Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

It’s like we need a finance 101 course for entrepreneurs. In finance they call it “terminal value” but the truth is the price is as arbitrary at your A round as it is at your seed round. I know how to structure around that to protect the founders from getting screwed on a multiple liquidation preference.

venture capital 417

venture capital capital ventures financing 417

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. And that’s what differentiates founders and early employees. So even after raising a $16 million A-round I still paid myself a paltry salary. So I did, in fact, invest in myself. They choose a different path.

startup founder 409

startup founder investment investing founder 409

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

We are big believers in their long-term vision and potential, have led their first 2 rounds of financings and are excited to have investment partners such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Related Companies, and Tim Ferriss on the journey with us.

founder 363

founder ecology sustainability culture 363

Andreessen Horowitz

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

But how can biotech teams effectively communicate to investors and partners how they will, with each round of financing, incrementally reduce the risks of discovering and developing successful new drugs? One of the most common questions we get from early stage founders is “what should I put in my data room?”

financing 125

financing finance real estate construction 125

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And the loosening of federal monetary policies, particularly in the US, has pushed more dollars into the venture ecosystems at every stage of financing. What Has Changed in Financing? They might be ideas they hatch internally (via a Foundry) or a founder who just left SpaceX and raises money to search for an idea.

ventures 471

ventures VC venture capital funders 471

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 4, 2023

As an entrepreneur or founder starting a business, you may think of capital as purely monetary. Unfortunately, without a solid grasp of how capital — in its many different forms — can influence a business, too many founders make decisions early on in their companies that have unintended consequences down the line.

entrepreneurs 225

entrepreneurs capital founder culture 225

American Entrepreneurship

JULY 15, 2024

The four co-founders are continuing to pass major milestones with an acquisition strategy and timely funding since its launch in 2017 Drivers’ parking experiences around the country are now being enhanced through artificial intelligence, enabling them to readily come and go without checking out. The financing included $1.05

financing 104

financing finance real estate strategy 104

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 12, 2025

Six startups showcased at Investopia 2025 represented a diverse range of industries, demonstrating the breadth of innovation within Crimson Founders 2025. HexemBio received The Crimson Founders Most Innovative Tech Award for its advanced stem cell therapy, which aims to enhance longevity and rejuvenate the immune system.

innovation 67

innovation founder startup entrepreneurship 67

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

JULY 19, 2021

Over the last 18 months, the early-stage financing market has seen dramatic changes characterized by these three things: A shift from in-person fundraising to virtual fundraising A reduction in financing process timelines from months to weeks A continued increase in the amount of capital available for early stage companies.

board 276

board financing finance sustainability 276

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

These companies didn''t announce their financings right away, and for good reason. They''re building up their PR plans to make the financing announcements part of a larger story arc. Sometimes it means establishing founder credibility over time to prospective future investors or to potential employees.

startup 394

startup construction venture capital financing 394

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 28, 2013

Every time he opens his mouth about founder diversity, he seems completely out of his league to address the topic. The biggest question I think VC''s face right now is whether or not, in the future, the best founders will look and act like the best founders of the past. That''s less than 10%. That''s 25%.

venture capital 407

venture capital VC ventures capital 407

Entrepreneurs' Organization

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

What better way to recognize these hard-working innovators than by showcasing female founders who have been featured on EO’s Wonder podcast ? Her guests include the women driving innovation, evolution and revolution in every industry imaginable—including IT, fitness, marketing, nutrition, finance and fashion. Listen here. Listen here.

entrepreneurship 319

entrepreneurship entrepreneurs financing finance 319

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 19, 2024

This experience allowed me to identify a critical void in financing companies: building healthy capital stacks and navigating the public offering process. With no revenue three years in and an ever-increasing pile of expenses, my personal finances took a hit. Loans replaced savings, and credit lines were stretched to their limits.

financing 255

financing finance entrepreneurship mentorship 255

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 4, 2022

For most founders, fundraising is a struggle. I’m a straight white dude who grew up in NYC and worked in finance. What’s that investor going to be like in a board meeting when you as a female founder need their support or worse, actually their vote? I’d argue that the answer is no, but that’s easy for me to say, right?

financing 417

financing finance board VC 417

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

The founder and CEO of our portfolio company Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, explained this well in a tweetstorm last week: He ended with this tweet: Recently Apple announced a way for developers to suggest updates to the App Store policies. We'll keep you updated on what we hear back.

financing 72

financing finance development innovation 72

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 14, 2015

Well, my friend Tom Potter, who I know as a fellow kayaker, but who is much better known as the co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery, is making that happen. Tom is partnering with Vidrik Frankfather, who has been in the finance industry for 16 years. Maybe like a fund."

investment 323

investment investing entrepreneurship financing 323

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 7, 2014

5 million was always the classic definition of an A-round between the late nineties (crazy financings aside) and say 2007. Entrepreneurs started demanding that VCs call their first-round financings “seed” rounds even if they were $3 million. and there''s always a but]. I saw this myself a few times in a row.

