So much seems to ride on the first meeting with a VC that many entrepreneurs find the experience terrifying. The meeting takes on an importance all of its own, and becomes either a ordeal to be survived...

You won’t be surprised to hear that VCs don’t use banjos, guitars or any other musical instrument to invest, rather we use ‘investment instruments’. Investopedia defines an investment instrument (aka a financing instrument) as “A real...

Together with Nic Brisbourne of The Equity Kicker / DFJ Esprit, I am writing a series of 50 questions you should ask when raising venture capital. We expect the series to run for a year, after which...

In this post I will cover the other key economic terms; liquidation preference and anti-dilution, the most important control terms; board structure and protective provisions, and then finish with a few words on exclusivity and cost. ...

Getting a strategic investor interested in their business is an exciting moment for entrepreneurs. It provides validation that for the startup. It shows that major corporations have paid attention to – and been impressed by – whatever...

If your pitch documents are written well, and your business idea is a good one, and you are impressive, and you are lucky, and, and, and… then you will hopefully be on the receiving end of a...

This week’s question is really entitled “What are the most common mistakes in a business plan?”, but Nic provided a succinct way of thinking about his answers, and I decided to quote that in the headline above.