Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

The Founder needs to remember that meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or a small team. Startup equity investments imply a long-term business relationship, lasting an average of five years. My best advice is to stick to the middle ground.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. As evidence that it does work, CrunchBase reported that more than 200 companies in YCombinator’s Winter 2023 cohort were funded, and many were scooped up by VCs even before the Demo Days. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

socalTECH

JUNE 2, 2010

launched earlier this year at DEMO. Alon Goren: What we did, actually, was when we launched at DEMO we got up on stage, and you're not allowed to show a PowerPoint--you have to demo your product. Tags: alon goren investedin startup interview entrepreneur demo investment project music. What is the idea behind Invested.in?

Sites 237

Sites Startup Invest SoCalTech 237

socalTECH

JANUARY 5, 2021

One of our most promising new programs is the Strategic University Research Expo (SURE) in partnership with Biocom where we curate highly focused virtual demo days featuring select university research -- it was only conceived when we were liberated from the in-person model.

Southern California 202

Southern California SoCal Technical Review Startup 202

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

In return, the accelerator often invests $25,000 to $100,000 in the young enterprise and takes from five to ten percent of the equity in return. At the conclusion of the acceleration period, the company participates in a “demo day” in which institutional investors are invited to review the company in a live pitch session.

Venture Capital 266

Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. As evidence that it does work, TechCrunch reported a new high of more than 200 companies in YCombinator’s Winter 2019 cohort, and many were scooped up by VCs even before the Demo Days. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

The Founder needs to remember that meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or a small team. Startup equity investments imply a long-term business relationship, lasting an average of five years. My best advice is to stick to the middle ground.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 7, 2013

The Numbers - Most Accelerators offer participating startups a modest capital investment in exchange for a 5% to 10% equity interest. End Game - Some Accelerators spend significant time helping startups hone their pitch for a blow-out Demo Day. However, avoid any Accelerator that charges startups a fee to participate.

Incubator 238

Incubator Startup News Entrepreneur 238

Tech.Co

JULY 18, 2016

Several startups have been selected to demo their products for other founders and entrepreneurs. Equity Directory – an invite-only network of entrepreneurs and startup talent exchanging work for equity. And for those L.A. This isn’t just a showcase for the sake of a showcase. More startups to come**.

Los Angeles 70

Los Angeles Angel Startup Newsletter 70

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. He’s fine with equity provided it’s cheap to paper it legally. Photo credit: D. Blanchard/O’Reilly Media.

Venture Capital 286

Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review Startup 286

socalTECH

MARCH 21, 2012

The standard model for an accelerator is, they provide a tranche of equity, along with a suite of services that varies by different accelerator. One reason we have those investors, is I think that demo days won't work in LA. So, when we decide to throw a demo day, it won't be like the demo days in Silicon Valley.

Startup 254

Startup Los Angeles Entrepreneur Media 254

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2016

On the positive side, friends and family probably won’t be as demanding on your financial projections as a professional investor, and they likely will be satisfied with an initial offer of a convertible note (loan with option to convert to equity later), so you don’t have to give away the store before you get started.

Funding 60

Funding Startup Ideas Slides 60

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Sales people aren’t always motivated only by cash – especially in early-stage business you need to focus on equity because cash won’t be plentiful. Feedback isn’t always an excuse – and often sales people can provide the best feedback to your product teams.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2017

Startup equity investments imply a long-term business relationship, lasting five years or longer. The founder needs to remember that investor meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or one or two executives.

Invest 59

Invest Startup Doc Slides 59

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

We''ve raised around $72 million now in equity capital. We also have a growth equity firm out of New York, the Stripes Group, which is run by guys like Ken Fox, and his partner, Dan Marriott. All of that growth happened in the last three and a half years, and we now have 325 employees based here at our headquarters in Irvine.

Startup 160

Startup El Segundo CTO Hire Outsource Development 160

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

The Founder needs to remember that meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or a small team. Startup equity investments imply a long-term business relationship, lasting an average of five years. My best advice is to stick to the middle ground.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

What equity is the company willing to give in return for the investment? Offer to do a demo later, but don’t try to squeeze it in the presentation. What is the current valuation of the company? Show breakeven point, burn rate, and growth assumptions. Funding requirements and use of funds. Exit strategy.

