Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

Seth Levine of Foundry Group addresses this important topic this morning on his blog with a post, “ Has Convertible Debt Won ?&# Convertible debt is an investment that “converts&# into equity in the future usually at a discount to your next funding round price and sometimes has a “cap&# (maximum price).

Equity 319

Equity Pricing Venture Capital Entrepreneur 319

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. I tried to argue that the equity should be what it was at the time I joined and discussed but there was no formal agreement at that time. Of course, that doesn’t help here.

CTO 167

CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 167

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 21, 2019

Hello and welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy news pertaining to startups and venture capital. Landline , the operator of a bus network in the Midwest, is one of the latest companies to raise venture capital. Ginkgo Bioworks raises capital at a $4B valuation.

Services 207

Services Startup Venture Capital Redpoint 207

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. I tried to argue that the equity should be what it was at the time I joined and discussed but there was no formal agreement at that time. Of course, that doesn’t help here.

CTO 150

CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

You can watch the video above for a very brief overview of why we rebranded and where we see our place in the VC ecosystem along with what has changed in our industry. I often advise startup companies not to try and pin all of your brand equity into an announcement. When he starts his blog I’ll let you know.

Venture Capital 324

Venture Capital Startup Blogging Platform 324

Xconomy

JULY 19, 2019

—San Diego’s AON Devices was among 10 startups selected to compete at a recent pitch competition hosted by the corporate venture capital arm of Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ). Let’s catch up with the latest tech news in San Diego.

San Diego 88

San Diego Artificial Inteligence Venture Capital Funding 88

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

Brunson’s short and to-the-point blog post, “ It’s Called Networking, Not Using.” It’s why I wrote the blog post on 50 Coffee Meetings. It’s why I talk about building VC relationships early – Lines, Not Dots. “I’ve never been a VC before. Who cares what my equity is.

Venture Capital 407

Venture Capital Press GRP Partners Blogging 407

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

After raising $23 million in a Series D funding round last September , Kyriba says today it has raised $45 million in a growth equity round led by Sumeru Equity Partners, a tech-focused private equity firm that specializes in mid-market deals.

Equity 66

Equity San Diego Capital Funding 66

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

In the VC & Private Equity world there’s a small number, too, with one of the most respected being PEHub. I always wanted to have Dan on This Week in VC with Dan Primack ( to see video click link ) because he’s blunt, honest, opinionated and well informed. That’s thanks to Dan Primack , founding editor.

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Xconomy

OCTOBER 25, 2016

According to the National Venture Capital Association and PitchBook , this past quarter $15 billion was invested in 1,810 deals , which compares unfavorably to both the prior quarter ($22.1 Source: National Venture Capital Association. This is the fourth-longest period of economic growth in U.S. history (admittedly, at 2.1

Venture Capital 40

Venture Capital Capital Activity Invest 40

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.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

socalTECH

JUNE 15, 2010

Santa Monica-based Rubicon Project , the online advertising optimization firm founded by Frank Addante, is on track to do $100M in revenues this year and will reach profitability in Q4, according to a blog post by Addante Tuesday afternoon.

Clearstone 232

Clearstone Santa Monica Advertising Blogging 232

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

Morningside Ventures, a private equity and venture capital firm founded in Hong Kong in 1986, was the sole investor in the Series A financing, which brings Meissa’s fundraising total to nearly $34 million. The startup is a resident company at Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s facility JLABS in South San.

Venture Capital 109

Venture Capital Equity Startup Funding 109

Xconomy

AUGUST 16, 2017

Private equity investors have more capital at their disposal than at any time in more than a decade, which could boost prices for companies seeking acquisitions. 1, private equity firms in North America and Europe had secured $212.6 As of Aug.

Equity 69

Equity Pricing Acquisition Report 69

Xconomy

OCTOBER 27, 2016

Venture capital firms have increased their agtech investments by 80 percent since 2012, bringing total VC investment in the sector to a total of $3 billion in 2015, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group and AgFunder, an online investment marketplace for agriculture technology. They also queried 15 VC firms.

Venture Capital 40

Venture Capital Pricing Invest Report 40

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

But honestly there are times when being a VC can feel like that, too. I would gladly part with equity (actually, I have) to work with people like her on deals. VENTURE CAPITAL. And finally that brings me to obvious topic of venture capital. And she doesn’t always charge what she should. No exceptions.”

Startup 363

Startup Venture Capital Coach Press 363

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2011

Chris Dixon is one of my favorite people in tech and writes one of the few blogs I read religiously. He and I once took different sides of an debate about whether “VC signaling&# in early-stage deals is a serious problem or not. If you don’t read it and you care about tech & entrepreneurship, you should.

Technical Review 281

Technical Review Venture Capital Startup Artificial Inteligence 281

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “ Startup Burn Rate is Normal. ” Stay lean and only raise a big round if you DO find product / market fit and which point you want to loosen the belt quickly and raise the capital to do so. .” ” I highly recommend reading it.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

After raising $23 million in a Series D funding round last September , Kyriba says today it has raised $45 million in a growth equity round led by Sumeru Equity Partners, a tech-focused private equity firm that specializes in mid-market deals.

