Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2015

Try to imagine if you *didn’t* already know Amazon and the company walking into VC meetings telling people they were going to disrupt the selling of all goods starting with books but then extending into electronics, apparel, toys and so forth. Today’s asset – real estate – is tomorrow’s albatross. ” Ha.

real estate 364

real estate startup disruption incumbents 364

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. Remember that the goal of an email to a VC or an introduction from a trusted mutual connection is simply to get you the meeting. Remember that the goal of an email to a VC or an introduction from a trusted mutual connection is simply to get you the meeting.

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VC pitching advice entrepreneurs 261

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

What is the True Sentiment of VCs? I recently survey more than 150 VC friends from all stages and geographies what they thought about the market by asking “Which of the following statements best describes your mood heading into 2016?” ” “This will be great for VCs and bad for entrepreneurs.”

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startup VC entrepreneurs investing 285

TechCrunch

MARCH 2, 2021

But what if you don’t have unicorn dreams – or you don’t want to pursue VC money? Bootstrapping a SaaS company is not only possible – I believe it’s a saner, more sustainable way to build and scale a business. If you’re a SaaS founder who’s wary of VC funding, here are my best bootstrapping tips. Keep your day job.

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SaaS VC founder data collection 139

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 20, 2015

VC funding. We love capital efficiency until we love land grabs until we abhor over funding until we get huge payouts and ring the bell for more funding until we attract every non-VC on the planet to invest in startups until it crashes and we start the cycle all over again none the wiser. You are building a one-option startup.

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ventures VC capital SaaS 419

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

I only say that because after years as a VC I can always tell when my peer group invested in something because “it seemed like it would make money” versus when they invested out of passion. On reflection of the role that I want to play as a VC it is clearly in the camp of passion. I’m a VC.

peer-to-peer 373

peer-to-peer VC pitching entrepreneurs 373

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Something happened in the past 7 years in the startup and venture capital world that I hadn’t experienced since the late 90’s — we all began praying to the God of Valuation. How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? What happened? There was no money train.

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VC culture sustainability capital 466

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

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. Of the first four investments I made as a VC in 2009, two have exited and two (Invoca & GumGum) still are independent and likely to produce $billion++ outcomes .

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venture capital capital ventures VC 363

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

Much has changed in the past four months of the technology startup world and how outsiders value the business. I am a VC so this will be seen as self serving. But given that I’m not likely to back 99.999% of the people reading this (I do 2-3 deals maximum per year as a VC) I’m really just trying to offer honest advice.

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startup VC finance financing 269

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

One of the questions we discussed is, “How much capital should a startup raise?” We talk a lot about his schooling, his early jobs as a developer and then as a VC and we talk about his decision to spend winters in Los Angeles. You can’t time VC investing markets. VC investing is hard work.

advice 327

advice board VC investing 327

TechCrunch

MARCH 11, 2021

David Teten is founder of Versatile VC and writes periodically at teten.com and @dteten. 15 steps to fundraising a new VC or private equity fund. Stéphane Nasser is co-founder of OpenVC , an open-source initiative to collect and analyze all VC theses. VC websites by David Teten and Sam Sabin , co-founder of Hireblue.

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VC investing investment venture capital 136

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Demo days at startup accelerators are a pretty big deal around here. These events aren’t just a chance to review the latest cohort of hopeful entrepreneurs — they also showcase the technology, products and services that will compete for VC and consumer attention over the next few years. That startup was DoorDash, by the way.

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SaaS startup pitching education 113

TechCrunch

JANUARY 13, 2022

A new company recently emerged that is targeting a popular startup niche, wanting to exclusively help early-stage SaaS (software-as-a-service) companies with their financial needs. We quickly realized that they shared a common pain point — startup funding is costly and distracting.

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SaaS financing finance startup 99

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

In fact, one could say that the sagging stock price of Facebook and stories about lack of VC funding for consumer startups represents , in one microcosm, the story of Web 2.0: The overhead cost of running any kind of a business, given shared access to workspaces, machines, rapid prototyping, and SaaS software, has fallen off the table.

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collaboration media SaaS VC 373

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Though some businesses may never be truly sustainable, a venture firm in Seoul argues that emerging climate-tech startups will help big manufacturers do better overall. I spoke with Sopoong chief executive Max Sang-Yeop Han , a serial entrepreneur who joined Sopoong in 2016 and acquired the firm in 2019, to learn about the VC’s plans.

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TechCrunch

APRIL 21, 2023

If someone said “startup” while we were playing a word association game, I’d respond with “fundraising.” A SaaS mindset just isn’t relevant for deep tech investment, which means traditional VCs must recalibrate their behavior (and expectations) before diving in. ” (I bet you would, too.)

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SaaS startup VC creativity 97

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

It’s when the noise stops and you can actually get customer attention, press articles and VC meetings. I have had a version of this conversation with nearly every startup with whom I’m involved. If your investor worked inside of a SaaS company for years and disagrees with me then listen to them.

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incubation board VC innovation 354

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

Italy’s ecosystem for tech venture capital and startups has been in development for years and has made decent strides in the last decade. Put off by high taxes and paperwork in their home country, many Italian entrepreneurs moved to places like London in years past to startup. The good news: VC funding in Italy has grown.

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VC venture capital mix-use accelerator 122

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2017

As a VC, burn rate is one of the most discussed topics I have with teams who are pitching me for raising capital and it is one of the most common discussions points I have with founders in companies that I’ve backed. years of cash runway, which is too much for a startup.

