Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

What price? Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. I tapped my friends at big tech companies (Salesforce, Google, Oracle). The only way for a company to be overvalued is if there’s someone willing to pay that price. What stage? I hustled.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Every investor in your startup, even friends and family, normally expects a share of your company (equity), which means your return for all your effort goes down quickly. Otherwise find an inexpensive class on grant writing. Professors get grants for research, but they need you for the current focus on commercialization.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

What price? Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. I tapped my friends at big tech companies (Salesforce, Google, Oracle). The only way for a company to be overvalued is if there’s someone willing to pay that price. What stage? I hustled.

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Berkonomics

MARCH 13, 2014

Companies also need an inciting incident, because, more often than not, you often will depend upon selling your story to someone. What is the inciting incident for your company? I found myself explaining all this recently to a company team that was pitching me on its story. They wanted to come to pitch to my angel network.

Invest 237

Invest Examples Networking Writing 237

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Round sizes of > $100 million or more now account for 47% of all VC dollars (62% if you count rounds > $50 million) This has made venture capital significantly more valuable for VCs and LPs who invest in the best companies As part of our study we noticed a trend many have spotted but few have explained?—?why

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Invest Seed Funding Startup 328

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

What is it about the content delivery network market which has enabled Santa Monica-based EdgeCast to go from startup to over $100M in revenues in only a few, short years? We caught up with James Segil , the firm's President, to hear the story behind that big growth at the company. We've grown really fast.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. One of them is profitability.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

Lower costs to start a business (95% reduction), many more companies created & funded by angels / seed. Just 3 years ago there was talk of institutional investors “not being able to write small enough checks.” Thus the amount of money that companies have raised before going public had doubled since the Great Recession.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Given the steady drumbeat of climate disasters that hit the U.S.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 2, 2015

I even wrote about my experiences attending Web Summit , something I rarely ever write about. After all, entry price registration question aside, they are all expensive once you factor in airfare, hotels, ground transportation, booths (if you have one), meals and – especially – time away from your day jobs?

Web 150

Web Conference Technical Review Class 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

I explain in the video what happened in my first company (e.g. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. Down rounds are psychologically really difficult on companies and can make it harder to do later rounds. Pricing high also takes exit options off the table.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 282

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

If you look at some high-profile tech companies funded in the last big VC cycle you had eBay, Amazon, Salesforce & Google each go public having raised < $100 million in VC TOTAL prior to IPO and their last private-market valuation were all sub $400 million. As a result the best companies grow faster than any time in human history.

Venture Capital 292

Venture Capital Capital Startup Funding 292

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

We short-handed this marketing mix as “ the four P’s ” – product, price, promotion and place (distribution) – this was devised in 1960 and while a little bit dated is still a useful framework. Online marketing uses techniques for driving promotion and place. Look at Viddy & SocialCast.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

70–80% of the costs of most startups are employee costs so what you’re really talking about when a company is unprofitable is that they are growing their staff ahead of their revenue. Are you looking to potentially sell the company in the next year or two? I often ask entrepreneurs to consider, “What’s your objective?

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

I recently wrote a post on angel financing covering the topic of convertible notes but I realized I was thinking about the issue more from investor perspective and a very narrow topic of how to price the round. Great companies are built by having great products. They are people who built and sold companies and have a bit of money.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

If you know, VCs end up writing sizable checks into their own funds, which is important in better aligning interests. They will have to negotiate price and terms. M&A discussions (where your company is buying or being bought). million round I might write $1.8 – 2.2 Angels have additional networks.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

Months of submissions and the amazing help from our judges , the Spotlight is shinning down on awesome companies that were born right out of Southern California. And now without further ado I present the Spotlight: LA Tech Winter Companies: Spotlight Companies. We write and create our own content for the game.

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

I have long advised startup companies that if you don’t control your messaging somebody else will and your potential customers will form impressions of you shaped by somebody else or by nobody at all. Yet as obvious as it is to create messaging for your company, many people don’t consider their personal brands.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2019

I still see too many aspiring business leaders highlighting their technology, product features, and price, more than customer value and usability. Now customers judge you by your visibility to them at public forums, your writing, videos, and what other public figures say. Highlight your credibility by visibility and relationships.

Customer 93

Customer Custom IBM IBM 93

socalTECH

MARCH 22, 2012

The company also made quite an impression with its viral video --which you have to watch to appreciate--of CEO Michael Dubin extolling the virtues of the company's products, and panning overpriced, expensive razor brands. We talked with Dubin earlier about the company. What's your background, and how did the company start?

