There’s an old saying: If you tell me, it’s an essay. If you show me, it’s a story. In raising funding you have to show, not just tell. Forecasting alone doesn’t close the round. You must demonstrate progress towards it. Never show up to an investor meeting or call without something new in hand to […]

I’m often asked how long it will take to raise a round of funding.  It will take you one calendar year for every million dollars you are raising, that’s if you are working on it full-time. If you are part-time, then it will take longer. You’ll need approximately two months to prepare for the raise. […]

Raising a fund is hard. Aside from sales, this is one of the hardest things to do in a startup. Here are a few points to remember in your fundraise: – Build relationships first and find investors second. – Divide your raise into tranches and give yourself a reasonable timeline for each tranche. – Investors […]

If you are pitching to a close friend or family member, you can use an informal approach to ask them for money. Explain what your startup does in just a sentence or two, and tell the story of how you came up with the idea. Keep it brief. Describe how your product or service works. […]

I often see CFOs and board members give the investor pitch instead of the CEO. In an emergency this is okay, but by and large, the CEO should be giving the pitch. The investors want to size up the CEO and know who is running the business. I find the CEO stand-ins can deliver the […]

In pitching an investor, the key presenter is the CEO.   While board members, CFOs, and others can make the pitch, that’s the second-best choice. The investor wants to meet the CEO and size them up for their communication skills, passion for the project, and expertise in the domain. An in-person meeting is a must for […]

Most of the work in a standard board meeting are perfunctory duties such as approving minutes and reviewing financials and metrics. The board also weighs in on key decisions around fundraising, strategy, and other topics. Board members will discuss whatever you put on the agenda.   Make sure the agenda items are of strategic importance and […]

Board members are a key part of a growing startup. Building out the board is an important step in setting up the company for success. Here are some characteristics of an ideal board member: – They come prepared to the meetings having read the material and done their research. – They have an open dialog […]

The board is a key part of the team that makes the startup successful. When you are in the early stage, using family and friends funding creates an informal advisory board. Try and meet with them monthly in a coffee shop and keep it to three members. After you launch your product and start raising […]

You may want to add independent board members to your board. The independent board member may add value to your company by bringing domain knowledge and operating expertise. Look for someone who has run a company of your size and industry in the not-too-distant past. The independent often brings a new perspective to the company […]

So, what is a board observer? In general, the board observer is just that, an observer. Someone who listens to the discussion but doesn’t actively participate unless called on to join in. Some investors negotiate a ‘board observer’ position as part of their investment so they can monitor the progress of the company. Most board […]

Board meetings are important for gaining input and advice on how to run the business. To get the most out of your board meeting, start with an objective for the meeting including agenda and preparation documents such as financials.  It’s helpful to get feedback from the participants before the meeting so you can adjust the […]

Board members can help the company in many ways. Here’s a list of potential support:  – They can help recruit employees for the company as many board members have extensive networks – They can help with the fundraise as they know investors – They can help with strategy since most will come from the company’s […]

Startups with product-market fit that are generating revenue should consider installing a board. The board of directors provides oversight for the company. Early-stage boards should have an audit and compensation committee. The audit committee sets the policy regarding the finances including control, expenses, and reviews. The compensation committee sets pay for the company’s employees and […]

In growing your startup, one of the best assets you can have is a strong and engaged board of directors. The board should have members who collectively cover a range of skills, network, and experience. They should be connected to your startup and its industry in some way. A good board is on the same […]

The startup board is typically led by the CEO. Some boards fall into formal roles to tackle specific tasks such as compensation or exit planning. Many boards see members fall into informal roles. The most common roles are the domain expert, the advocate, and the critic. The domain expert looks at everything from the industry […]

In running a board, there will be conflicts and bad behavior. Here are some to watch out for: – The board member who disrupts the group and takes the discussion off-track from the agenda. – The member who must have it their own way every time. – The member who doesn’t know the topic well […]

There are several types of board members.  Each provides a contribution to the board dynamic. Here are the types you may see in your board room: – The Cheerleader. Always optimistic and sees the upside to every proposal or situation. – The Pessimist. Always pessimistic and sees the backside to every proposal and situation. – […]

Board directors can help the company in many ways beyond governance. Here are some key areas: – Provide strategy and direction for the company at a high level – Make introductions to customers and partners – Provide helpful tips on how to run the business – Help recruit other board members – Put in place […]

