Tag: Entrepreneur
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A while back, I met a really interesting fintech startup. Revenue was growing like crazy, 30% MoM. So why did I pass? Because I stick with what I know. The company was in Nigeria, and the market is just too unfamiliar. Like a lot of US investors, I only invest…
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I’m a $5,000 first check. But this week, I introduced a founder to a VC who offered him $800,000. This is why you should meet with small investors. Let’s say you’re raising a $2 million seed round. At first glance, talking to a guy who writes $5,000 checks seems like…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Fundraising, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startups, VC, Venture Capital+
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A company you invested in got acquired. Time to buy that mansion, right? Not so fast. Most acquisitions in startupland are nothing like Salesforce’s $28 billion purchase of Slack. The more common scenario is what’s called an “acquihire.” I’ve had this happen a few times in my portfolio. Let me…
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Here are the financial situations of a few founders I know: 1) Salary paused indefinitely.2) Searching for side jobs to pay the bills while continuing to run the company.3) Relying on a spouse with a normal job because the startup isn’t making money. We’re talking enormous stress here. But money…
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Yesterday afternoon, I was chatting with a great founder. She was having a really hard time — her two co-founders had just left the company. People rarely talk about co-founder divorce. But it happens, and when it does, it has a profound effect on a company. After a co-founder breakup,…
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We all know a warm intro beats a cold message any day. But how do you get them? I’m going to show you how to get 10X the warm intros you’re getting today. And it’s surprisingly simple. Getting more intros is all about making it easy for the person doing…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Networking, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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Deep in the bowels of a startup’s data room, there’s a critical document: the cap table. A problem with this document can kill a financing. Let me run you through 4 common cap table problems so you can avoid them. 1) Dev Shop or Venture Studio on the Cap Table.…
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You love the founder and the company is crushing it. Time to write a check, right? Think again. There’s one other little matter that needs to be ironed out before I invest in a startup: finding a lead investor. A lead investor sets the price and terms of the round.…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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When I e-mail my friends in VC during the summer, they often take 1-4 weeks to get back to me. Are you sure you want to raise right now? Every year, venture fundraising hits two troughs: one in the summer, and another between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. And yet, some…
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“What’s the best way to help founders you’ve invested in?” Last fall, I posed this question to one of the top early stage investors. His answer surprised me. “Share their posts on social media,” he said. “That’s it?” I thought. “Anyone can do that!” Yes, anyone can. But hardly anyone…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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Tremendous 