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InFundraising

Bay Area Money versus… the Rest

It’s a bit of a David and Goliath story. There is a massive divide in how much money can be raised, and at what stage it can be raised, in the San Francisco Bay Area (Silicon Valley) versus pretty much everywhere else. You may expect it to be similar in other major economic centers the…
InStartup Basics

Hiring Founders and Employees

So you need help. Early on, you probably need Founders (“Co-founders” or “Cofounders”) for little to no pay. Most often, startups are looking for a “Technical Cofounder” aka a CTO. It’s pretty rare for the inverse to happen: a Technical Founder having a hard time finding a Business-focused Cofounder (skill set judgments aside). Let’s be…
InFinanceFundraisingInvestment

Business Entity Selection

There are many business structures and business entity types and states for said entities to reside. Permutations of all of them create a daunting paradox of choice. Let me make it easy for you If you want to raise money: you’re going to want a Delaware-based C-Corp. It’s often the only choice, and it’s pretty…
InStartup Basics

Fast Followers and Moats

These are catch phrases we hear often, both talking about the concern of competition. A moat is basically protection, something that protects your business from having others enter it. Fast followers are those that.. well… follow you quickly, after you launch/start to gain popularity. Having something that you can consider a “moat” that stops “fast…
InStartup BasicsTechnology

What Qualifies as an MVP?

MVP means minimal viable product.  “Minimal” leaves room for ambiguity, admittedly – but not much. The reality is, making the product work isn’t what investors care about – they care that the working product has a market. Ergo, pragmatically, an MVP should be the lowest possible viable product that can test and prove the product…
InFundraising

Taking Investment: Equity or Debt

This is another example of details where having a mentor/advisor goes a long way to making sure you get things right. That said, if you have a good head on your shoulders, you shouldn’t do too badly no matter what, if you’re raising money. You can take the lead from investors on the format, they…