The board leader can make the board meetings more effective. Here are some points to consider:  – Set up meetings that don’t conflict with holidays or heavy travel schedules – Send out the board package in time for review – Focus the agenda on the top issues – Demand the attention of the board members […]

For board meetings, it’s important to prepare properly. Set the meeting schedule well in advance, such as a year. Prepare documents far enough in advance so the members have time to read the materials and prepare for the meeting. Use a standard format for the board package so the members can find things more easily. […]

One of the key roles of a board member is coaching the CEO. Here are some key points to consider: – Focus on the team, the financials, and the strategy of the company – Avoid the minutiae of day-to-day operations – For the team, work on building the company’s culture – The CEO may need […]

The board can help the company with building the team. Here are some key points to consider in helping with recruiting: – Identify candidates to fill the C-level positions that are available – Set up a recruiting and hiring process as startups often have ad hoc procedures in place – Help foster the company’s culture […]

In setting up the board for a startup, it’s important to set the compensation policy for the directors. While some candidates will join the board for no monetary compensation, most people will require some compensation. Here are some key points to consider when setting the policy: – Tie the director’s compensation to an evaluation of […]

Board members have a fiduciary duty which means they must exercise good business judgment, put the company’s interest first, and act in good faith. Board members work in the following areas: – They set policy for the company – Evaluate the CEO – Check the financial resources for sufficiency – Approve annual budgets – Provide […]

Directors & Officers Insurance (D&O Insurance) protects the board members whose work brings potential liability for the director. Most policies offer $1M to $2M of coverage. Here are some key points to consider in choosing a D&O Insurance policy: – The policy should indemnify the directors. – It should advance expenses at the point of […]

In raising funding, the startup will meet with many investors to answer their questions. So, how should the startup answer the investor’s questions? First, listen to the question and answer it directly and to the point. If the question requires a number, then give that number. For example, if the investor asks how much revenue […]

A common mistake made by startups is launching a company in an industry in which the founders know little or nothing about. I find this happens often in the healthcare and financial industries. The size and growth of those markets make it attractive to pursue but without a deep knowledge of how those industries work, […]

In pitching investors, you must be able to demonstrate your competitive advantage. It’s not enough to say your product is better or your team will execute faster. You must identify your core competitive advantage and show how it gives you at least a 30% cost reduction or a 30% revenue increase over the traditional methods.   […]

Startups are usually shy about discussing their current revenue when they are early in the process as the revenue is not large. I tell the startup the investor doesn’t care about the size of revenue, but rather revenue predictability.  Investors look for systems in startups regardless of the size. Do you have a process for […]

If you are pre-revenue, you can show traction with your startup. We’ll define traction as activity with customers, albeit without revenue. Show customer engagement at all phases, even before you have a product. You should have customers coaching you on what product to build. First, when communicating with investors, always include customers in your discussions. […]

In setting the valuation for a startup, there are financial calculations, and then there are non-financial factors. I call the non-financial factors the “soft side of valuations”. These include the following: Current market conditions — as the market heats, up certain sectors turn ‘hot’ and therefore command a higher valuation than the numbers indicate. Predictability […]

In the deal process, there are always issues that give the investor cause to rethink pursuing the investment.  Here is a short list of dealbreakers that indicate it’s time to break off the deal process. – There are major surprises, such as finding out the company has significant debt they did not disclose previously. – […]

There are over 125 terms in the NVCA glossary for terms sheets. So which key terms should the investor focus on? Here are six key terms to consider for your startup investment: – Valuation or the price you pay for the equity is the most important term that impacts the return to the investor. – […]

