In the early stages of scaling a business, it’s perfectly natural to cheer for each new sale with the same enthusiasm as the last. After all, new deals drive growth. Not…
Emery WaddellApril 26, 2017
I frequently field questions from entrepreneurs and angel investors about Convertible Debt, and more recently about SAFEs (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). This is a topic that many have written…
Mike BeckerOctober 26, 2016
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Jim Mckelvey – well known philanthropist, celebrated artist, accomplished author and, oh yeah… co-founder of Square – speak at a conference where he…
Emery WaddellAugust 19, 2016
It’s easy to be a cynic when it comes to industry trade shows and conferences, as the formula at most of them is pretty tired and familiar. You can waste…
Mike BeckerJuly 5, 2016
Ask this question of Tech CEOs and you can get a lot of different answers. I can tell you from the scars on my own back as a SaaS operator,…
Mike BeckerApril 23, 2016
As you might imagine, we see a lot of hockey stick financial models and fluffy sales pipelines in the course of evaluating potential investments. I was certainly guilty of producing…
Mike BeckerFebruary 9, 2016
As part of a sweeping, 887-page tax bill passed by Congress on December 18, risk-taking entrepreneurs and investors who create jobs through building businesses will now be rewarded for their…
Emery WaddellFebruary 5, 2016
As technology venture investors, we are presented with a wide variety of forecast models. Given that we typically lead or participate in Series A / Series B rounds, we are…
Emery WaddellJanuary 24, 2016
Acquiring great talent is important for any company, but start ups and early growth stage companies can literally live or die based on the quality of their hiring process. A…
Mike BeckerDecember 15, 2015
I recently came across a good article by Jonathan Friedman at LionBird about why VCs pass on 'good' companies. The gist of it is that the VC model is based…
Emery WaddellOctober 30, 2015