A long time ago in an economy far, far away. . .
Listen my children and you shall hear Of IPO dreams once held so dear Our forefathers’ jackpot, guaranteed to arrive Hardly a founder now alive Can remember that famous yesteryear So begins, of course,...
View ArticleOutside capital: do or die?
A gigantic percentage of startup literature concerns how to raise capital. But before you start on that PowerPoint, let’s ask this: do you really have to? Or is it still possible to bootstrap and...
View ArticleEntrepreneurs: Due Diligence on Investors is Smart
Due diligence should always be a two-way street. A while back, I published an article on “Startup Due Diligence Is Not a Mysterious Black Art,” describing what investors do to validate your startup...
View ArticleIPOs, M&As, Liquidity, & You. (the entrepreneur)
In the “good old days,” angels invested in seed-stage startups and teed up promising companies for subsequent venture capital financing. If the company was successful, this quickly led to an IPO – a...
View ArticleGood Sources on the Pros & Cons of Convertible Notes
Entrepreneurs: if you’re looking seriously at angel investment, and you have the kind of product-market fit and management experience investors will like, you need to take a good look at convertible...
View ArticleLimiting the Number of Shareholders in Private Companies
The US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, section 12(g), generally limits a privately held company to fewer than 500 shareholders. The assumption has been that companies with 500 investors are...
View ArticleGoing to Raise VC? Here’s a Primer on Process, People & Powerpoint Deck
If you want a very quick primer on all the stuff nobody ever tells you about raising venture capital check out this video where Mark Jeffrey & I break it down on This Week in VC. A summary of what...
View ArticleHere is Why You Need a Good Startup Exit Strategy
If you startup is your dream, why would you want to think about an exit? It’s going to be so successful and so much fun that you don’t need to think about what comes after. Wrong. There are two very...
View ArticleSideways Startups: An Investor’s Dilemma
Editor’s Note: For a great tip on unloading private stock, read this post about how you can donate it. One-half of angel-funded companies fail, which is why a winning Investment Strategy for Angels...
View ArticleWhen A Startup Chooses IPO Most Founders Are Out
Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs...
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