There are pros and cons to using a convertible note. Startups use them primarily for seed rounds and bridge rounds. They are lower in cost, as the documents are simpler than equity terms sheets. They avoid setting a price, so they are easier to negotiate. It keeps the cap table simple as they start in […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many terms used in terms sheets but there are only a few that have a significant impact. Here are the key ones: – Liquidation Preference — a liquidation preference gives the shareholder their […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many terms in a standard terms sheet for investing in a startup.  Six terms have a direct impact on the return the investor receives. They are as follows: – Pre-money valuation is the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In negotiating the terms of a startup investment, the investor should develop a standard terms sheet and modify it for each deal. In going into due diligence, send the terms sheet to the startup for […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The terms sheet glossary contains over 125 terms that can be used. For every risk in the startup, there is a term to place in the terms sheet to mitigate that risk. If you feel […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For a startup to raise funding it must have a legal structure. The two choices are LLCs, which is a Limited Liability Company, or a C-corp. Most startups launch with an LLC and convert to […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your fundraise, you should always be in a position to take funding. There are many investors who want to join the deal but won’t take on a lead investor role in setting the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After diligence, investors who want to move forward will sign the investment documents. For a convertible note raise, the investor and CEO will sign the note. It’s a rolling close, so the funds go into […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup fundraising requires investment documents. Of course, you should seek counsel with your startup-friendly attorney before committing to an equity fundraise, but here are several sources of terms sheets on the web. Ycombinator provides a […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Terms sheets can be founder-friendly or investor-friendly. The terms sheet provides terms in favor of the founder over the investor or vice versa.  Here’s how you can tell which one you have. In a founder-friendly […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In negotiating a terms sheet, there are several key elements to keep in mind. Valuation is the biggest hurdle as it sets equity ownership.  Key terms that often come into play include the following: Liquidation […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. When I ask startups how much they are raising for investment, they often quote their total raise for the life of the startup. We then talk about breaking the raise into smaller rounds so the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In determining your raise amount, consider what you need for the next 18-24 months and focus on that window rather than the entire life of the company. Raise enough to accomplish the goals for that […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. I often hear investors say if the company just had revenue then the risk would be gone. But once the startup achieves revenue, the next stage of risk comes up – will they be able […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups raising funding should keep track of their cap table which shows who has ownership in the business. If you have one, make sure to keep it up to date.   If you don’t have one, […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Depreciation represents the reduced value of assets. Each asset in your business has its own useful lifetime.   Based on that useful lifetime, one can expense a portion of the value each year over the life […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Your financial projections will be important for your fundraise. Banks will want to see your projections when you apply for a loan.  And investors will want to see them as well when you raise equity […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Operating expenses are the day to day expenses a business incurs. They support the operational side of the business covering sales, marketing, product development, and administration. These expenses include legal, digital marketing, payroll for employees, […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For later-stage startups with revenue, one can use the financial projections to estimate the company’s valuation for fundraising purposes.  Discounted cash flows, called the DCF method, values the company based on future cash flow projections.  […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Your financial statements will generate a wealth of metrics on your business. Investors want to know these metrics – also called KPIs – which stands for Key Performance Indicators. You can use the metrics to […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In preparing your financial projections, you’ll need to account for investments into assets, also called capital expenditures. These include real estate, intellectual property, equipment, facilities, and buildings.  Assets also include computers, servers, and office equipment. […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Working capital is the capital you need to run the daily operations of the business and includes anything that can be converted to cash.   This includes cash, accounts receivables, and inventory.   Accounts payable reduces your […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. All businesses must pay taxes, including startups. Taxes include payroll and social security taxes which are based on the salary of employees and paid monthly. Even if your business is not yet profitable you still […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Any financing you have must also be accounted for in the financial statements.   You’ll need to set up a tab in your spreadsheet to capture the details of a loan, or other types of financing […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For sales forecasting, begin with your current sales funnel and revenue history. The more you know about your sales process — lead generation, conversion, and time in funnel, the more accurate the forecast will be.  […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up for your financial projections model, personnel is straightforward to forecast. Each employee has a salary, benefits, and payroll taxes.   Payroll taxes are a calculation off of the salary.  Commissions need to be […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Cost of Goods Sold, called COGS forecasting, represents the cost to build and deliver your product or service. This includes the cost to build the product or hours to deliver the service.  In most cases, […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Financial projections also called the pro forma, is a key document you’ll need for your fundraise.  Investors will want to see detailed, five-year financial projections as it shows you’ve thought through the financial side of […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are two approaches to financial forecasting for startups. The first is top-down forecasting. The second is bottom-up forecasting. Bottom-up forecasting uses the company’s historical data for cost and sales. It takes a micro view […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are two approaches to financial forecasting for startups. The first is top-down forecasting. Top down takes a macro perspective by using the overall market sizes and industry estimates for your type of business.  The […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A financial model provides three outputs. Key financial statements, an operational cash-flow forecast, and key metrics for the business. Key financial statements include the profit and loss statement (called P&L), the balance sheet (BS), and […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The most important financial statement is the cash flow statement because cash is the most important financial metric for the business. If you run out of cash then you most likely will have to put […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After completing the financial projections, you may want to create various scenarios of your financial model.  