Founders and Fundraising
Here’s Why Your Great Startup Idea Is Worthless
“So, what do you think?” the investor asked me. “I’m really impressed with the technology,” I said. “I think I might invest.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The investor smiled and we shook hands. Then I left. I went home, and I thought about the company some…
Read MoreHow Do You Raise Your Next Round Of Funding?
Raising your next round of funding is not a given. Each round of funding presents its own set of challenges. In today’s short video, I’ll share with you my tips for raising your next round of funding. Make sure to watch all the way till the end for my last tip; It was the difference…
Read MoreWhy You Shouldn’t Tell Investors You’re The Next Uber
I know. It’s oh so tempting to tell potential investors that your company is the next Uber because, after all, who wouldn’t want to be an investor in Uber. It feels good rolling of your tongue, doesn’t it? The only problem is telling an investor your company is the next Uber or the next Facebook…
Read MoreHow Do You Prepare For VC Technical Diligence?
“Let’s look this guy up,” I said to Jeroen, my cofounder and VP Engineering, about the expert the VC firm was using to do technical diligence on us. I then did a search on LinkedIn and found “Peter’s” resume. “Well, there’s good news and bad news,” I said to Jeroen. “What’s the good news?” Jeroen…
Read MoreWhen’s The Best Time For You To Raise Money?
Nothing is more painful for me to watch then a CEO that has waited too long to raise funded. It’s a self inflicted wound that you can easily avoid. Yet I see this happen over and over again. I’ve raised over $100M, so I do have a little bit of experience in this area. I’ll…
Read MoreWhy Your Technical Cofounder Can’t Be Fired
“Why is Bob with the company?” I asked myself. “He just seems to sit in the corner doing nothing.” Bob was the founder of the startup I had just joined as VP Marketing. Bob was no longer the CEO, but, for some strange reason, he was still with the company, doing what looked to be…
Read MoreWhat’s The Worst Thing You Can Hear When You’re Raising Money?
You will quickly find that raising money is a numbers game. You have to knock on a lot of doors if you’re going to raise your funding. You’re going to hear lots of things from the investors you meet. But there’s one thing you may hear that’s probably the worst thing you can ever…
Read MoreWhat’s The One Thing No One Tells You About Selling Your Company?
You’ve just received a great offer to buy your company. Congratulations! You’re about to make a ton of money if you accept the offer. That’s fantastic. But there’s one thing you should understand before you close the deal. Watch this short video so you know what to expect. Read The Video Transcript Below: …
Read MoreWhy It’s Okay To Start Your Company During A Recession
It was surreal when we were raising money at the height of the Great Recession. Sand Hill Road was essentially closed for business for early stage startups for close to one year. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I didn’t plan to raise money at the worst time…
Read MoreWhat Are The 2 Likeliest Mistakes You’ll Make Starting Your Company?
I’ve been coaching startup CEOs for several years now. There are two mistakes I see startup CEOs make time and time again. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The sad thing is these mistakes are entirely preventable. I’ll explain what these mistakes are and how you can prevent…
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