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startup venture capital capital VC 212

Tomasz Tunguz

JULY 18, 2022

Last year, private equity firms inhaled $29 billion dollars’ worth of startups - a twenty-year record and 50% more than the previous peak. The high-water mark underscored the importance of private equity sponsors as an exit avenue for startups in black Sharpie marker. The most recent surge notwithstanding.

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VC SaaS ventures startup 136

TechCrunch

JANUARY 25, 2021

In a year marred by the coronavirus pandemic, it seems that early-stage startups on the African continent are continuing to see some notable growth, both in terms of their business and from investors looking to back them. . Being entrepreneurs in the past, some of these investors know what it takes to build a startup in the U.S.

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VC accelerator venture capital startup accelerator 138

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2015

When I counsel startup entrepreneurs I give them my blunt dose of reality, “If you can’t easily identify target leads who have a problem you can solve then hang up your cleats – you’re not going to succeed.” I built my first software company in the early days of SaaS and there were few models to go by.

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SaaS VC strategy entrepreneurs 315

AsiaTechDaily

JUNE 14, 2023

Kaya Founders, a venture capital firm based in the Philippines , has introduced two new funds to support startups at different stages of their growth. The Zero to One Fund will focus on pre-seed startups, while the One to Ten Fund will cater to seed to Series A startups.

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support VC founder startup 97

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 10, 2015

I write about sales often both because it’s the lifeblood of any organization and because in my experience it is the area in which more startups are least experienced or inclined. What is the single biggest mistake I see inexperienced startup people do in sales? So understanding the stage of a VC matters. Fund Raising.

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VC entrepreneurs investing investment 329

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. And even this can’t stop their employees from fleeing after two years of vesting to move on to the next hot startup. Easier said than done.

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advice VC entrepreneurs transportation 398

TechCrunch

JANUARY 16, 2021

Israel’s startup ecosystem raised record amounts of funding and produced 19 IPOs in 2020, despite the pandemic. Subscribe to access all of our investor surveys, company profiles and other inside tech coverage for startups everywhere. Are there startups that you wish you would see in the industry but don’t? More than 50%?

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startup mix-use SaaS advice 141

TechCrunch

MARCH 28, 2023

Starting in early April, TechCrunch+ will dig into information relating to startup fundraising in the first quarter. The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. Q1 VC results tread water, but that’s cold comfort for SaaS unicorns by Alex Wilhelm originally published on TechCrunch

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SaaS VC venture capital ventures 93

TechCrunch

AUGUST 9, 2022

In this challenging fundraising environment, more startups than ever are turning to alternative financial solutions such as debt. Despite the negative connotation associated with debt, a startup should not view it as an act of desperation during downturns, as TechCrunch’s Kyle Wiggers and Alex Wilhelm have recently noted.

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SaaS startup founder founder peer-to-peer 103

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Subscription-based pricing is dead: Smart SaaS companies are shifting to usage-based models. Net revenue retention was near 70%, a far cry from the 100%+ that most SaaS companies aim to achieve. Like a VC firm, usage-based companies are making a portfolio of bets. Kyle Poyar. Contributor. Share on Twitter.

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SaaS VC support development 126

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 23, 2021

Now, investors see New Zealand as a country with a track record of building companies with global exits in SaaS, health tech and deep tech. In 2020, VC investments totaled NZD $127.2 According to Crunchbase, money raised by New Zealand startups increased 30%, from around $1 billion to $1.3 or Australian) VCs or the government.

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startup ecosystem startup culture incubation 117

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 25, 2015

The reason I’m thinking about the topic this morning is that several months ago Jason Spievak , the Founder & CEO of Invoca , the very first company I backed when I became a VC, started talking with me about whether he was the right guy to take the company to the next level.

leadership 327

leadership SaaS board education 327

TechCrunch

JANUARY 11, 2023

That’s why we’ve pivoted to a SaaS model. Like any major startup redirect, there were several “a-ha!” Fortunately, the SaaS direction has delivered upsides: We’ve achieved relatively strong product-market fit and cash flow-positive status without big VC raises or burn rates.

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SaaS startup board energy 99

AsiaTechDaily

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Antler, a global early-stage VC firm headquartered in Singapore, has announced its largest pre-seed investment round to date, committing $5.1 million to 37 startups across Southeast Asia. The portfolio encompasses a wide range of sectors, including AI, B2B SaaS, fintech, and healthcare, addressing various regional challenges.

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startup SaaS VC media 98

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Boston-based VC firm OpenView interviewed nearly 600 SaaS companies for its annual pricing survey and the results are in: Automation is taking usage-based pricing (USP) mainstream. Why more SaaS companies are shifting to usage-based pricing. The consequences of SaaS sprawl: A real-world study. Walter Thompson. billion.

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SaaS health ventures venture capital 99

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2016

Invoca had grown steadily and consistently since 2009 and by 2015 SaaS companies with scale had become hot – trading at a median of 7.3x We knew better than to start funding raising in August, when larger VC firms have a harder time assembling full decision teams – so in August we would plan and September we would commence.

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SaaS VC board finance 236

TechCrunch

JULY 12, 2022

Haris Khurshid, general partner at Chalo Ventures , launched a $50 million second fund focused on investing in Pakistani startups and a smaller percentage in Latin American startups. This allows Pakistani startups to scale faster throughout the country and expand into other markets.”. It’s been a busy day for new funds.

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venture capital VC capital ventures 92

AsiaTechDaily

MARCH 28, 2023

Register Startup founders are often too focused on the amount of money they can get from an investor that they mostly fail to see the value that other investors have to offer to grow their businesses further. Indelible Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in B2B SaaS startups that can scale internationally.

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ventures investing investment SaaS 98