Startups are often optimistic, while investors are pessimistic. You may want to create a best-case scenario and a worst-case […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch is the short-form version of your presentation for investor opportunities that give you a limited amount of time. The key to an elevator pitch is not to talk faster, but rather to […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After the pitch comes the investor discussion, in person or by conference call.  Research the investors in advance by looking them up on LinkedIn and their own company websites. In setting up a call or […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In developing the pitch deck, there are several mistakes I often see. One of the most common is trying to explain in great detail how the product or technology works. Instead, focus on the benefits […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the fifth slide is the monetization slide. It answers the question on how you make money.  Show the business model you are using such as recurring revenue, transaction fees, or other. […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the twelfth slide is the Investment Opportunity slide. This slide shows the fundraise target and how much is raised so far. Include interest and committed investors as well as invested funds […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the eleventh slide is the Financial slide. The Financial slide gives the current status of the company with respect to revenue, expenses and profit. You want to convey highlights such as […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the tenth slide is the Value Proposition slide. The Value Proposition slide shows what value your product/service brings to the customer.  It should answer the question, ‘what benefits does it offer’ […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the ninth slide is the Team slide. Show the C-level team, include the CEO, CTO, and CSO. Include a picture of each team member with their name and title. Show the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the eighth slide is the Competitive Advantage slide. First, highlight your core value proposition for the customer. Show what value the customer receives from your product/service. A competitive advantage gives you […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the seventh slide is the Competition slide. The Competition slide often helps highlight the market size and strength by showing who else is playing in that space. In your slide, highlight […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the sixth slide is the Traction slide. For this slide, show current sales as well as the funnel of upcoming sales opportunities. Include forecast numbers for each opportunity. Show the pipeline […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the fourth slide is the Market slide. The Market slide shows the size of the opportunity. Show total available market, which is anyone you can sell to. Then show the serviceable […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the third slide is the Solution slide. For your solution, show a picture of the core product or technology so the investor gets a sense of it. Describe how you came […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck the second slide is the Problem slide. It’s important to start the pitch with the problem you are solving so the investor has a frame of reference for your startup. Show […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the first slide is the Title slide. It’s important as it’s the first slide the investor will see. It should convey the style and culture of the company. On the slide, […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After funding, you need to keep your family and friends investors informed on the status of the startup. Consider the following: Be transparent about the results and share both bad news as well as good […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The goal of the pitch deck is to introduce your deal to an investor and find out what is essential to that investor. The goal is not to tell your full story or explain how […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funds from family and friends, you could take it in the form of a gift.   Most family and friends want to help you out rather than make a return.   A gift is an […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your startup you must consider your intellectual property strategy. Intellectual property or IP includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.  You should trademark your company name. For your technology, you can either file […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising equity funding, you can only raise from investors who are accredited. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) establishes the criteria for those who are accredited. You can see the specific requirements on the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your startup you must consider employment law.  You should check to see what contracts your prospective employee may have signed with a former employer around non-competes, non-solicitation agreements, and assignment of inventions.  A […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your startup you must have a legal entity to raise funding. Start with an LLC or Limited Liability Company. This can be filed with your Secretary of State at your state government.  The […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. All startups need to have a legal entity. Before you launch your fundraise make sure you have a legal entity filed as you’ll need it for accepting investment funds.  Start with an LLC which is […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. If you want to raise venture capital funding, then check these points to see if you are venture fundable: Do you have the following: – Recurring revenue – Do you have recurring revenue in your […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Raising funding requires document and business preparation as well as pitching and extensive followup. Throughout the process there’s one thing you need to do before you can raise the funding.  You need to build a […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In fundraising, milestones are specific goals you have accomplished. In crafting your fundraise story, focus on key milestones both those you just hit and those you are striving for. This demonstrates you are making progress. […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as anchor clients. Anchor clients are those who prepay for a custom version of your product. They are typically […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as consultation funding. Consultation funding is using consultation work to pay the bills and salaries while you are building […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others. In general, equity funding is for launching and growing a business and is the most expensive form of funding.  Each […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as grants. Grants are typically provided by government organizations to spur research and make a small contribution to the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as crowdfunding. There are several forms of crowdfunding such as crowdfunding with prepayment, crowdfunding from non-accredited investors, and crowdfunding […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many startups use equity to fund their business.  Equity is an ownership stake in a company.  Equity aligns everyone’s interest in the startup. It preserves cash since it’s only paid upon the exit of the […]

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Another source of funding is supplier funding. Supplier funding comes from those who provide services to your company such as contract manufacturing, software development, legal, accounting services, and more. Suppliers provide their services in exchange […]