million Series B raise to build out e-commerce features, but Beacons boasts competitive creator monetization tools with just a $6 million seed round in May. Now, Snipfeed enters the ring with its own $5.5 With its $5.5

Platform 286

Platform Commerce Startup Tool 286

Berkonomics

APRIL 24, 2014

Although that is still a good idea in many cases, there is a recent alternative available to some entrepreneurs on a competitive basis that seems most attractive and positive.

Coach 250

Coach Seed Funding Summary Incubator 250