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Why Raising Too Much Money Can Harm Your Startup

Both Sides of the Table

conversation literally every week with startups. What felt great when you raised it $5 million on $20 million now feels like a noose around your neck because raising at an up-round of $8–10 million at a $40–50 million pre-money valuation is stratospherically harder than raising at a $20 million valuation. million or $4 million.

Startup 292
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How Boards Need to Evolve Over Time

Both Sides of the Table

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. Most experienced VCs won’t push you to give up founder control at this stage of the business nor should they. Reviewing financial & operational performance. As You Start to Mature.

Startup 325
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How Well Versed Are You In Startup Investor Jargon?

Startup Professionals Musings

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. This term is currently applied to recent startups who profess a current valuation which exceeds $1 billion. Prime examples include Uber, Airbnb and Snapchat.

Startup 57
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What You Can Learn from a Scorpion

Both Sides of the Table

The hardest thing about starting a company is that from day one you emerge as this completely vulnerable entity trying its hardest to project success, power, trajectory and inevitability while you secretly know that you’re one knock-out blow from extinction. In a word – you are truly vulnerable. It’s a Hobbesian calculation.

Startup 150
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Do Less. More.

Both Sides of the Table

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. And even this can’t stop their employees from fleeing after two years of vesting to move on to the next hot startup.