Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

One of the key sections of any business plan is the analysis of the competition. Investors take that to mean either 1) there is no market for your product, or 2) you don’t understand the concept of business and competition. It will certainly also decrease profitability over time, as well as test your sustainable competitive advantage.

Startup 86

Startup Competition Pricing Framework 86

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2010

a loan) that is later converted to equity at the time of the next financing. If no financing happened then this “note&# may not be converted and thus would be senior to the equity of the company in the case of a bankruptcy or asset sale. Maybe the market views this as not worth the price you paid?

Startup 290

Startup Funding Venture Capital Pricing 290

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references. Visit reference customers, partners, and vendors. For reference, here is a quick summary of key elements which most investors include in their due diligence process: Key personnel review.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 11, 2010

[if you're not old enough to get the reference between this image and the title you can click on the image for a prompter]. We know prices of deals, compensation, who’s doing well / poorly, etc. These are not to be confused with incubators like YCombinator or IdeaLab which look to invest in your company and take equity positions.

Startup 285

Startup Venture Capital Incubator Entrepreneur 285

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 16, 2015

There’s plenty of capital out there, but there’s also a lot of competition for startup funding. Expect to be diluted by 20-25% with each equity round. Be careful how you price this. They’re typically issued at a 10-20% discount to equity depending on the timeframe; higher range is for longer timeframes. Funding Vehicles.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Equity Funding 40

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2013

These are investor slang terms referring to how fast money is being spent, with an implicit question of how long the startup can survive before breakeven or another cash infusion is required. Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Startup 101

Startup Invest Patents Entrepreneur 101

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 4, 2015

For example, there are the private company valuation figures that get bandied about: think the numbers people reference for Uber and AirBnB for example. Business valuations = the price of the company. The industry’s competitive dynamics. Do you see the overlap with the factors that come into play for equity valuations?

IP 40

IP Equity Examples Guide 40

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

Thus, you must first create the playbook by which an independent sales rep can readily sell your product, including: identifying objections and developing strategies to overcome them, creating reference accounts and establishing meaningful customer adoption. 2) Secure Your Intellectual Property Too Early.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

These are investor slang terms referring to how fast money is being spent, with an implicit question of how long the startup can survive before breakeven or another cash infusion is required. Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Startup 97

Startup Invest Patents Customer 97

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you don’t follow the image reference above or the tag line, “ You don’t need double talk; you need Bob Loblaw “ (try saying it out loud) , and if you care! You never got around to agreeing exact equity splits but you had many conversations about it. But make it competitive. the link is here.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

These are investor slang terms referring to how fast money is being spent, with an implicit question of how long the startup can survive before breakeven or another cash infusion is required. Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Startup Invest Patents 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2010

These are investor slang terms referring to how fast money is being spent, with an implicit question of how long the startup can survive before breakeven or another cash infusion is required. Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Startup 91

Startup Invest Patents Entrepreneur 91