I’m Afraid VCs Will Take Over
Tuesday, 17 January 2023
How do startup founders protect their company from investors in the shareholders’ agreement? Should they? Protect from what?? Seriously, think about it for a moment. The startup community is flooded with people who ‘don’t want VC,’ think, ‘investors will take over,’ and fear the influence or control of investors. This paranoia is a problem in
- Published in Startups
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Startup Valuations May Vary, Here’s Why and What You Need to Know
Monday, 05 December 2022
Businesses are valued based a multiple of earnings and profit. The variation stems from a few things associated with what that multiple might be (since earnings and profit are evident) Investor opinion about the capabilities of the executive team Investor awareness of competition, threats, and opportunities Investor knowledge about the market, trends, and potential regulation
- Published in Startups
Neither Your Product nor Your Idea is Fundable
Sunday, 14 August 2022
How do I sell a startup that has a validated solution yet neither users nor revenue? Among the primary FAQs within startup incubators and of advisors, is how do I get my product funded? You know the question through the variety of ways in which it emerges: How do I raise startup capital for my
- Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Startups
New Business or Startup? It Matters
Friday, 01 July 2022
I’ve been the “Grumpy Get Off My Lawn!” about this over the years and tend to just roll with the people who are adamant that words are interchangeable, feeling that it’s not worth pushing when people want to say one thing can mean another. Of what have I been grumpy? Words matter. An investor in
- Published in Insights / Research, Startups
How Funding Startups is Like Betting on Horses
Monday, 09 August 2021
Last week, a bit of a controversial, but thought-provoking, perspective about Venture Capital caught the attention of a lot of my readers and followers. There has been a horrific rash of *VC Bad* propaganda and misinformation lately, sparking my thought that people are being misled about the what Venture Capital is and does. That, entrepreneurs are frustrated
- Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Startups
“Venture Capital Destroys Value” – What??
Wednesday, 04 August 2021
The conversation recently had started, “Why do venture capitalists invest in startups if many of them are losing money and destroying value?” and I had to pause when I heard the point of view because I couldn’t even rationalize how someone thinks that way. Then of course it dawned on me that lately there has
In the Company of Venture Capital
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
People have different definitions of “startup” and “venture capital,” and it’s that foundation that causes frustrations and misplaced expectations. What Frustrations in Venture Capital? The real reason founders are not funded VCs don’t say in a pitch process Why Venture Capitalists Aren’t Funding The Businesses We Need VCs like to take their time with their