There has been much talk of late about the end of easy venture capital and what will happen to startup economics when everyone is forced to spend more wisely. Spending wisely should always be an objective regardless of the economic conditions. But this is especially true for marketers who control a large share of the budget at many companies — and who are […]
Join The Unicorn Club Of Billion-Dollar Companies
I am sure all of you know one or more of the 200 or more young companies that are currently valued at one billion or more by investors and stockholders. These are popularly called “unicorns.” Some of the most well known include Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat, Xiaomi and Pinterest. What every entrepreneur is asking me today […]
Female Founders: Risk Averse? No, Risk Aware!
Angel investor Adam Quinton talks with Liz Kofman of Unitive about hiring, bias, and one surprising conclusion. Adam Quinton is a former investment banker, current Adjunct Professor at Columbia, and angel investor. We are thrilled that he was able to sit down with our staff sociologist Liz Kofman for a discussion on hiring and bias. […]
CEO Spotlight: How to Deal With Performance Numbers That Suck
As a CEO, you are responsible for driving the highest possible performance results. This task is of course much easier said than done. Teams miss their KPIs, MBOs and performance metrics for any number of reasons. And sometimes despite the strength of your leadership, you know your own expertise in making it better is limited. […]
Fun With Numbers: Fund Level Versus Deal-by-Deal Carry
There has been chatter over the years about fund economics — specifically whether carry should be calculated on a fund level, or on a deal-by-deal basis. With the rise of Syndicates and SPVs — and the rise of Angelist as a platform for both — I believe it merits revisiting. My major concern is that all […]
How I Pitched Mark Cuban My Business Idea Without Ever Going on ‘Shark Tank’
Back in late 2011, I got the opportunity to pitch Mark Cuban. I was just a student at the time, at Howard University, and cofounder of a company — no longer existent — called My College Hustle, a bartering platform for college students. Hoping to grab a $25,000 prize, my business partner Edward Lyles and […]
Are You Getting Your Fair Share of Startup Equity?
I always tell entrepreneurs that 2 heads are better than 1, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you do not have in business, technology or money. So the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or […]
A 5 Minute Tutorial on How to Value Your Startup
As an entrepreneur looking for professional investors, one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and get rejected is to start with a ridiculously high pre-money valuation. I see it happen often in my angel investment group, and you can see it happen almost every week on the “Shark Tank.” It is like trying to sell […]
How to Land Big-Name Contracts Regardless of Your Company Size
The secret to landing big contracts is not deeper pockets or more manpower — it is getting prospects to trust you. Understanding this fact has not only helped our startup marketing company land on the Inc. 5000 list, but it has helped the roughly 2,000 small businesses we have coached to compete with the world’s largest financial institutions. Based on our […]
Startups Providing a Service are Difficult to Scale
The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it is harder to find guidance on […]