How Do You Select A Revenue Model For Your Startup?
Image via Wikipedia One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The alternatives range from giving it away for free, to pricing based on costs, to charging...
View ArticleThere seems to be a lack of long-term investment in startups. Why is the 3-5...
Precisely because seed stage investments in private startup companies are NOT Warren Buffet’s types of investments. Early venture and angel investments are much, much riskier than Buffett’s, with more...
View ArticleWho is the most important person in a tech/web startup (visionary,...
Since Bill Hewlett joined with Dave Packard in 1939 to create what is today the world’s largest personal computer company, there has arisen an evergreen debate as to who is more important in starting a...
View ArticleWhat are some of the keys to assembling a great board of directors at a company?
There is a saying in the not-for-profit world that your board members should all fall into one or more of three categories in which they can deliver: Wealth, Work or Wisdom. In my experience, those...
View ArticleShould I give my seed investors anti-dilution protection?
What this investor is seeking is called “permanent, full-ratchet, anti-dilution protection”, and that is neither (a) in line with the market, nor (b) practical. Even if you were willing to give it to...
View ArticleThe Planned Iteration Startup Launch Minimizes Risk
Eric Ries on Lean Startup methodology, via Wikipedia The traditional mode of starting a company has been to plan a serial process, where you complete once all the steps, leading to the “big bang”...
View Article10 Incentives For Entrepreneurs To Bootstrap Their Startup
Image via Pixabay I’ve always wondered who started the urban myth that the best way to start a company is to come up with a great idea, and then find some professional investors to give you a pot of...
View ArticleThe Discipline of Execution Defines an Entrepreneur
When entrepreneurs come to me with that “million dollar idea,” I have to tell them that an idea alone is really worth nothing. It’s all about the execution, and investors invest in the people who can...
View ArticleThe Startup Failure Rate Among Angel-Funded Companies
With all the news about hundred million dollar rounds and billion dollar valuations, it can be hard not to look at the world of entrepreneurship and angel investing as a thrilling ride that only has...
View ArticleHow To Secure A Lead Investor
By Paula Taas, Founder Institute You’ve created an amazing founding team, you’ve built a brilliant product that has been gaining a lot of traction, and now you’re looking to expand your company. How...
View ArticleBootstrapping Organic Growth Makes Startup Sense
Image via Flickr from Food For Thought album When someone asks me for the best way to fund a startup, I always say bootstrap it, meaning fund it yourself and grow organically. Bootstrapping avoids all...
View ArticleSurround Yourself With People Smarter Than You
Einstein image via Flickr by Sebastian Niedlich Helpers do what you say, while good help does what you need, without you saying anything. People who can help you the most are actually smarter than you,...
View ArticleHow to Build a Unicorn From Scratch – and Walk Away with Nothing.
This is a grim fairy tale about a mythical company and its mythical founder. While I concocted this story, I did so by drawing upon my sixteen years of experience as a venture capitalist, plus the...
View ArticleAddressing the Dreaded Lifestyle Outcome
Three outcomes dominate exits of angel-funded companies: Dead bugs – Startups that go out of business, returning less-than-invested capital to angels (usually zero). Positive exits – Companies that...
View Article18 Ways to Make Your Financial Model Stand Out to Investors
The median investor looking at your proposal is in her 40s. Her eyes are going, not to mention her brain. I look at a lot of spreadsheets and analytic reports, and way too many are difficult to read...
View ArticleRaising Capital As A First Time Founder
A year ago, in mid September 2014, I walked out of a Starbucks in San Francisco with the very first check from an angel investor for Glassbreakers. Though it was only $5,000, it was enough to prove to...
View ArticleStarting a startup as CTO / Head of Product
After less than a year, Glassbreakers is now a team of 10, we have thousands of active users on our free product, we’ve expanded into enterprises with paying customers and raised over a million in seed...
View ArticleValuation Part I: Peeling the Onion, or How Top Investors Value the Startups...
Early-stage technology company valuations are generally a crap-shoot. Bill Payne did a great post about this in October 2011. This post builds on top of his work, and attempts to shed additional light...
View ArticleFrom Accelerators to Venture Capital: What is best for your startup?
With startup growth up 61% since 2014 and more investment programs emerging, it can be overwhelming for founders to know just where to jump in. As the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet,...
View ArticleGust Launches Comprehensive Equity Management Platform for Cap Table...
Gust announces acquisitions of Sharewave and Preferred Return; creates the most robust and affordable equity management solution for early-stage startups. June 22, 2016 – NEW YORK, NY – Gust, the...
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