Dollar Shave Club 210

Dollar Shave Club Startup Pricing Sample 210

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

She was leaving IAC to start a company. And still able to make it out to LA networking events. Kara on one side of the table showing me market sizes, competitive dynamics, product roadmaps, pricing plans for physical products with COGS and gross margins. She helps write press releases. Kara called me on a Tuesday.

Startup 398

Startup Design Downey Activity 398

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

We had the final terms of our agreement fairly well boxed in within a range of about 5-7% on price and within 30 days on move-in date. I obviously preferred the lowest price and I wanted the latest move-in date. She told me, “start with the price you want but the move in date he wants.&#. I told my agent. She way annoyed.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

socalTECH

MAY 25, 2016

We know you invest globally, but are there specific kinds of companies you hope to focus on here in Southern California? So, you will see March participating in the early stage with consumer companies. There's also a great network effect happening in the area of industry clouds, and network capitalism, which is not just marketing poof.

Southern California 113

Southern California Capital Funding Invest 113

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2015

I worked with a successful portfolio company recently that had to make some big moves in the market. ” I recently helped a portfolio company with recruiting a critical, company-changing key exec (that I hope will be announced next week). Opening is easier than closing. Lots of people start, very few finish.

Startup 150

Startup Framework Sales Venture Capital 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

There’s one attribute (coming soon) that I need to have in order to write a check but I don’t believe is vital for success. If your last company was Apple, Blackberry, AdMob or JAMDAT and you have some experience in the sector then I know that your product will have your experiences baked into it. He’s a star.

Entrepreneur 267

Entrepreneur Startup SaaS San Diego 267

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 20, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Tuesday, February 20, 2007 Innovation and Geography I ran across a post in Read/Write Web - Does Location Matter in Web Innovation? Ive personally been involved in the start-up world in Los Angeles for about 15 years, and have had the opportunity to work on many early-stage companies (e.g.,

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Southern California CTO Hire Social Media 150

socalTECH

MARCH 6, 2017

After I sold my last company, Shift, in May of 2015, I took some time off to look for the next thing to do. You're known as quite the angel investor here in companies (ie. I'm not saying there isn't a skill involved in picking companies, but there are so many variables at work. And they are all roller coasters, as you know.

Media 153

Media Mobile Startup Acquisition 153

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

Investor and customer attention spans are short, and both will write you off quickly. This statement leaves no confusion in the minds of investors, or customers, of what the company does and how it is different (and better) than the competition. A new easier to use social network may not get anyone excited.

.Net 73

.Net Examples Customer Custom 73

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

So that we’re speaking the same language I would define “exclusive” as a period in which your company is prohibited from doing business with certain customers or business partners, which is why many incorrectly assume this is necessarily bad. I need to give credit for the topic to PR Malloy who Tweeted me this question.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Startup Customer Custom 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

He writes with a great perspective and is well worth reading. I say this as somebody who recruited several Harvard, Wharton and similar MBAs at my first company (the one where I acknowledge that I made every mistake in the book). on all the computers and established a network using Novell. I had to laugh a bit reading it.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

It’s why the first company I ever invested in as a VC – Invoca – just announced a $20 million funding by Accel Partners. It’s why opt-in marketing databases can be so incredibly valuable for companies like Gilt Groupe, One King’s Lane and AdoreMe. Much more data in the full post. PHONE CALLS. Not so fast.

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

Tech.Co

APRIL 11, 2018

Plenty of workers have had enough: In the final quarter of 2017, according to real estate company Redfin , more residents left San Francisco than any other major U.S. users and the over 3 million job positions the professional network fields each month. But, you’d be wrong, according to a new report out from LinkedIn.

Report 70

Report .Net Template Writing 70

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 25, 2016

It is no secret that the number of private companies with valuations in excess of one billion dollars has skyrocketed since the start of 2014. The inevitable outcome will be the collapse of the weakest companies, while those with sound underlying business models will be recapitalized with reasonable valuations.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Invest Venture Capital 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. Ideally, they will have links to distributors you need, or even be investors in your company as well. It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. Ship a minimum product now.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2010

I’m writing this series because if you better understand how VC firms work you can better target which firms make sense for you to speak with. I’m writing this post to explain to entrepreneurs what you should be thinking about in terms of the VC’s you approach and the size and stage of their funds.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Funding Invest GRP Partners 269

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” in 2014 the data seems pretty conclusive because LA has now become the fastest growing tech startup region by numbers of companies being started and those of us here have noticed this pace accelerating. Both are massively funding other LA tech companies through what Fred Wilson once defined as “recycled capital.”

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

There is much discussion online and also in small, private groups, about why the price of technology companies – public and private – are falling. Valuing any company can be difficult because it requires a degree of forecasting future growth & competition and ultimately the profits of the organization.

Startup 150

Startup Company Companies Venture Capital 150