Equity 40

Equity San Diego Capital Funding 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

When I first read Paul Graham’s blog post on “High Resolution&# Financing I read it as a treatise arguing that convertible notes are better than equity. Most early-stage entrepreneurs who have worked with me (either as an angel or as a seed VC) know that I don’t rely at all on the social proof of other investors.

Venture Capital 286

Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review Startup 286

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

Top venture capital firms continue to pour money into software robotics companies that promise to automate monotonous business operations, like processing mortgage applications, that are often performed by humans. Read more » Reprints | Share: UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS.

Venture Capital 67

Venture Capital Google Equity Capital 67

Xconomy

MAY 15, 2019

Eleven-year-old Tealium has now hauled in more than $160 million in venture capital, and is prepping to become one of the region’s first big tech companies to go public in over five years.

Silver Lake 98

Silver Lake San Diego Software Venture Capital 98

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

This thinking is largely driven by the venture capital industry (and subsequently Wall Street) who are in search of high margin, highly scalable businesses. It’s nearly impossible to get a services company financed by VCs. Why Shouldn’t Most Services Businesses Raise VC? Even tech blogs know this.

Services 332

Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Proficio, a Carlsbad, CA-based startup providing cybersecurity protection services for middle market companies, has raised $12 million in an investment round led by Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. The Los Angeles-based private equity firm provided funding from its Kayne Partners Fund Group, which invests in high-growth technology businesses.

Equity 40

Equity Los Angeles Invest Networking 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Your goal should be to turn your VCs into extended members of your team to get real value from them. Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. Ask your VC to send a critical email to a contact.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital Blogging 365

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2015

If a VC tried to do this to you on an early-stage deal they would get such a bad reputation that no other VCs or entrepreneurs would work with them. On VC financings this term is explicit so entrepreneurs understand they’re getting screwed. If you do I will amend this blog post.

Entrepreneur 150

Entrepreneur Pricing Venture Capital Angel 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

I don’t think VCs care as much about co-founders & economics as people think. But not anal if one founder who shares equity graciously with early employees who are treated as “co-founders” My idea startup team is heaving on tech personnel but also has strong product management. What you agree / disagree with.

Startup 388

Startup Slides Outsource Development Sales 388

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

It’s important enough that I dedicate a tab on my blog to startup sales & marketing. how should a VC do due diligence on sales operations? It’s the lifeblood of any organization and yet most startups don’t have any sales DNA on their teams. how to structure the comp plan. How do you get access to customers?

Software Review 300

Software Review Sales Tips Help 300

Xconomy

JANUARY 23, 2018

In a blog post called “Fixing the Inequity of Startup Equity,” it offered a raft of free documents companies can download to more easily implement a 10-year exercise window. They’ve extended the window to exercise options for employees who have at least a minimum period of service.

Startup 64

Startup Blogging Equity Sites 64

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Anybody who follows this blog knows that my mom was the most influential person on my entrepreneurial career. Equity for the future? If you are the person staying how resentful will you become working your arse off for equity that your co-founder who leaves will get value from. And, yes, it is politics at its purest.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

Xconomy

JUNE 28, 2018

The Series D round included investments from previous BitSight backers Menlo Ventures, GGV Capital, and Singtel Innov8. The new funding brings BitSight’s total venture capital haul to $155. BitSight Technologies is restocking its war chest to try and win the emerging market for cybersecurity ratings.

Venture Capital 55

Venture Capital Equity Research Capital 55

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 18, 2009

Yesterday I wrote a blog post ( here ) in which I urged people to not have too many founders. To be clear – it is not about being stingy with or hoarding equity – it is about having a prenuptial agreement. They agreed to let the VC’s decide once an investment comes in. They each own 33%. To the contrary.

Startup 251

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 251

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 11, 2010

This past December I spent a week in Boston to try to get to know some of the local VC’s and entrepreneurs a bit better. One of the meetings I had (organized by my good friend Jeff Yolen ) was with New Atlantic Ventures held the at the CIC, aka the Cambridge Innovation Center (no prizes for guessing where it’s located).

Startup 285

Startup Venture Capital Incubator Entrepreneur 285

Tech Coast Venture Network

APRIL 22, 2010

Often, this also involves a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) if you’re a home owner with equity. Angel Investors & Venture Capital. Understand how to value you company (more to come in a future blog!) Come to the table with a reasonable equity offer based on your company’s true value.

Startup 124

Startup Tech Coast Angels TCVN Incubator 124

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

I wrote this conundrum and the need to take charge of how the market define your skills in my much-read blog post on “ personal branding.” I often tell people in this scenario to focus on a VC “fixer upper.” Being the CEO of a fixer-upper gives you board exposure and VC relationships that will benefit you later.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Xconomy

JULY 16, 2019

Another company headed by former Illumina executives has launched, fueled with a $17 million Series A round from investors including a local venture capital firm.

Venture Capital 87

Venture Capital Examples Capital Product 87

Xconomy

JULY 26, 2016

The financing includes both new investment funding and a conversion of debt to equity, according to a notation in the filing. Adding to the confusion, the most-recent MoneyTree Report on San Diego venture capital activity shows that Ostendo raised almost $10 million in VC funding during the second quarter.

Technology 40

Technology Venture Capital Beverly Hills Funding 40