Recent Blog Posts
What Is a Seed Round?
The seed round is the first real outside money most startups raise. Friends-and-family money usually falls into the “pre-seed” category. Seed funding is when founders begin taking checks from people expecting venture-style returns: Angel investors; Syndicates; Seed funds; Accelerators; and Institutional investors. The terms accepted during the seed round often shape every financing round… Read More »
What Is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
If you are raising money, somebody is going to ask whether you have an MVP. Here is what they actually mean. An MVP — minimum viable product — is the smallest functional version of a product that allows a startup to test whether users actually want it. Not a polished launch. Not a perfect… Read More »
SAFEs vs. Convertible Notes: What Founders Actually Need to Know
There are two common ways to raise early-stage money without negotiating a valuation immediately: SAFEs; and Convertible notes. They are similar in some ways. They are very different in others. Most founders should understand both before signing either. The SAFE: The Modern Default A SAFE — short for Simple Agreement for Future Equity —… Read More »
How to Start a Startup
Starting a company is easy. The hard part is the first ninety days. That is when founders make decisions about entity structure, founder equity, fundraising, IP ownership, and governance — all while trying to build a product at startup speed. Most founders trip over the same early issues. Step One: Decide What You Are… Read More »
How Much Equity Should Founders Give Away?
The honest answer: as little as you can reasonably give up without killing the round. Founders often underestimate how expensive early equity becomes later. At the beginning, equity feels cheap and cash feels scarce. If the company succeeds, that relationship flips. How Equity Dilution Works Equity financing means investors contribute capital in exchange for… Read More »
Startup vs. Small Business: What’s the Difference?
“Startup” and “small business” get used interchangeably all the time. They should not be. The difference is not size. It is intent. A startup is designed for rapid growth and scalability. A small business is usually designed for stability, profitability, and long-term operation. Those goals lead to completely different decisions about financing, hiring, structure,… Read More »
What Is Equity Financing?
Equity financing is the trade most founders make first: ownership for cash. The math is simple. The consequences are not. Unlike debt, equity does not get repaid. It stays on the cap table permanently, and the people receiving it gain economic and governance rights in the company. What Equity Financing Actually Means Equity financing… Read More »
What Is an Angel Investor?
Raise enough money and you will meet two species of investor: the angel and the VC. They write checks that look the same on a bank statement. Everything else about them is different. Angels are individuals. VCs are institutions. Angels usually write the first meaningful check; VCs often write the second. Angels make decisions… Read More »
Accredited Investors: What That Means and Why It Matters
You’ve got a great pitch and a friend who wants to invest. Sounds simple. It isn’t. Whether you can actually take their check — and how much paperwork comes with it — depends on whether they’re an “accredited investor.” That term is buried in securities law, but it shapes almost every early financing decision… Read More »
What Are the Pros and Cons of Accelerator Funding?
Getting into Y Combinator or Techstars is, for some founders, the validating moment that makes them feel like a real startup. It’s also a transaction. You’re selling roughly 6–7% of your company for a check, a network, and a Demo Day. Whether that’s a great deal or a bad one depends entirely on what… Read More »