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The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
An important voice in the angel investing world, Luis Villalobos has contributed a practical new term--"valuation divergence"--that focuses on a little understood fact of angel investing: Returns on investments in a company do not increase in direct proportion to the company's market valuation. Entrepreneurs and investors alike will benefit from a better understanding of this concept.
Numerous factors affect how angels value a company. Primary are the strength of the management team and the size of the opportunity, or a company's potential to scale. Accompanying this article is a valuation worksheet that entrepreneurs can use to better understand what investors look for and to identify factors that can justify higher pre-money valuations. Investors will find it useful to compare companies and determine whether valuation should be higher or lower.
This well-written article gives practical advice on how to think about acquisitions and five no-nonsense tips on how to do them productively for all concerned.
This article isn't about PowerPoint but about a much more useful topic: Which questions should an entrepreneur answer in a funding pitch? A veteran VC who's suffered through countless poor business pitches, Brad Feld blames inadequate content--which PowerPoint delivers much too easily.
When going for round one financing, what should your five-year projections look like? This brief article provides excellent, practical advice. Key points: Know your numbers inside and out, show clearly how your projections were built, and be ruthlessly honest with your potential investors and yourself.
Getting ready to do your first presentation to a VC or angel? A good beginning leads to a happy ending. An experienced speaker and writer provides entertaining and useful advice on why your business presentations should open with a spark instead of a spreadsheet.
Are your startup financials accurate? Odds are they are not, perhaps significantly so, because you have not spent the necessary time and effort forecasting revenues. This article explains why revenues, not expenses, are the most important--and difficult--numbers to get right.
This article provides an excellent framework not only for how to raise money but also for how to think about raising money. Key point: Always stay nine months ahead of your need for cash.
Brief and focused, this article offers a solid outline of the questions venture capitalists and other potential funders ask before they show you the money. Only a well-prepared entrepreneur can supply the answers.
Donna Novitsky, CEO of Big Tent Design and a former venture capitalist at Mohr Davidow Ventures contrasts her experiences as an executive in a start-up, a venture capitalist and as an entrepreneur. Novitsky addresses the role of risk mitigation in investing in new ventures and the importance of having a singular focus, aligning company goals with funding requirements and team work in an entrepreneurial environment. Her motto, "Go big or don't go!" has driven her endeavors from her first job to her new venture.
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