VC 399

VC advice financing finance 399

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

I first met Andrew Stalbow , the founder & CEO of Seriously in August of 2013. and Petri was co-founder and head of creative at Remedy Entertainment that launched the hit PC games Max Payne and Alan Wake. By September 26th we had submitted a term sheet which was signed on October 4th and financing was closed in less than 30 days.

media 373

media education VC finance 373

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

Clearly the founders and senior executives of a company are the most valuable resources and their time should be maximized on the most valuable tasks. I watched Ophir Tanz achieve much in his early days at the Founder & CEO at GumGum, which has now become quite a large business. I have written about the next phases many times.

board 338

board energy finance financing 338

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

MARCH 31, 2020

2018 YLAI fellow Kenishia Mais is the founder of ThrivingDollars , a financial education platform empowering young adults with the tools and resources they need to make smarter decisions, create their ideal financial lives, and gain the freedom to pursue more of what they love.

entrepreneurship 245

entrepreneurship financing finance education 245

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 30, 2025

This round is about seizing the opportunities ahead for our next phase of growth, including driving innovation with new products, exploring acquisitions, and ensuring long-term financial flexibility, said Immad Akhund, co-founder and CEO of Mercury. Bank accounts are the nucleus of business finance, said Akhund.

financing 75

financing finance board entrepreneurship 75

Founder Bounty

JANUARY 8, 2025

Our content is informative as well as education from VC-backed founders who have experience in building companies from scratch and helps you navigate the online world this year. At founderbounty we understand the importance of creating content that turns eyeballs. Google rewards legit good and high quality content.

education 105

education VC financing finance 105

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2015

I am reminded of this problem every time my firm does a financing where a note went before us but more specifically I was reminded by this great post by Brad Feld to talk about the pre-money vs. post-money conversion issue. So how DOES a VC think about financings at early stages? It’s very simple. Those are the big three.

VC 364

VC financing finance board 364

Tomasz Tunguz

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

AI radiology, drug discovery, research analysis Finance 1.13 But if a founder wanted a list of jobs to automate, the BLS’ white collar jobs boards is a wonderful place to start. Occupation Employment (in millions) AI Technology Software Developers & IT 2.71 Computer adaptive instruction & testing Engineers 1.73

data analysis 93

data analysis construction education creativity 93

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

The culture is driven by the 20-something irreverent founder with huge technical chops who in a “David vs. Goliath” mythology take on the titans of industry and wins. But markets have changed and I think investors, founders and experienced executives who want to join later-stage startups can all benefit from playing the long game.

venture capital 363

venture capital capital ventures VC 363

Entrepreneurs' Organization

DECEMBER 2, 2020

Contributed by Madhavan Sivashankar , chief executive officer and founder, Gulf International Finance Limited. Madhavan Sivashankar is the CEO and founder of Gulf International Finance Limited , a regulated firm based in the Dubai International Finance Centre. Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give.

financing 230

financing finance innovation culture 230

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 6, 2020

Brad says: “Talk to people you trust, whether they’re investors, board members, co-founders, mentors, whatever; make sure you’re open about the stress and the struggle you’re going through both financially in the business and personally.” I can personally attest that it’s very easy for a startup CEO to feel alone and isolated.

peer-to-peer 321

peer-to-peer startup advice entrepreneurs 321

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

MAY 30, 2019

We are not opposed to convertible and SAFE notes and will not let the form of security the founder wants to use get between us and investing in a company that we like. But I continue to think that convertible and SAFE notes are not in the best interests of the founder(s). They obfuscate the amount of dilution the founder(s) is taking.

financing 210

financing finance VC venture capital 210

Dream It

JULY 29, 2020

Today, the company announced closing $1M in additional seed financing. The round was led by Tech Council Ventures with participation from Boston Millennia Partners Founders Fund and Front Row Fund, who join existing investors including IP Group, Dreamit Ventures, and Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

health 221

health enablement financing finance 221

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

Helping companies get to next financing round successfully: I was just beginning this phase in Sept 2010 and said so. I’ve now been involved with many other successful foll0w-on financings. Sourcing high-quality leads : 9/10. Working with early-stage teams : coaching, mentoring, setting strategy, rolling up sleeves: 9/10.

VC 387

VC venture capital financing finance 387

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

why the hell has seed financing declined so much in the past 3 years?? And this era ushered in by Amazon changed everything from the age of founders to the skill sets required to the structure of the VC industry and even to the layout of cities (yes, I would proclaim that boldly that Amazon AWS affected city development).

investment 328

investment investing VC venture capital 328

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

I’m very worried about any company that has moderate growth plans for 2023 that expects to get another round of financing based on that result. To me, that has a high chance of putting off the inevitable—running out of money during a fundraising process. Maybe the middle ground is not putting away your experiments.

VC 415

VC startup accelerator financing 415

Revolution

MARCH 26, 2025

Post-AOL, I dedicated myself to backing and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs as Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Revolution. At the same time, industries that once powered cities in the middle of the country have suffered, leading to an outflow of potential founders and tech employees and creating what I call the possibility gap.

capital 147

capital innovation entrepreneurship culture 147

Hunter Walk

OCTOBER 14, 2024

The order is important because I fell in love with the product before I even knew about the company, and the hustle of its founder/CEO Sandro Roco. I would go into specialty and natural food stores in New York City and look at the other independently owned and smaller brands and just cold-Instagram DM or cold-LinkedIn message the founders.

culture 91

culture collaboration startup finance 91

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

This happens slowly because while public markets trade daily and prices then adjust instantly, private markets don’t get reset until follow-on financing rounds happen which can take 6–24 months. But it will be patiently deployed, waiting for a cohort of founders who aren’t artificially clinging to 2021 valuation metrics.

VC 416

VC strategy investing investment 416

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

In 2010, Antonio Garcia Martinez, the founder of AdGrok, wrote, “New York will always be a tech backwater, I don’t care what Chris Dixon or Ron Conway or Paul Graham say.” Top founders want to live in a place where employees are serious about working hard. Startup founders always need help. You need both.

communities 434

communities startup real estate mentorship 434

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 26, 2025

The Enterprise Browser upgrades web browsers from a dedicated consumer software package to an enterprise-ready solution, said Mike Fey, Islands CEO and Co-founder. Islands Enterprise Browser addresses these challenges head-on by embedding enterprise-grade security and IT controls directly into the browsing experience.

hospitality 88

hospitality entrepreneurship SaaS innovation 88