Slides 99

Slides Competition Sample Sales 99

SoCal Delicious

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Next → Later today, the Startup UCLA accelerator will have its inaugural demo day. Participating companies get between $4,000 and $8,000 in addition to mentorship and office space while participating in the 12 week program, and have to give up zero equity in exchange. Post navigation. ← Previous. George Thiruvathukal.

UCLA 47

UCLA Invest Startup Class 47

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

What equity is the company willing to give in return for the investment? Offer to do a demo later, but don’t try to squeeze it in the presentation. What is the current valuation of the company? Show breakeven point, burn rate, and growth assumptions. Funding requirements and use of funds. Exit strategy.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

socalTECH

OCTOBER 27, 2011

K5Launch (www.k5launch.com) is modeled after the successful Y-Combinator and TechStars acceleration programs, and invests equity, provides mentors, and runs a three month program to get very early stage startups off the ground. We end with a demo day, where the graduate companies from the accelerator will present to investors.

Orange County 192

Orange County Southern California Startup Class 192

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

CircleUp is an online social marketplace that supports direct equity investments from individual investors to small private consumer and retail companies. Tons of start ups demoed at PowderKeg’s StartUp Bowl held in the Lucas Oil Stadium famous for football’s SuperBowl XLVI. image EPA/Andrew Gombert.

Startup 104

Startup Technical Review Search Engine Optimization Los Angeles 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

What equity is the company willing to give in return for the investment? Offer to do a demo later, but don’t try to squeeze it in the presentation. What is the current valuation of the company? Show breakeven point, burn rate, and growth assumptions. Funding requirements and use of funds. Exit strategy.

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2015

We were features at Running USA in February, and did our soft launch demo, and there has been some real excitement about that. Gregg Parise: Over the last two and a half years, we''ve raised approximately $10M in equity, and most recently did a bridge financing to get us ready for our Series C round, a little bit of venture debt.

Software 100

Software Activity Startup San Diego 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

Other signs of engagement are: they ask you to meet with portfolio companies (they want feedback on your product and you), they ask you to meet a colleague, they set up a call to go through a product demo / financial walk-through, they ask to speak with customers, etc.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Mike has over 18 years of business development, marketing and management experience in businesses ranging from early stage start-ups to private equity and from mid-stage business to large turn-around operations. 7:10 – 8:00pm – 5 five-minute demos, followed by brief Q&A for each company. What: Spotlight Series Event. RSVP: AGENDA.

Tech Coast Angels 96

Tech Coast Angels Idealab Angel Startup 96

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2011

One investor played chicken with me by threatening not to approve my next-round financing unless I gave him more equity. There are moments like being on stage when your demo crashes, reading about your competitors raising a ton of cash or having one of your top team members resign that test your will.

Entrepreneur 384

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 384

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2010

It seems the focus on “virtual&# goods has been both the demo of the consumer as well as the fact that by definition virtual goods have almost no marginal costs to the seller so giving a huge slice to the carrier (and Zong) isn’t a problem since actual costs are ~ $0. Obviously they see big things in Wildfire. 4mm in Series A.

Venture Capital 270

Venture Capital Capital Rustic Canyon Mobile 270

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

From LA Demo Day to Silicon Beach Fest to Crowdstart LA to hackathons to Startup Weekends, companies and entrepreneurs alike have joined forces to feed the startup ecosystem. Awkward topics such as equity share come into play and everyone’s roles and what value they bring to the table are questioned.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2011

One investor played chicken with me by threatening not to approve my next-round financing unless I gave him more equity. There are moments like being on stage when your demo crashes, reading about your competitors raising a ton of cash or having one of your top team members resign that test your will.

Startup 176

Startup Entrepreneur Venture Capital Ideas 176

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 12, 2010

The final showoff's have been selected, so that brings the count to a total of 10 showoff's plus a wild card from the demo night at UCLA (full list of showoff's below). As an undergradudate, Leila authored background papers for the World Bank's Development Research Group and Ashoka on equity and social rights. Dave McClure. .

Twiistup 40

Twiistup Riot Games UCLA Media 40

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

How To Pitch A Product - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , August 4, 2010 I've said a bunch of times on this blog that the perfect pitch is a very short intro to provide context followed immediately by a demo. equity debate. Last night at the NY Tech Meetup, John Britton of our portfolio company Twilio showed how it is done.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191