Working with Investors
Don’t Get Fooled by These Legitimate Investor Tricks
A few weeks ago Rus Yusupov, founder of Vine, found out that after a $30 million dollar sale in 2012, Twitter was shutting down Vine. The Tweet that followed sums up many startup founders egregious…
After 20 Years: Updating the Berkus Method of Valuation
Well, it had to happen. Originally created in the mid 1990’s to help with the imprecise problem of how to value early stage companies, especially those in technology, I developed what soon became known as…
What NOT to Do When Pitching Investors: Lessons from Shark Tank
Are you an entrepreneur looking for investors? If you are, good luck. We don’t mean to sound cynical, but finding investors is a tough job. There are only so many new ideas in the world,…
Elevator Speech Part 3: What You Offer
So you’re rounding the corner now on the elevator speech, which I say is something all business owners should be able to do. You’ve done the market story, which was part 1, and the why you,…
Are You Getting Your Fair Share of Startup Equity?
I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have…
Avoid These 3 Risks When Seeking Investors
Becoming a small business owner is a stressful prospect. Even the most experienced in their field struggle when they go from being under the safe gaze of a corporation to being completely on their own….
Looking for Investment? Understand Startup Valuation
How much equity do I have to give to angel investors? If you’re a startup founder looking for angel investment, you need to understand valuation. It’s a buzzword that people use in other contexts, too,…
10 Things Angel Investors Ask About Startups
Recently the angel investment group I’m a member of (Willamette Angel Conference) finished our eighth year of choosing a startup to invest in. Our investment runs $100K to $500K, roughly. It’s announced every year on the…
6 Places to Find the Right Investor for Your Startup
One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one….
10 Reasons Angel Investors Don’t Like Your Plan
Once again, for the eighth year in a row, I’m involved as an angel investor with the Willamette Angel Conference and screening investments. We’ll announce a decision in May, and between now and then, we’re looking…