Lean Startup is about experimentation and learning. It’s about being intellectually honest and methodical in your approach. It’s about going slow before going fast. It’s about moving backward before moving forward. Investing on the other hand is about storytelling and big vision. It’s also about proof and hockey stick traction. So when raising money how […]
8 Questions on How to Prepare for VC Meetings
Lately I’ve been answering questions on Sprouter and having a lot of fun doing it. Hopefully it’s useful to the people asking as well. Not surprisingly, a lot of the questions are about VCs and investors – how to pitch them, what to pitch, how to prepare, etc. It’s a popular topic and something I’ve […]
It Doesn’t Matter How Much Money You’re Raising, It’s Still Hard
Things certainly feel frothier these days. More and more companies are raising money, and valuations seem to be skyrocketing. But even in stronger economic times (we hope!) and bubblier eagerness to put venture and angel capital to work it’s still extremely hard to raise financing. And in many cases the amount of money you’re looking […]
Mastering the VC Game: An Important Read for Startup Entrepreneurs
Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms is written by Jeff Bussgang, General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners. Follow him on Twitter here, and read his own thoughts about the book here. Jeff has been a VC for a number of years, but […]
No One Can Raise Funding for Your Startup Except You
One of the big roadblocks that first-time entrepreneurs face is the issue of raising capital. There are no easy answers. But one thing is certain, the only person that can raise financing for your startup is you. There are enough high quality resources out there on raising venture capital and angel investment. And there are […]
Raising Startup Capital is an Achievement, But Not the Most Important One
HubSpot recently raised $16M dollars in a new funding round. The total capital they’ve raised to date: $33M. That’s a huge amount of money. Dharmesh Shah, one of HubSpot’s founders isn’t in love with the idea of raising venture capital (but he did it, and explains why too.) He considers himself a bootstrapping guy. After […]
The Art and Science of the Small Exit
Is the “era of the small exit” upon us? I haven’t looked at any data to determine if smaller exits are becoming more common – I would venture to guess that they’re becoming more public by virtue of the publicity surrounding Web-based startups. But regardless of the past, opportunities are growing for smaller exits, and […]
Is the Venture Capital Model Broken?
Lots of people are asking this question: Is the VC model broken? It’s an important question, regardless of what you believe, because it creates debate and change. Few things ever stay the same, and the VC model is no different. And without a doubt, I believe the VC model and startup investment in general will […]
8 Tips for Successful Venture Capital Meetings
Having recently participated in Montreal Startup’s first workshop day for the companies it has invested in, I wanted to share some of the input I provided. The Montreal Startup guys asked me to sit on a panel with serial entrepreneur, Frederic Lalonde and equally-experienced entrepreneur (and ex-VC) Marc Gingras. The panel was moderated by Mark […]
Are Strategic Investors More Important in a Downturn Economy?
First, let’s define a strategic investment. A strategic investment is one that’s made most often by a company in your industry, and in some cases a competitor. I don’t think most startups look at strategic investment opportunities – they pursue angel and VC investors first – but in a downturn economy, do strategic investors become […]
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