Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

By definition?—?I’m On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. 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. That used to be called A-round investing.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2023

They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately their startup. Let’s consider some basic definitions. VCs will be looking for a 10X return on their investment in 3 to 5 years, or 30% annual IRR (Internal Rate of Return).

Startup 98

Startup Venture Capital Funding Invest 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which In the U.S. contributes more than $25 billion to fund 70,000 startups every year. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

Angel 126

Angel Funding Venture Capital Seed Funding 126

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). But they are also a tax on your time with portfolio companies, looking for new investments, running your shop and honestly they are a tax on your family life.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

This morning's interview is with Kevin O'Connor , a longtime investor and serial entrepreneur, who is now running venture capital investment firm ScOp Venture Capital. Just this past September was a year with Amazon, when I left, and we started investing in September under the new name, ScOp Venture Capital.

Venture Capital 145

Venture Capital Startup Invest Capital 145

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2014

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Thus investing in startups should always be approached as a low odds game.

Invest 111

Invest Angel Funding Startup 111

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

Fund raising. It definitely has a “d” in it, as in it’s really not fun, raising. But it’s critical for your business, for you as a leader and people who excel at fund raising have an extreme advantage over those who do not. As a VC I also have to fund raise every three years and these posts 100% apply to VCs raising money, too.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2021

As I work with aspiring you new venture leaders, I always wish I had a definitive checklist of all the right attributes that I could share with you, encourage you to develop and highlight in your efforts with potential investors, and guide your own actions in starting the next billion dollar company. Pick a world you know and understand.

Funding 152

Funding Startup Ideas Resource 152

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2021

According to EVgo, it has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Climate Change Crisis Real Impact I Acquisition Corporation, with the combined entity expected to trade under the new ticker symbol EVGO.

.Net 113

.Net Acquisition Los Angeles Networking 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 23, 2012

However, the recent surge in startup activity has attracted a lot more capital into the area, including a significant amount of capital from LA's latest fund: Karlin Ventures (www.karlinvc.com). TX Zhuo: Karlin Ventures is an early stage venture fund based in LA. We are going to focus most of our investments in LA.

Funding 253

Funding Startup Invest Commerce 253

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2022

By definition, an angel investor is not an “institutional investor.” Venture capitalists (VCs) are paid to invest other people’s money, and measured on the rate of return they get. Angels are typically high net worth individuals who are investing their own money, for a wide range of motives. Entice angels to play along.

Invest 153

Invest Angel .Net Startup 153

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which In the U.S. contributes more than $25 billion to fund 70,000 startups every year. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

Venture Capital 106

Venture Capital Angel Seed Funding Invest 106

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust.

Invest 89

Invest Entrepreneur Startup Equity 89

socalTECH

MAY 25, 2016

Santa Monica-based March Capital Partners (www.marchcp.com) has just announced a brand new, $240M venture investment fund, led by longtime venture investing veterans Jim Armstrong, Sumant Mandal, Gregory Milken and Jamie Montgomery. What is the investment focus for this fund?

Southern California 113

Southern California Capital Funding Invest 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

According to the two companies, they are in a definitive agreement for a business combination, where the combined company will trade on the NYSE under the symbol GWHR. The two said the combined firm will have an implied pro-forma enterprise value of $1.1 and others. and others.

Westlake Village 113

Westlake Village Idealab Pasadena Capital 113

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

I have talked extensively about “social proof&# in fund raising in the past. And we all know that Ron Conway is considered the savviest of angel investors and yet by definition not all of his investments succeed. Who ultimately invested in FourSquare? In fact, sometimes seeing social proof (e.g. Connections.

Invest 288

Invest Angel Web 2.0 SEO 288

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Agoura Hills-based A2 Biotherapeutics , a biotechnology firm started by veterans of Amgen which is developing cell therapies for cancer patients, has raised $57M in a Series A funding round, the company said this week. The funding came from The Column Group, Vida Ventures, Samsara BioCapital and Nextech Invest.

Agoura Hills 124

Agoura Hills Agoura Research Organization 124

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 21, 2021

Welcome Tech , which has built a digital platform aimed at immigrants and their families, has raised $35 million in a Series B funding round co-led by TTV Capital, Owl Ventures and SoftBank Group Corp.’s s SB Opportunity Fund.

Platform 299

Platform Resource Services Capital 299

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

I believe the rise in angel investing is here to stay and the professionalization of this class (aka “super angels&# or “micro VC&# ) is a good thing for the VC industry and for entrepreneurs. But I fear that for most angel investors who invest over the long haul angel investing will not be a profitable endeavor.

