Category: Business
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They were raising $5 million at a $30 million post-money valuation. I loved the founder and the product was innovative, but I had to pass. Here’s why… “ProductPreview” connects brands with consumers to give feedback on products before their release. ”ProductPreview” is a composite, not a real startup, and the…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Small Business, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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“I need to be in that.” That’s the first thing I thought when I saw Melengo present at a demo day last October. Well, I just made it happen! Melengo makes it easy to develop an apparel line, get financing, and get the products made. You can go from a…
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+ Apparel, Clothing Design, Design, Fashion, Finance, Investing, Manufacturing, Startups, Tech, Venture Capital+
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Lately, I’m seeing a ton of startups with no CTO. Instead, they have a team of engineers with minimal equity. This is a mistake. Here’s why… Incentives Matter Startups have to ship new features fast. That’s how they make customers happy and beat competitors. Who do you think will do…
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They were raising $1.5 million on an $8 million post SAFE. They had a cool product and a dedicated founder, but I passed. Here’s why… “DoorTrack” is a platform for real estate investors. ***”DoorTrack” is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up.*** But it shows…
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Most investors don’t reply to updates. I think that’s ridiculous. Here’s why I reply to every single one… It’s the Least You Can Do Founders are working 80, 90, 100 hours a week. And they’re doing it on our behalf, at least in part. The least I can do is…
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They were raising $400,000 on a $4 million post-money SAFE. The product was awesome, but I passed. Here’s why… “FallDetector” is a device to prevent falls in the elderly. ***”FallDetector” is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up.*** But it shows why even growing companies…
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They were raising $1.7 million at a $20 million cap SAFE. I passed. Here’s why… “PaintBetter” is an app that teaches you how to paint. ***”PaintBetter” is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up.*** But it illustrates why even some startups with really cool products…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, Venture Capital+
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I invest in companies with $200k to $500k ARR. So why am I meeting startups that just launched? I think of investing as a conveyor belt. Each day, I put a few more startups on it. In time, they’ll be ready for checkout! Shopping at the Startup Store I try…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, VC, Venture Capital+
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You’re about to meet an investor. What will he ask you? How do you prepare? Here’s what I ask… 1) Vision. The first thing I want to know is the founder’s vision for the company. My #1 goal in a meeting is to understand the vision. If I don’t understand…
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They were raising $1 million at a $10 million valuation. I passed. Here’s why. ReadMate helps kids learn how to read. ReadMate is a composite, not a real startup. But it shows why some consumer startups get funded, and others don’t. A Wonderful Mission ReadMate has guided stories that get…
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Tremendous 