Funding a Startup
5 Criteria for Splitting Equity in Your New Venture
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…
Crowdsourcing for Small Business: Genius or Madness?
Crowdsourcing has been both a success and a failure for my business. I love my new logo design but am disappointed that I failed to raise startup funds. Benefit from my experience and get valuable…
8 Keys to Successfully Bootstrapping Your New Venture
If you really want to start a business your way without a boss or professional investor hovering over you, then just fund it yourself or through friends and family, and grow it organically. It’s more…
Revealed: Women Entrepreneurs’ Crowdfunding Advantage
Note to women entrepreneurs: Make society’s gender stereotypes work in your favor! Personal experience and years of observation have taught me that women have a more difficult time winning investor backing for their startups than men….
The 3 Phases of a Tech Startup
Most tech startups go through three phases: 3Fs, Seed and VC/Scale. Understanding these stages, and the objectives for each, is an important factor in strategy development and decision making. Not understanding the stage you’re currently…
3 Key Components of Successfully Raising Funding
Not all companies should raise (or need) venture capital to succeed. As scholar and former VC Dileep Rao points out, “The reality is that most ventures do not qualify for venture capital and never will.” However, a highly…
10 Reliable Ways to Finance a Startup
The ability to secure funds for a startup is the first step in turning your business dream into a reality. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done especially when you have little or no…
My Advice to Startups Seeking Angel Investment
Over the weekend I was asked what advice I’d give to founders of a startup seeking angel investment. Here’s my list. First, make sure you really want angel investment. Read 10 good reasons not to seek…
Raising Your Total Startup Capital in 5 Steps
You’ve got the next billion-dollar idea and you are looking to make the big jump into the “fairytale” journey of an entrepreneur. You have read all the startup books and know everything about the great…
8 Smart Tips to Soliciting Friends and Family Funding
It’s great to start with a big dream as you contemplate a new business, but finding the money you need takes more than dreaming. As an advisor to young entrepreneurs, I find that many are…