Tag: Founders
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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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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 makes a great deck? Where can angels find deals? I dug into all that and more on the very first episode of the OpenVC podcast! Here are some of my favorite moments… 2:03: How I got into angel investing and finding some early success. 9:43: Helping founders after I…
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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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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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Some angels rip $50k, $250k or more into a startup. I never do that. Here’s why… I want to build a big portfolio of investments. Three years in, I have 29 companies and I’m headed to 100. I also want to put aside half the cash I have earmarked for…
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+ Angel, Angel Investing, Entrepreneurs, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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VC’s have over $300 billion of money they haven’t invested, also known as “dry powder.” But you may never get it. What Is Dry Powder? Let’s say I’m running investments for Francis University. I decide to invest in ABC Ventures. I promise to invest $100,000,000 — so that means I…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Founders, Investing, LP, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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Tremendous 