Invest 306

Invest Angel Venture Capital Slides 306

socalTECH

AUGUST 14, 2018

Carlsbad-based Airspace Technologies , which is developing technology for the logistics market, says it has raised $8M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Defy, and also included Qualcomm Ventures (the investment arm of Qualcomm Incorporated), Cross Culture Ventures, and Schematic Ventures. READ MORE>>.

Technology 113

Technology Funding Invest Customer 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust.

Invest 73

Invest Startup Equity Incubator 73

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. Crowdfunding is rapidly becoming the major source of funding for seed-stage startups. Business accelerator funding. Startup incubator seed funding.

Funding 104

Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2023

A common question I get is “How do I get a bank loan to fund my startup?” Show a significant personal investment. As a general rule, your investment should be at least 20 percent of the total projected loan requirement. Bankers, like investors, fund people rather than ideas. Eliminate your salary from the use of funds.

Startup 117

Startup Equity Sites Funding 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2022

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust.

Startup 120

Startup Invest Equity Incubator 120

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

“The climate-oriented investment in Biden’s new plan would be roughly ten times what came through ARRA,” wrote Shayle Kann, a partner with the investment firm, Energy Impact Partners. ” Climate resiliency . Given the steady drumbeat of climate disasters that hit the U.S.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

According to some local Southern California venture investors, it absolutely is affecting how they are thinking about the investment environment. He explains, "Our partnership is spending time evaluating the impacts on our portfolio and our outlook on future investments.".

Rustic Canyon 124

Rustic Canyon Invest Technology Southern California 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2018

A common question I get is “How do I get a bank loan to fund my startup?” Show a significant personal investment. As a general rule, your investment should be at least 20 percent of the total projected loan requirement. Bankers, like investors, fund people rather than ideas. Eliminate your salary from the use of funds.

Funding 84

Funding Startup Equity Sites 84

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2023

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. That’s not as high as the failure rate with professional investors, but it should convince entrepreneurs that crowdfunding is still no panacea for funding.

Equity 80

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Statistics 80

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2017

Los Angeles-based private equity investor The Gores Group announced very late Thursday evening that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell Fotona Holdings , a manufacturer of high performance lasers for the medical, dental, and aesthetic market, to AGIC Capital. Financial details of the sale were not announced.

Equity 113

Equity Los Angeles Sales Capital 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2021

Think Bill Gates, with his current investments in energy management, or Blake Mycoskie with TOMs Shoes, as opposed to the leaders of the American Cancer Society or Goodwill Industries. Generating funds should not be the highest priority. Not a new definition for the nonprofit sector. Not about profit before social impact.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Funding Invest Activity 138

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

Very few people fund individuals. Professional angels / former entrepreneurs / seed funds – In Silicon Valley there are people like Ron Conway, Jeff Clavier, Mike Maples and many more. They know that the money they invest may be lost. Make sure these people understand the nature of early-stage angel investing.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2013

By definition, an angel investor is not an “institutional investor.” Venture capitalists (VCs) are paid to invest other people’s money, and measured on the rate of return they get. Angels are typically high net worth individuals who are investing their own money, for a wide range of motives. Entice angels to play along.

Angel 101

Angel Funding Startup Invest 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

To be clear, I define a product specification as the technical definition of your product, to be used for development and testing purposes, with a quick business summary for context. Professional investors and even customers invest in people, rather than just a product. Target income and expense by year, including funding.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. This means less capability to ensure that invested funds are spent wisely or as planned. Risk is increased.

Equity 164

Equity Statistics Platform Entrepreneur 164

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2015

If you need funding for these early stage activities, I have some suggestions on better strategies to follow. The first is to be more precise in your definition and understanding of where you are, and how the money will be spent. It’s still considered high risk for investment, since manufacturing and quality issues are likely.

Develop 102

Develop Development Product Funding 102

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2013

I still get business plans, looking for an investor, that say all too clearly that the primary “use of funds” will be to do research and development (R&D) on some promising new technology, like superconductivity or cancer cures. Funding sources are still the same as stage one. All is definitely fundable now. Diversification.

Research 97

Research Develop Development Funding 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2011

If your company is early stage and has a valuation under $1M, don’t ask for a $5M investment. Angel investment groups usually won’t consider a request over $1M, while venture capitalists won’t look at anything under $2M. Approaching any one of these groups with a funding request outside their range is a waste of your time and theirs.

Invest 93

Invest Entrepreneur Funding Ideas 93