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Category Archives: Raising money
Think ahead when raising your early investments
Some businesses just can’t fit within the angel capital or friends and family model for raising funds. Sooner or later you may need to seek venture capital and accommodate the needs of the venture community in negotiating the terms of … Continue reading
Posted in Raising money
2 Comments
How much of my business do I have to give to an investor?
If you’re looking for growth capital, this one’s for you. We’ll cover what information you’ll expect to provide, your range of expected values and amounts of investment to expect. All to help you set your expectations. OK? Financial History and … Continue reading
Posted in Raising money
3 Comments
Could you have created a “dirty cap table?”
Oh, I know. When you started the business, you took investments from friends and family in small amounts just to get you started. Of course, that worked at the time. But… Enter the need for larger investments When you seek … Continue reading
Posted in Ignition! Starting up, Raising money
3 Comments
Would you sign a personal guarantee if you have investors?
It’s a fact of life that a banker, lender or lessor will ask for a personal guarantee from the founder or entrepreneur most every time. But what if you’ve diluted your interest from 100% to something less than 50%? Should … Continue reading
Oh, go ahead and ask for a five-million-dollar investment in your startup.
I cannot tell you how many times I have seen executive summaries of business plans in which the entrepreneur seeks $5,000,000 to build the business. Four reasons you should reconsider. First, few startups can use that much money today with … Continue reading
Posted in Ignition! Starting up, Raising money
7 Comments
Should I license my IP, sell a royalty stream, or just produce products?
This week we contacted royalty licensing expert, the well-respected Arthur Lipper, asking the magic question. Why are you so strongly sold on royalty licensing as the most effective way to finance a tech-based early stage company? I asked him five … Continue reading
Posted in Raising money
7 Comments
Take only “smart money” investments
[wdm_image_effects effect=”no_effect” animation=”zoomIn” shape=”no_shape” color=”#000″ social=”” title=”Smart-Mone” description=”Smart-Money” id=”3294″ show=”hover” counter=”0″ size=”thumbnail”/] This statement could be considered controversial. We have previously made the case that professional investors demand more in the form of restrictive covenants and lower valuations. Now we … Continue reading
Several more real costs of taking outsider investments.
[wdm_image_effects effect=”no_effect” animation=”slideInRight” shape=”no_shape” color=”#000″ social=”” title=”partnering” description=”partnering” id=”2846″ show=”hover” counter=”0″ size=”medium”/] Let’s talk about the reality of taking money from professional investors. It is not the first time we’ve covered this general subject nor the last. But this time, … Continue reading
Where is the best source of early stage investment?
If you have been following our recent insights, you’ll be up to speed knowing that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to … Continue reading
Posted in General, Raising money
7 Comments
What do you give up when taking outside investors?
Taking in angel or venture money requires a setting of an entrepreneur’s expectations that may come as a shock at least at first. From the moment such an investor looks seriously at your company, the investor or VC partner is … Continue reading
Posted in Depending upon others, Raising money
1 Comment
