startups Archives - Page 9 of 21

Raising Capital: The Process is a Flywheel

Wednesday, 26 January 2022 by Paul O'Brien

Our year has started with a flood of curiosity about Venture Capital not just in how to raise funding but in consideration of how funds work, what it takes to get a job at a venture capital firm, and whether or not VC is broken or needs to change. Certain of 2022, given the recent years of

Published in Raising Capital

22 Comments

Wisdom of Life in Work

Friday, 17 December 2021 by Paul O'Brien

My Dad sent me a thought about Life, and lately, I can’t help but be fixated on notions that life lessons parallel entrepreneurship more than we realize or put into practice. The notion, for example, of finding cofounders is frequently explored through consideration of Dating and Marriage. Experiences in life informing what it means to

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

14 Comments

How Funding Startups is Like Betting on Horses

Monday, 09 August 2021 by Paul O'Brien

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

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Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Startups

15 Comments

Entrepreneurs Struggle Beyond Startup

Tuesday, 08 June 2021 by Paul O'Brien

Highly risk tolerant and constantly fixated on doing things better, entrepreneurs tend not to be found running companies. That’s not remotely a knock against entrepreneurs. Operating a company is a management skillset, it’s operational, it’s project based, it’s plan and execute…. and these are skillsets that, while valuable to a founder, are not typically consistent

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Published in Startups

38 Comments

In the Company of Venture Capital

Wednesday, 17 February 2021 by Paul O'Brien

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

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Published in Startups

37 Comments

The Valuation of a Pre Funded Startup

Wednesday, 20 January 2021 by Paul O'Brien

Startups all, struggle with a question of what’s called, “valuation.” What is the company worth? To put together a pitch deck, negotiate terms with investors, or just to share with potential team members and advisors what you’re doing, people will want to know what it’s worth now. Before you take money from a venture capital

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

35 Comments

A Competition Slide that Closes Capital

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 by Paul O'Brien

I was asked recently if Facebook and Google are competitors, and the question being asked, struck me with as much alarm as hearing a startup founder say they don’t have competitors. What most frequently gives an investor pause is a slide in a pitch deck that communicates that you’re not paying attention to your market and

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Published in Raising Capital

4 Comments