Valuing Startup Common Stock

23rd December, 2015 No Comments Recruiting , Venture Capital

Over the years, I have had many occasions to talk about company valuations with founders.  Whether negotiating the terms of an investment or discussing option grants at board meetings, the topic is central to the relationship between a company and its closest stakeholders – its shareholders.  But while much has been written about company valuations and the […]

How Much Capital Should You Raise?

24th November, 2015 No Comments Blog , Fundraising

Entrepreneurs embarking on a fundraising process struggle with this question.  Will you suffer too much dilution by raising too much?  Do you need to raise at least a certain amount to get the attention of certain investors?  What if you set your sights too high and fall short? I suggest that the answer is fairly simple, […]

Fundraising for Founders

30th October, 2015 No Comments Blog

I find that I spend a lot of time talking with founders about how to go about raising a first (or second) round of capital.  I recently put together the presentation below to summarize much of the advice I typically share. Fundraising guide from Thatcher Bell

Event Best Practices

25th September, 2015 No Comments Blog , CoVenture , Fundraising

Some people naturally make a good impression at a cocktail party, fundraiser or conference.  Charisma and enthusiasm help, but a few practical habits go a long way as well: Introduce yourself to anyone you don’t see regularly (e.g less than weekly).  Many people have trouble remembering names and doing this will put them at ease. […]

About CoVenture: Update

31st August, 2015 No Comments CoVenture

I find myself explaining what we do at CoVenture more as our model evolves.  This post is meant to compliment and expand on my original post on Joining CoVenture; as such, I’ll skip the preamble here. At CoVenture, we do two things together with and for startup companies: We write software in exchange for equity, […]