Welcome to Startupland, the world of wild rides, IPOs and exits, heartbreak and highly caffeinated coding frenzies, all while struggling to stay alive, build a business, beat the competition and be able to afford more than Ramen. Amidst all of this chaos, this is probably your first startup rodeo and you’re learning everything as you...
If you are reading this blog, you know that venture capital is a power law game. Venture investors invest in ten companies hoping one returns the losses of the other nine many times over. And they have to because so many startups and small businesses fail. But to really understand the implications and motivations of...
The Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising Part 5: How to Structure Your Fundraise to Close Your Round Faster Welcome back to Part 5 of our Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising. If you missed the previous posts, I highly recommend you read through those first before continuing. The Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising Part 1: Understanding...
The Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising Part 4: The Biggest Fundraising Mistakes Startups Make Welcome back to Part 4 of our Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising. If you missed the previous posts, I highly recommend you read through those first before continuing. The Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising Part 1: Understanding Investors 101: The Pros...
Fundraising is one of the most critical aspects of any startup. You need the runway to “burn” through the learning phase (products to product market fit) as quickly as possible as you work to scale your business. Because otherwise you’ll never catch (and ultimately conquer) the incumbents. Because some businesses simply NEED outside funding to...
Move fast and break things… that is the traditional (albeit slightly cliche) Facebook/Silicon Valley slogan we’ve heard for years. And for a time, it was incredibly effective. Just look at Big Tech’s domination of the S&P 500. Without question, wildly ambitious founders and wild rides have defined the last two decades of startups, innovation and...
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s how the old mantra goes. And when it comes to human nature, that’s exactly how we work. We avoid change and go with the flow. If it hasn’t killed us yet (from an evolutionary sense), we’re probably on the right path. And that’s why the WeWork saga...
The Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising Part 3: The Killer Startup Pitch Deck VCs Can’t Ignore! Welcome back to Part 3 of our Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising. If you missed the previous posts, I highly recommend you read through those first before continuing. The Ultimate Guide to Startup Fundraising Part 1: Understanding Investors 101:...
Software as a service is the new heroine. Companies and individuals sign up for free trials and are instantly hooked. It is a hell of a drug. For B2B customers this is especially true. Most businesses hate change. When the ball is rolling, the last thing you want is overhaul the entire new system. You...